Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Norwich

All 13 dog boarders, day cares and kennels listed for Norwich fall under one of three councils — Norwich City Council, Broadland District Council or South Norfolk Council — since a licence is a legal requirement in England for boarding, home boarding and day care alike. None of the three publishes an online register that can be checked, so a licence here has to be taken on trust in a way it doesn't in a town with a working register: see our council licences guide for why. That makes asking to see the certificate itself the single most useful thing you can do before booking.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Ask to see the current licence certificate, including the licence number, the issuing council and the expiry date — none of Norwich's 13 listed businesses can be checked against a public register, so the certificate is the only independent proof there is.
• Ask what vaccinations they require before booking, and how much notice they need to see proof of them — this varies between businesses, so do not assume a fixed schedule applies everywhere.
• Ask whether they require kennel cough cover, and if so, how far ahead of the stay.
• Ask about breed policies, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate, and what paperwork they would want to see.
• Ask whether the business states it holds public liability insurance, and ask for evidence rather than taking a website claim on its own.
• Ask how many other dogs will be on site or in the household at the same time as yours, and from how many different households.
• Ask what happens, and who decides, if your dog needs a vet while in their care.

Why a certificate matters more here

A handful of the businesses listed for Norwich state their own licence number or a star rating on their own website or a directory listing. That is worth noting when you call, but it is the business's own claim, not something this directory — or, currently, the council itself online — has been able to check against a register. Treat a self-quoted licence number or star rating as a starting point for a question, not as confirmation.

What this directory can't tell you

None of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule, and none is described as insured beyond what a business states about itself. This directory does not verify a dog's vaccination status, a business's insurance, or an XL Bully's exemption paperwork — those are all things to raise directly with the business, not questions this listing answers for you. If a business can't answer one of the questions above plainly, that's useful information in itself, and worth weighing before you book.