How to choose dog boarding or day care in Oxford

Twenty-four dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Oxford, spread across eight areas: Oxford city centre & Boars Hill, Botley & Cumnor, Headington, Cowley, Littlemore & Garsington, Kidlington & Yarnton, Abingdon, and Witney. Summertown, Jericho & Wolvercote has no listed business at the time of writing; no licensed premises or independently confirmed home boarder could be found in this part of inner north Oxford. Between them the other seven areas fall under five different licensing councils — Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, Cherwell District Council and West Oxfordshire District Council — so which council licenses a business depends on exactly where it is based, not just that it says Oxford in its name.

Home boarding, day care or kennels

Sixteen of the twenty-four take dogs into the carer's own home rather than a kennel block: PetStay Oxfordshire and The Dog House in Headington; Blu Collar Boarding and Happy Tails Oxford in Botley; Jeeves & Woofster, Love Dog Walking, Macey's Pet Care, Mel Benfield Dog Walking Services and Pet Care 4U Oxford in Abingdon; Got to Go Dog Walker & Groomer in Cowley; K9 and Equine Care Oxfordshire in Kidlington; and Quirky Dog Home Boarding, Pugs and Kisses Doggy Daycare & Home Boarding, H & B Home Dog Boarding, Muddy Paws Dog Walking and Boarding and Cassington Dog Grooming, Daycare & Boarding in Witney. 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 household. Sixteen also offer day care from a home or a dedicated site, several doing both; a handful, including Acremead Kennels, Archway Kennels, Gamegoer Kennels, Barnewood Boarding Kennels and Witney Dog Boarding and Grooming, run purpose-built boarding kennels instead, each with individual runs rather than a house to share.

What the council licence tells you, and where it does not

Home boarding, day care and boarding kennels are all licensed activities in England, and a licence is a legal requirement, not an optional extra. This research matched a specific register entry for both Oxford City Council premises, all ten under Vale of White Horse District Council, both under South Oxfordshire District Council and three under West Oxfordshire District Council. Fifteen of the twenty-four listings here carry a council licence panel naming the licence type and when it expires. A star score is shown only where it was read from a council's own register: South Oxfordshire publishes its register itself, so Archway Kennels and Got to Go Dog Walker & Groomer show their 5-star scores, clearly labelled as the council's own inspection score rather than a customer review. The Oxford City, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire entries were read through a third-party mirror of the registers rather than a council page, so those panels give the licence type, number and expiry but no score; ask the business to show its certificate if the score matters to you. Two register entries, The Dog House and Quirky Dog Home Boarding, show an expiry date that had already passed when checked, with no renewal visible, so those two listings carry no panel at all: ask to see a current licence when you call. The remaining seven — Gamegoer Kennels, Barnewood Boarding Kennels and K9 and Equine Care Oxfordshire under Cherwell District Council, and Witney Dog Boarding and Grooming, H & B Home Dog Boarding, Muddy Paws Dog Walking and Boarding and Cassington Dog Grooming, Daycare & Boarding under West Oxfordshire District Council — could not be matched to a confirmed register entry, even though several state their own licence number on their own site. A business's own claim about its licence or star rating is not the same as an independently checked register entry, so for these seven in particular, ask to see the current licence certificate directly rather than relying on what the website says.

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 in the house or kennel at the same time as mine, and from how many households?
• 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

Eleven of the twenty-four businesses listed publish a price; see our Oxford 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 bank holidays are charged at a higher rate, and whether collection and drop-off is included or priced separately.