Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Slough and Windsor

Eleven dog day cares, boarding kennels and home boarders are listed for Slough and Windsor, and every one of them needs a licence to operate in England, whether it works from a fixed kennels, a day-care site or a home boarder's own house. A licence is not something a business chooses to display: it is a legal requirement, checked and renewed by a council. This guide sets out what is worth asking about the licence, your dog's health and the stay itself, rather than assuming any of it.

Check the licence, and which council issued it

Eight of the eleven listings here carry a licence confirmed against the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's own register: Old Beams Kennels and Cattery, The Tarbay Centre, Bruce's Doggy Day Care (Cookham), Lulu's Home Boarding & Day care, Bertie and Friends, Hound Love, Datchet Dog Walking and SpeediePAWS. The remaining three could not be matched to a live council register during this research. Claire's Comfy Canines states on its own site that it holds a licence from the former South Bucks District Council, now part of Buckinghamshire Council, but that register was not checked this round, so the claim is unverified. Joe's Folly, a long-established kennels at Taplow, sits inside RBWM's licensing area but does not appear on its current register. Barking Mad – Windsor & Staines is a home boarding matching service based in Staines, outside both councils this page covers, so its own premises hold no licence from either. Whichever business you are considering, ask which council licensed it, for its licence number, and to see the certificate itself.

Vaccinations and kennel cough

Ask the business what vaccinations it requires before a stay, and how long in advance it needs to see proof. Requirements and timing vary between operators, so there is no single schedule to quote here, and this directory does not set or check one. Ask separately about its policy on kennel cough, since that also varies from one boarder or kennels to the next.

Group size and what's on offer

Several of Slough and Windsor's listings publish a licensed capacity rather than a day-to-day group size: Old Beams is licensed for up to 60 dogs and 43 cats at Holyport, and The Tarbay Centre for up to 70 dogs and 53 cats at Oakley Green, both far larger premises-based kennels than the home boarders on this page. Among the home boarders, Lulu's Home Boarding & Day care is licensed for up to four dogs at a time, Bertie and Friends for up to seven, Datchet Dog Walking for up to eight and SpeediePAWS for up to nine. Ask how many dogs, and from how many households, will be there during your dates, since a licensed capacity is a ceiling, not a guarantee of how full a place will be when you book.

Medication, breed policies and a vet emergency

• Ask how medication is given during a stay, and whether there is an extra charge for it.
• Ask whether the business has any breed policies or conditions, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate.
• Ask what happens if your dog needs a vet while in the business's care, and who decides and pays.
• Ask whether the business holds public liability insurance, and ask to see evidence rather than take a website's claim on trust.

None of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule or a stated insurance position, so put these questions directly to the business. See our council licences guide for the detail behind each business's licence.