Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Chesterfield

Nineteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Chesterfield, across the town centre, Staveley & Brimington, Bolsover & Shirebrook, Worksop and Matlock & Alfreton. All nineteen hold a current council licence, split across five different licensing authorities, because dog boarding, home boarding and day care are each licensed activities in England under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. A licence on its own does not tell you everything about a stay, so the questions below are worth asking directly.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

None of the nineteen businesses listed here publish a fixed vaccination schedule on their own site, and this directory does not set one either: practice varies from business to business, and a wrong steer on jabs or kennel-cough cover is not something to take from a directory listing. Ask what a business requires and how long before your dog's stay it needs to see proof, and ask separately whether it has its own kennel-cough policy, since some do and some do not.

Breed policies

A boarder, kennels or day care is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate. Booth's Rainbow Boarding, a home boarder in the Matlock & Alfreton area, states on its own site that it does not decline dogs on the basis of breed, size or neuter status; none of the other eighteen businesses listed here make a similar statement either way, so ask directly rather than assume.

Insurance

No business listed for Chesterfield states on its own site that it holds public liability insurance. That is not the same as not having it: it simply was not found published anywhere this directory could check. Ask to see evidence of current cover if it matters to your decision, rather than assuming either way.

Licences, area by area

Chesterfield Borough Council licenses every business in the Chesterfield centre area and most of Staveley & Brimington, and its own register gives a star rating for each one. Bolsover & Shirebrook is split between Bassetlaw District Council and Bolsover District Council; Worksop is licensed entirely by Bassetlaw; and Matlock & Alfreton spans Amber Valley Borough Council, Derbyshire Dales District Council and Bolsover District Council, depending on exactly where a business sits. See our council licences guide for what each register shows and why Clay Cross & North Wingfield has no listed business yet.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which authority licensed you, and can I see the certificate or licence number?
• 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 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 staying with you, and who decides that?

A licence, wherever it is confirmed, covers premises or home standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, promise a particular room, or guarantee anything about how your own dog will settle, so these are still worth asking about separately.