How to choose dog boarding or day care in Chesterfield
Nineteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Chesterfield, spread across six areas: Chesterfield town centre, Staveley & Brimington, Bolsover & Shirebrook, Worksop and Matlock & Alfreton each have a published listing, while Clay Cross & North Wingfield currently has none (see below for why). Eight are home boarders, five hold a day care licence and seven hold a boarding kennels licence, with one business, High Farm Boarding Kennels & Doggie Day Care, holding both a kennels and a day care licence at the same site.
Home boarding, day care or kennels
Eight businesses board dogs in the boarder's own home rather than a kennel block: Divine Dog Care, Spire Boarding for Dogs, The Old Dog House, Chesterfield Doggy Day Care and Little Chunks in the Chesterfield centre area; Doggie Home From Home in Staveley & Brimington; and Booth's Rainbow Boarding and Hayley and Pete Dog Boarding in Matlock & Alfreton. A home boarder usually takes far fewer dogs at a time than a kennel, so ask how many other dogs will be in the house during your dates, and whether they are all from one family or several. Rose Cottage Doggy Day Care & Doggy Hotel and High Farm Boarding Kennels & Doggie Day Care run day care from a dedicated site in the centre area; House of Waggles Doggie Daycare does the same in Staveley, with pick-up and drop-off in a dog van; and Total Dog Daycare and Wagz Pet Boutique (The Doggy Drop Inn) both run purpose-built day care in Worksop. High Farm, ADK9, Rex Pet Hotel, C Four Paws, Dog And Spoon, Birchwood Boarding Kennels and Cattery and Upperwood Boarding Kennels & Cattery all run boarding kennels for overnight stays; Rex Pet Hotel, Birchwood and Upperwood also keep a cattery alongside the dog kennels.
Council licences across the six areas
Every business listed holds a current council licence — a legal requirement in England for boarding kennels, home boarding and day care alike, not an optional extra. Chesterfield Borough Council licenses every business in the centre area plus most of Staveley & Brimington, and publishes its own readable register with a star rating for each listing. Bolsover & Shirebrook is licensed by a mix of Bassetlaw District Council (Rex Pet Hotel) and Bolsover District Council (C Four Paws), since council boundaries cross the area's postcodes. Worksop is licensed entirely by Bassetlaw District Council. Matlock & Alfreton spans three licensing authorities: Amber Valley Borough Council (Booth's Rainbow Boarding, Hayley and Pete Dog Boarding, Birchwood), Derbyshire Dales District Council (Upperwood) and Bolsover District Council (Dog And Spoon, whose Westhouses site sits just inside this area). Where the council has issued a star rating, it runs from 1 to 5 and is shown on the listing; it is the council's own inspection score, not a customer review, so treat it the way you would a food hygiene rating rather than a Google star. Clay Cross & North Wingfield has no published business on this page: it is licensed by North East Derbyshire District Council, whose online register blocks automated access, so no listing there could be verified against the council's own record this round. Two trading names were found for the area but neither had a confirmed phone number; call Chesterfield Borough Council or North East Derbyshire District Council directly if you need a boarder in that area now.
Questions worth asking
None of these are things this directory can answer on a business's behalf; they are worth putting to the business directly before you book.
- What vaccinations do you require, and how long before the stay do you need to see proof of them?
- Do you have a policy on kennel cough, and what is it?
- Do you have any breed restrictions or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
- Are you insured, and can you show evidence of current cover?
- How many other dogs, and from how many other households, will be there during my dates?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care?
None of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule or a stated insurance position beyond what appears on their own licence or website, so ask rather than assume an answer either way. See our Chesterfield prices guide for what the six businesses that publish a price charge.