Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Poole and Wimborne

Nine dog boarders and day cares are listed for Poole and Wimborne, and every one is a home boarder, licensed by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council. Wimborne Minster proper, away from the Merley edge BCP covers, sits under Dorset Council instead, which offers only a one-at-a-time licence lookup rather than a published list, so a Wimborne business without a BCP licence cannot be confirmed here as licensed; none is published until it can be.

What the licence actually shows

BCP Council publishes its own downloadable register, and every business here carries a licence number, a council star rating and an expiry date read directly from it; see our council licences guide for the full table. A council star rating is the council's own inspection score, not a customer review, and it is still worth asking to see the certificate itself as well as checking the expiry date shown on the listing.

Vaccinations and health

Practice on vaccinations varies between home boarders, and none of the nine publishes a schedule or a waiting period on its own site, so this site does not state one either. Ask the boarder what vaccinations it requires and how long before your dog's stay it needs to see proof of them. The same applies to kennel cough: several will have their own policy, but ask directly rather than assume either way.

Breed policies and insurance

A home boarder is entitled to ask about breed restrictions or set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate; none of the nine states a policy publicly, so raise it when you call. None publishes an insurance statement either, so ask to see evidence of current cover rather than assume it holds any.

Questions worth asking

• Can I see your current licence certificate and its star rating?
• What vaccinations do you require, and how long before the stay do you need to see proof?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough, and what is it?
• Do you have breed restrictions or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
• Can you show evidence of current insurance cover?
• How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be in the house during my dates?

As with every home boarder on this site, only the area and town are published on the listing; the boarder's own address is theirs to give once you have spoken and are ready to book.

Insurance and other cover

None of the nine businesses states on its own site that it holds public liability insurance, and this site does not assume one either way. If cover matters to you, ask to see it directly rather than treat a licence as proof of insurance: a council licence and a business's own insurance are two separate things, checked by two different people.