Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Dudley and Stourbridge
Twelve dog boarders, day care providers and boarding kennels are listed across Dudley and Stourbridge's five areas, licensed under three different councils: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, South Staffordshire Council and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, which publishes no register at all. How much can be checked against a public source varies sharply between the three, so the questions below matter more here than in a town with one shared register.
Vaccinations and kennel cough
Every business sets its own policy on which vaccinations it asks to see proof of, and how long beforehand. Practice genuinely varies between one boarder and the next, so ask directly rather than assuming an answer either way, and ask specifically about kennel cough: some ask for cover against it and some do not, and this is each business's own policy rather than something this directory sets or checks.
Licences: what can and cannot be checked
Seven of the twelve — Pet Comforts Hotel, Doggy Dayz, Poppy's Pad, Mann's Dynamic Dogs, Pauls Pet Minders, Thirlmere House Dog Boarding and Wollaston Dog Walking — are licensed by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, whose own register can be checked directly. Four — Long Meadow Pet Resort, Woodfarm Boarding Kennels and Cattery, Wagatails Dog Day Care and Iverley Lodge Boarding Kennels & Cattery — are licensed by South Staffordshire Council, whose own dated PDF register can also be checked directly. Tipton Tails states it holds a Sandwell licence, but Sandwell publishes no online register at all, so that claim could not be checked against any council source. See our council licences guide for what each register actually shows.
Group size
Ask how many other dogs will be there during your dates, and, for a home boarder, how many are from your own household compared with others. Poppy's Pad, in Kingswinford, takes dogs from one household at a time; Doggy Dayz, also in Kingswinford, takes a maximum of two dogs alongside the owner's own dog. Ask each business directly what its own limit is.
Breed rules
A boarding or day-care business is entitled to ask about, or restrict, specific breeds, including asking to see a valid exemption certificate for an XL Bully. None of the twelve businesses listed here state a specific breed policy on their own site, so ask directly rather than assuming an answer either way.
Insurance
Ask to see evidence of current insurance cover directly; this is not something shown on a council register or checked by this directory.
Questions worth asking
- Can I see your current council licence, or your Sandwell licence number if you're in Tipton?
- What vaccinations do you require, and how long before the stay do you need to see proof of them?
- What is your policy on kennel cough?
- Do you have any breed restrictions or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
- How many other dogs will be boarding or in day care at the same time as mine, and from how many households?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care?
None of these are things this directory can answer on a business's behalf; they are worth asking directly before you book.