Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Loughborough and Melton Mowbray

Fourteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed across Loughborough, Shepshed & Quorn, Melton Mowbray, Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, licensed by three different councils: Charnwood Borough Council, Melton Borough Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. All three activities offered here — home boarding, day care and boarding kennels — need the same kind of council licence in England, so a current one matters whichever service you are booking.

Vaccinations

Every boarder, kennels and day care here sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what it requires and how long before a stay it needs to see proof, rather than assuming one rule covers the whole area. Cosy Canine Club Ashby states that only small and medium-sized, fully vaccinated dogs are accepted, and Ashby Happy Hounds does not take uncastrated dogs at all — both are examples of how much a policy can vary from one business to the next, so ask directly rather than assume the same rule applies elsewhere.

Licences

All fourteen businesses hold a licence traced to a council's own published register, and thirteen currently carry a star rating from 1 to 5. The exception is Farmlands Canine Country Club Dog Day Care, whose day-care licence is listed on North West Leicestershire's own register as expiring in August 2026, a date that has already passed, so no current licence detail is shown on its page while that remains unconfirmed — ask whether it has been renewed before you book. See our council licences guide for how the rest are rated.

Breed policies and insurance

A boarder, kennels or day care is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate, so ask directly rather than assume either way. Care4Paws and Zewmies Pet Care Services both state on their own sites that they are insured and DBS or CRB checked; treat that as the business's own claim, since Roskosh has no way to check an insurance policy independently, and ask any business here to show evidence if it matters to your decision.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which council licensed you, and can I see the certificate or licence number?
• What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough cover?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully?
• Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
• How many other dogs will be with mine at the same time, and from how many households?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care, and who decides that?

What a licence actually covers

Wherever it is confirmed, a licence covers premises or home standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, promise a particular room, or guarantee a certain group size, so ask those separately even once the licence itself checks out. A star rating, where shown, is a council licence rating from a risk-based inspection, not a customer review, so it is worth asking what kept a business from a higher star band if that matters to your decision.