Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft
Thirteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed across Great Yarmouth & Gorleston, Lowestoft and Beccles & Bungay, licensed by two councils. Every business sets its own vaccination and paperwork requirements, so this guide is a list of questions worth asking before you book, not a set of rules this site enforces.
Vaccinations
No specific vaccination requirement is quoted here for any business in the area, since a requirement can change and this research cannot verify one on an ongoing basis. Ask what proof a business wants, whether it treats kennel cough vaccination separately, and how long before your dog's stay it needs to see that proof.
Licensing
Great Yarmouth Borough Council licenses four confirmed businesses in the Great Yarmouth & Gorleston area — Andrews Holiday Inn for Dogs and Cats, Bondi Petcare, The Doghouse and PetStay Norfolk — but the council runs no public register of its own online; its licences were read here through a third-party mirror, which gives a licence number and expiry for each but no star rating. East Suffolk Council, which licenses Lowestoft and Beccles & Bungay, publishes its own PDF registers directly and does give a star rating: Wiggley Walkers Lowestoft, Cases and Canines and We Love Pets East Coast each hold 4 stars, Paws of Pakefield 5 stars, Beccles Cosy Home Dog Boarding 4 stars, and Noosabay Kennels & Cattery and Pineview Farm Kennels each 5 stars. Two businesses — East Point Paws and We Love Pets Beccles — could not be matched to either council's published register when this page was checked, so ask each one directly to see current proof of licensing.
Group size and households
Cases and Canines, a Lowestoft home boarder, takes only one household's dogs at a time; the two We Love Pets franchise branches cap a group dog walk at four dogs under their own no-pack-walk policy, though this does not necessarily describe how many dogs may be boarding at once. Ask any business directly how many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during your dates.
Breed rules and insurance
A boarding or day-care business is entitled to ask about breed restrictions or refuse a booking, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate, so ask directly rather than assume either way. None of the businesses listed here publish a stated insurance position, so ask whether a business holds public liability cover if that matters to you.
Questions to ask before you book
- What vaccinations do you require, and how long before the stay do you need to see proof?
- Do you have a policy on kennel cough, and what is it?
- Do you have any breed restrictions or conditions?
- Can I see your current council licence?
- How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during my dates?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care?
See our council licences guide for more on how the two councils' registers differ, and our prices guide for what the seven businesses that publish a price charge.