Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Newcastle

Nineteen dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Newcastle, spread across three council areas: North Tyneside Council, Gateshead Council and Newcastle City Council. Every one of these activities needs a council licence in England, but Newcastle City Council itself publishes no public register of who holds one, so two of the businesses based in Newcastle proper — TynePets and Nic's Stay and Play Doggy Daycare & Grooming Pawlour — could only be checked against their own self-quoted licence numbers, not a register. Asking to see the current certificate matters more for a Newcastle-centre business than for one in North Tyneside, where thirteen of the nineteen listed businesses are checked against a public register directly.

Before you call

Have your dog's size, age and dates ready, and ask which activity the business is licensed for: home boarding, day care and boarding kennels are separate licences, and several businesses here, such as Small Paws Pet Services and Sam's Dog Boarding & Pet Services of Whitley Bay, hold more than one.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Ask what vaccinations a business requires and how long before the stay it needs to see proof. This varies from one boarder to the next and this directory does not set a vaccination schedule for any of them, so treat the business's own answer as the one that applies. Ask about its policy on kennel cough too, rather than assuming either way.

Breed policies

A boarder or day care can ask about, or place conditions on, particular breeds, including whether a dog is an XL Bully with a valid certificate of exemption. Ask directly rather than assuming a business will or will not take a particular dog.

Insurance

None of the businesses listed for Newcastle state on their own websites that they hold public liability insurance, so no insurance claim is shown for any of them here. Ask to see evidence of current cover if it matters to you.

If you're booking a home boarder

Fourteen of Newcastle's nineteen listed businesses board dogs in their own home rather than a kennels, so proof of vaccination and a written note of your dog's routine matters just as much there as it would for a kennels, even though the boarding takes place in an ordinary house rather than on licensed premises with a reception desk.

Questions worth asking

• Which council issued your licence, and can I see the certificate?
• What vaccinations do you need to see, and by when?
• What is your policy if my dog develops kennel cough during the stay?
• Do you have any breed conditions I should know about?
• How many other dogs will be there at the same time, and from how many households?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while it is with you?

See our Newcastle council licences guide for how each of the three councils' registers reads, and our prices guide for what a few of these businesses charge.