How to choose dog boarding or day care in Durham and Chester-le-Street

Fourteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels with a verified phone number are listed across the seven areas of Durham and Chester-le-Street, all licensed by Durham County Council, the single council covering this whole page. Coverage is uneven across the areas: Durham city has two listed businesses, Chester-le-Street, Durham villages & Brandon, Consett and Ferryhill each have one, and Stanley and Spennymoor & Crook, with five and three, have the most choice. What matters most when choosing depends on which of home boarding, day care or kennels you need.

Home boarding, day care or kennels

Two of the fourteen businesses board dogs in the boarder's own home rather than a kennel block: Walk The Line Dog Walking and Pet Care, covering Chester-le-Street and the surrounding DH2 and DH3 postcode areas, and Willington Pet Services, covering Willington near Crook; both also offer dog walking. The remaining twelve run premises-based boarding, a cattery alongside dog boarding, or day care from a dedicated site: Shincliffe Mill Kennels and Cattery and Dovecote Farm Boarding Kennels and Cattery in Durham city; Lanchester Pet Resort in Durham villages & Brandon; Day Care 4 Paws in Consett; Tendercare Boarding Kennels and Cattery, Greencroft Dog Day Care, Fondley Sett Farm, Day School of Dogs and Petsercise in Stanley; Hunwick Boarding Kennels and Cooper's Creche Limited in Spennymoor & Crook; and Mahon House Kennels and Cattery in Ferryhill. A home boarder usually takes far fewer dogs at a time than a kennel block, so ask how many other dogs will be in the house during your dates and whether they are all from one household.

Thin coverage in some areas

Durham city itself has only two listed businesses and Consett has one, so it is worth checking dates early rather than leaving a booking late. Ferryhill has just one licensed boarding or day-care business with a verified phone: Mahon House Kennels and Cattery, whose licence is held by Saints Sled Dog Rescue, a dog rescue charity that runs the same site alongside its paid boarding service; its own page states that paying boarders are kept in separate, secure areas away from the rescue dogs. Stanley and Spennymoor & Crook have the most choice on this page. If nothing listed here suits your dates or your dog, it is worth widening your search to a neighbouring town page.

What the council licence means

Every business listed holds a current Durham County Council licence for dog boarding, dog home boarding or dog day care, a legal requirement in England, not an optional extra. Durham County Council does not publish its own register page; its licensing records for this area were read through animal-licensing.uk, a third-party register mirror, so no star rating is shown for any business on this page, even where the mirror itself displays one for that operator. Treat the licence itself as confirmed, and the absence of a star here as a gap in what this page can show rather than a mark against any business. Ask to see the current licence certificate and how many dogs or cats it covers, since a licence can cap this below what the site could otherwise hold.

Questions worth asking about vaccinations, breed rules and insurance

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 is medication given during a stay, and is there an extra charge for it?
• 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.

Prices and extras

Three of the fourteen businesses listed publish a price; see our Durham and Chester-le-Street prices guide for the published figures and what they cover. Whichever type of boarding or day care you choose, ask what a second dog from the same household costs, whether bank holidays are charged at a higher rate, and whether collection is included or priced separately.