Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Plymouth
Plymouth's 24 listed dog boarders, day cares and kennels sit under four different councils, so what each one can actually confirm about its own licence varies from area to area. Before you hand your dog over anywhere, a short list of questions works better than assuming the answer.
Vaccinations and health
No business listed here publishes a fixed vaccination schedule, and this site will not state one on anyone's behalf: practice genuinely varies between individual boarders, kennels and vets, and a wrong steer would be a welfare risk rather than a helpful one. Ask a boarder or day care what vaccinations it requires and how long before your dog's stay it needs to see proof. Ask, too, whether it has a policy on kennel cough — most establishments do, and they differ.
Licence questions, and why the answer differs by area
Every one of the 24 needs a council licence to operate, but Plymouth's licensing is unusually split. In St Budeaux and Saltash and around Landrake, Cornwall Council runs a register dated 4 August 2026 that this site could check directly; in Tavistock, West Devon Borough Council's licence details reach this site through the animal-licensing.uk register mirror. In both cases, ask to see the certificate as routine good practice, not because there's a specific doubt. Everywhere else in the city — Plymouth city centre and Stonehouse, Mutley and Peverell, Plymstock, Crownhill and Derriford, and Plympton — the business is licensed by Plymouth City Council, whose newest public register this site could find is a PDF dated March 2023. A number or a star rating quoted from a licence that old cannot be checked against anything current, so ask to see the certificate itself and its expiry date before booking. The three Ivybridge businesses, licensed by South Hams District Council, are in a different position again: the council publishes no register this site could reach at all, so the same question — can I see your current licence? — matters even more there.
Other questions worth asking
- Can I see your current council licence certificate and its expiry date?
- What vaccinations do you require, and how long before my dog's stay do you need to see proof?
- What is your policy on kennel cough?
- How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during my dates?
- How is medication given, and is there an extra charge for it?
- Do you have any breed policies, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while it is in your care?
None of this is a checklist this directory can complete on a business's behalf: it is a list of things worth putting to whichever of Plymouth's 24 boarders, day cares or kennels you are considering, before you commit to a date. See our Plymouth choosing guide for how the four councils' registers compare in more detail.