How to choose dog boarding or day care in Manchester

Twenty-three dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Manchester, spread across seven areas and licensed by four different councils: Manchester City Council, Trafford Council, Stockport Council and Bury Council. No business is listed yet for Salford: two home boarders are licensed there by Salford City Council, but neither has a confirmed phone number this pass, so Salford is a genuine research gap rather than an area with no dog boarders at all. Stockport (eight listings) and Prestwich & Bury (six) currently have the most; Manchester city centre & Ancoats and Didsbury & Chorlton have one each so far.

Home boarding, day care or kennels

Thirteen of the twenty-three board dogs in the boarder's own home rather than a kennel block: The Classy Collar and The Doodle House in Wythenshawe; Happi Walks in Didsbury & Chorlton; Bark Park Central, Moss Cottage Kennels and Cattery, Roe Clare Cattery & Kennels and The Doggy House in Sale & Altrincham; Alfie's Pet Services, Barks & Bubbles Stockport, Qhuinns Walks and SK Luxury Dog Boarding in Stockport; and Digs for Dogs and Pad, Foot and Paws in Prestwich & Bury. A home boarder usually takes far fewer dogs at a time than a kennel, so ask how many other dogs will be in the house during your dates and whether they are all from one family or several. Fourteen businesses hold a day care licence, including Daycare 4 Dogs and The Barkside, several of the home boarders above that also run day care, and dedicated day cares such as Dogz Club Ltd, Olivia's Doggy Daycare, The Bark Yard, The Bark Yard Warehouse, Doolittle Pets & Groomers and Planet Paws Bury. Only two are licensed as boarding kennels in the strict sense, Pawprints Kennels and K9 Retreat (which also runs day care); two more, Moss Cottage Kennels and Cattery and Roe Clare Cattery & Kennels, describe themselves as kennels on their own sites but are licensed by Trafford Council under home boarding and day care rather than boarding kennels, so ask about this directly if the distinction matters to you.

What the council licence means

Every business listed holds a current licence from whichever council covers its area: a licence is a legal requirement in England for dog boarding, home boarding and day care, not an optional extra. Manchester's licence details were read from a third-party mirror of the four councils' registers (Manchester City, Trafford, Stockport and Bury) rather than from a council page, and this site shows a star score only when it has been read from a council's own register. None of the entries found for Manchester businesses this pass carried a star score on that mirror in any case, so no listing here shows one; several businesses state their own star rating or licence number on their own site, but a rating a business quotes about itself is not the same as one confirmed by the council register, so it is not repeated here. Two register points are worth knowing: Dogz Club Ltd and The Bark Yard are licensed separately at the same Heaton Lane address in Stockport, and it is not established whether this is a rebrand or a shared building; and The Classy Collar's own site gives a different street to the one shown on Manchester City Council's register, which this listing follows. Ask to see the current licence certificate and what it covers if either of these matters to your booking.

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 many other dogs will be there at the same time, and are they from one household or several?
• 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

Four of the twenty-three businesses listed publish a price; see our Manchester 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 weekends or bank holidays are charged at a higher rate, and whether collection is included or priced separately.