Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Chichester and Bognor Regis

Twelve dog boarding kennels, home boarders and day cares are listed across Chichester and Bognor Regis, and every one of them needs a licence to operate in England, whether it runs from purpose-built kennels or a boarder's own house. A licence is not optional signage a business chooses to display: it is a legal requirement, checked and renewed by the relevant council. This guide sets out what is worth asking about the licence, your dog's health and the stay itself, rather than assuming any of it.

Check the licence, and which council issued it

Nine of the twelve listings carry a licence matched against a council register. Chichester District Council licenses seven: Amberley Kennels, Doggie TLC, Tharfield Pet Boarding, Dog Dotty and Kate's K9 Companions in Chichester itself, Chichester Dog Sitters in Selsey & the Witterings, and Dog Vision in Midhurst & Petworth. Arun District Council licenses a further two: Carleton Canine Centre in Arundel and Muttlyns in Bognor Regis. The remaining three — Lisa's Dog Boarding and Walking and Sussex Petsitters in Selsey & the Witterings, and Allywags Pet Services in Petersfield & Liss — each state on their own site that they are licensed, but none could be matched to a current entry on the relevant council's own register during this research. Allywags Pet Services sits in East Hampshire District Council's area, whose own animal-licence register is not published online at all and is available only by contacting the council's environmental health team directly, a different situation from a business simply not being found on a public list. Whichever business you are considering, ask which council licensed it, for its licence number, and to see the certificate itself, rather than taking a website's word for it.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Ask the business what vaccinations it requires before a stay, and how long in advance it needs to see proof. Requirements and timing vary between operators, so there is no single schedule to quote here, and this directory does not set or check one. Ask separately about its policy on kennel cough, since that also varies from one kennels, day care or home boarder to the next.

Group size and what's on offer

Group size varies sharply between the three purpose-built kennels here and the nine home boarders. Dog Dotty and Muttlyns both cap the dogs they take at any one time at six, including their own; Chichester Dog Sitters describes itself as cage-free and kennel-free, with dogs living in the house and garden; and Amberley Kennels and Tharfield Pet Boarding both run a day-care facility alongside overnight kennels. Ask any business how many other dogs will be there during your dates, and from how many households.

Medication, breed policies and a vet emergency

• Ask how medication is given during a stay, and whether there is an extra charge for it.
• Ask whether the business has any breed policies or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate.
• Ask what happens if your dog needs a vet while in the business's care, and who decides and pays.
• Ask whether the business holds public liability insurance, and ask to see evidence rather than take a website's claim on trust; Lisa's Dog Boarding and Walking states on its own site that it is insured, which is worth confirming directly rather than treating as verified here.

See our council licences guide for the detail behind each business's licence.