Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Reading

All 15 dog boarders and day-care businesses listed for Reading hold a council licence, split across four councils depending on where they are based: Wokingham Borough Council (9), South Oxfordshire District Council (4, covering the Henley-on-Thames and part of the Caversham areas), Reading Borough Council (1) and West Berkshire Council (1). A licence is a legal requirement in England for home boarding, boarding kennels and day care alike, covering three separate activities under one set of regulations, so asking to see it is an ordinary question, not an unusual one.

What the licence itself can tell you

Only the four South Oxfordshire-licensed businesses in this list — Bluejay Dog Wellness, Lead On Henley, Dogs of Henley and Oscar's Daycare Centre — carry a council star rating that this directory checked directly against the register, and all four currently show 5 stars. The businesses licensed by Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire councils do not show a star rating here, because the available register for each of those three does not carry one, not because the businesses were rated poorly. Ask any business its licence number and which council issued it, and treat a council licence rating and a customer review as two separate things, never the same badge. The full breakdown of which council licenses which business, and what each register does and doesn't show, is in the council licences and star ratings guide.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Ask what vaccinations they require before booking, and how much notice they need to see proof — this varies between individual boarders, so do not assume.
• Ask whether they have a policy on kennel cough cover, and how far ahead of a stay it applies.
• Ask about breed policies, including for an XL Bully, and what paperwork they would need to see.
• Ask whether the business states it holds public liability insurance, and ask to see evidence rather than taking a website claim on trust.
• Ask how many other dogs will be there at the same time as yours, and how a group or a shared home is supervised.
• Ask what a typical day or night looks like, including exercise and how much time your dog spends with a person rather than alone.
• Ask what happens, and who decides, if your dog needs a vet while in their care.
• Ask for a recent reference, or whether they can point you to reviews you can check yourself.

What this directory does and doesn't check

This directory records the licence a business or a council register states, and links each listing to the specific register or mirror page it was checked against. It does not inspect premises, verify insurance or set vaccination requirements — those are questions for the business itself, and for the council directly if you want to confirm a licence independently. None of this replaces your own judgement on the day: a phone call and, where possible, a look at where your dog will actually stay, tells you more than any register entry can.