Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Taunton and Somerset

Eight dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Taunton and Somerset, all inside the area of Somerset Council, the single unitary authority that has licensed dog boarding, home boarding and day care here since April 2023. A licence is not a promise about any one stay, so the questions worth asking are about vaccinations, insurance and breed rules as much as the licence itself.

Vaccinations

Every boarder and day care here sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what it requires and how long before the stay it needs to see proof, rather than assuming one rule covers the whole county. Several also have their own view on kennel-cough cover; practice varies from business to business, so raise it directly when you call.

Licences

Five of the eight businesses on this page carry a licence confirmed against Somerset Council's own operator list: E S Pet Care, Barking Mad Taunton, Animals at Home Taunton & South Somerset, Hylands Dog Care and Steart Dog Lodge. Bark Place Dogs, LittleDogs (or not so Little Dogs) and Animals at Home Mendip & Bristol West could not be matched to a register entry, so no licence details are shown for them here; ask to see a current licence when you call any of these three. See our council licences guide for why Somerset's register is so hard to check directly, and why no star rating appears anywhere on this page.

Breed policies and insurance

A boarder, kennels or day care is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully, so ask directly rather than assuming either way. Where a business's own site says it holds insurance, such as E S Pet Care naming its insurer, treat that as the business's own claim: Roskosh has no way to check an insurance policy independently, so ask to see evidence if it matters to your decision.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which authority licensed you, and can I see the certificate or licence number?
• What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough cover?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully?
• Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
• Will my dog share a room, run or exercise area with other dogs, and how often?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while staying with you, and who decides that?

What a licence actually covers

Wherever it is confirmed, a licence covers premises or home standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, promise a particular room, or guarantee a certain group size, so ask those separately even once the licence itself checks out.