Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Derby

Twenty-four dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Derby, and every one needs a council licence to operate legally, whether it works from a private home, a farm building or a purpose-built kennel block. Four different councils cover the nine areas this page lists — Derby City Council, South Derbyshire District Council, Erewash Borough Council and Amber Valley Borough Council — and twenty of the twenty-four are matched against one of those councils' own registers. The other four (We Love Paws and Barking Mad Derby, both arranger-style businesses that place dogs with host families rather than holding a single licensed premises, plus Poochie Play Centre and Doggy Daycare/Play Centre Derby, which quote a Derby City licence number not found in this round's register file) are worth asking about directly before you book. See our Derby council licences guide for how each register reads.

Before you call

Have your dog's size, age and dates ready, and ask which activity the business is licensed for: home boarding, day care and boarding in kennels are three separate licences in England, and a business can hold one without the others. Furbelicious Paws and One Paw Ahead, for example, both hold a home boarding licence and a day care licence together, so either could suit depending on what you need on the day.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Ask what vaccinations a business requires and how long before your dog's stay it needs to see proof of them. Policy on this varies from one boarder to the next, and this directory does not set or check a vaccination schedule for any business, so take the business's own answer as the one that applies. The same goes for kennel cough: most boarding and day care businesses have a policy on it, and it is worth asking what that policy is rather than assuming your dog is covered either way.

Breed policies

A boarder or day care is entitled to ask about, or place conditions on, particular breeds, including whether a dog is an XL Bully with a valid certificate of exemption. Ask directly rather than assuming a business will or will not take a particular dog.

Insurance

None of the businesses listed for Derby state on their own websites that they hold public liability insurance, so this directory does not show an insurance claim for any of them. If insurance matters to you, ask the business to show evidence of current cover rather than taking a verbal assurance.

Six questions worth asking

• Which council issued your licence, and can I see the certificate?
• What vaccinations do you need to see, and by when?
• What is your policy if my dog develops kennel cough during the stay?
• Do you have any breed conditions I should know about?
• How many other dogs will be there at the same time, and from how many households?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while it is with you?

See our Derby prices guide for what a handful of these businesses charge, and our first stay guide for what to expect once you have booked.