Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Canterbury
Canterbury City Council licenses all eleven dog boarding, home-boarding and day-care businesses on this page, whether they board dogs in a purpose-built kennels or in the boarder's own home. A licence is not a promise about any single stay, but it is worth asking to see, alongside a plain answer on vaccinations and any breed policy.
Vaccinations
Every home boarder, kennels and day care here sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what they require and how far ahead of the stay, rather than assuming one rule applies across the town. Several also have their own view on kennel-cough cover; practice differs from business to business, so raise it directly when you call.
Licences
Canterbury City Council publishes a live public register grouping its licensed catteries, kennels and home-boarding businesses, with a trading name, postcode and star rating for each — but no licence number and no expiry date for any entry. All eleven businesses listed here are confirmed on that register. Where a business states its own licence number on its website, as a few do, treat that as the business's own claim rather than a figure the council's register itself publishes. See our council licences guide for what the register's star ratings show for each business.
Breed policies and insurance
A home boarder, kennels or day care is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully, so ask directly rather than assuming either way. Where a business's own site says it holds public liability insurance, treat that as the business's own statement: Roskosh has no way to check an insurance policy independently, so ask to see evidence if it matters to your decision.
Questions to ask before you book
- Can I see your current licence certificate and its star rating?
- What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
- Do you have a policy on kennel cough cover?
- Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully?
- Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
- How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during my dates?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care?
What a licence actually covers
A licence covers premises standards, record-keeping, group sizes and, in Canterbury's case, a star score from the council's own inspection; it does not fix a price or guarantee a particular room, run or group size, so ask those separately even once the licence and star rating check out.
One edge covered by a different council
A small corner of this page's coverage, around Wingham, is actually licensed by Dover District Council rather than Canterbury City Council, and runs its own separate register. See our council licences guide for how that works and which businesses it affects.