Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Farnham and Haslemere

All 13 dog boarding, home boarding and day-care businesses listed for Farnham, the villages, Bordon & Whitehill and Haslemere are running a licensed activity in England, so a licence and vaccination question is worth asking wherever you book. This guide sets out what's worth asking, not what a good answer looks like — that's for the business to tell you.

Ask to see the current licence

Nine of the 13 businesses sit under Waverley Borough Council; the other four — Miss Walkies, Four Paws Pet Care, YAP Home Boarding and K9 Daycare & Education, all in Bordon & Whitehill — are licensed by East Hampshire District Council instead. See our council licences guide for exactly what each council's own register shows. One business, Hound Dog Adventures, quotes a Waverley licence number on its own site that could not be matched in the council's current register; ask to see the certificate itself before booking.

• Which council issued the licence, and whether it's still current
• What the licence covers — home boarding, day care, boarding kennels, or more than one
• What its most recent inspection found, beyond the star rating alone

Vaccinations: ask, don't assume

Ask the business what vaccinations it requires before your dog can start, and how far ahead of the booking it needs proof. Byers Doggy Care sets its own conditions before a booking starts, including a minimum age of two years and neutering, which is one example of how a business's own conditions can go beyond the licence itself; other businesses set their own, different conditions, so don't assume one business's rules apply to another.

Breed policies and insurance

Ask whether the business has any breed policies, including for an XL Bully — a boarder or day care is entitled to set its own conditions or decline a booking, and this directory cannot check a dog's exemption paperwork on a business's behalf. If a business states on its own site that it holds insurance, treat that as its own claim rather than something this directory has verified; ask to see proof if it matters to you.

Group size and waiting lists

Clip & Care Farnham states its home boarding, day care and grooming are all currently full with its waiting list closed, which is a reminder to ask about actual availability rather than assuming a listing means a space is free. Ask any business how many dogs it takes at once and how far ahead you need to book, especially around school holidays.

Ask what happens if plans change

It's worth asking, before you commit, what a business's cancellation or amendment policy is, and whether a deposit is refundable if your plans change. None of this is set by this directory or by any licensing rule; it varies business to business, so it's simply a sensible question alongside the licence, vaccination and breed-policy ones above. Our first-stay guide covers the practical side of a booking once you've asked these questions and decided to go ahead.