Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in York

York's 14 listed dog boarders, day cares and kennels sit across two licensing authorities: City of York Council within the city itself, and North Yorkshire Council around Tadcaster. A licence is worth asking to see before you book, alongside a straight answer on vaccinations and any breed policy, whichever authority covers the business.

Vaccinations

Every business here sets its own vaccination policy, and this varies from one to the next, so ask what they require and how long before the stay they need to see proof, rather than assuming one rule applies across York and Tadcaster alike. Several also have their own view on kennel-cough cover; ask directly, since practice differs by business rather than following one fixed rule.

Two councils, two different registers

City of York Council publishes a live, searchable register giving a licence number, star rating and expiry date for the businesses it licenses; five of the eight City of York-licensed businesses on this page are confirmed against it directly. North Yorkshire Council's own register was unavailable throughout this research, showing only a message that its data was being refreshed, so none of the six Tadcaster and outer-York businesses licensed by North Yorkshire Council could be checked against an official register; a couple state a licence detail on their own site that could not be confirmed independently as a result.

Breed policies and insurance

A boarding or day-care business is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and to set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully, so ask directly rather than assuming either way. If a business states on its own site that it holds public liability insurance, that is something the business says about itself; Roskosh has no way to check an insurance claim independently, so ask to see evidence if it matters to your decision.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which council licensed you, and what is the licence number?
• What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough?
• How many other dogs, and from how many households, will be there during my dates?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate?
• Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while staying with you?

What "licensed" actually covers

A licence covers premises standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, guarantee a particular room or promise a certain group size, so ask those questions separately even once a licence is confirmed, whichever council issued it.