Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Southampton

All 15 dog boarders and day-care businesses listed for Southampton need a council licence, but the two councils involved publish very different amounts of information. New Forest District Council, covering Totton and Hythe (7 businesses), keeps a register that can be checked, even if only through a third-party mirror. Southampton City Council, covering the city centre, Shirley and Bitterne (8 businesses), keeps no public register at all — it will only confirm a licence by direct email request. That makes asking to see the certificate itself more useful in Southampton than in a town with a checkable register, since for over half the businesses listed here, the certificate is the only independent proof there is.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Ask to see the licence certificate itself, including the licence number and the issuing council — eight of Southampton's fifteen listed businesses cannot be checked against any public register.
• Ask what vaccinations they require before booking, and how much notice they need to see proof — this varies between businesses, so do not assume a fixed schedule.
• Ask whether they require kennel cough cover, and if so, how far ahead of the stay.
• Ask about breed policies, including for an XL Bully, and what paperwork they would want to see.
• Ask whether the business states it holds public liability insurance, and ask to see evidence rather than a website claim alone.
• Ask how many other dogs will be on site or in the household at the same time as yours.
• Ask what happens, and who decides, if your dog needs a vet while in their care.
• Ask for a recent reference, since none of the businesses listed here currently carries an independently linked customer rating with enough reviews to show.

What a star rating does and doesn't mean here

Only one business in this directory, Homely Dogs in Hythe, carries a council star rating this directory checked directly (4 stars, New Forest District Council). A handful of others state a licence number or a star rating on their own website; where that couldn't be checked against a council source, it is not shown as a rating here, since a self-reported figure and a council-confirmed one are not the same thing. The full council-by-council breakdown is in the council licences and star ratings guide.

Checking a Southampton City Council licence yourself

If you want to confirm a licence independently for a city-centre, Shirley or Bitterne business, the council's animal welfare team is the only route — there is no web page or downloadable list to check instead. Have the trading name and area ready when you email, since the council licenses by premises rather than by a searchable name index.