Cumbria is licensed by two councils, Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness, and both publish licence records we could read. We took fourteen centres that appear on one of them as a dog boarding licence, have their own website and a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews, and include one licensed home boarder. We haven’t visited any of them. Check the licence yourself, because a register entry is a snapshot and not a promise, and where our evidence is thinner the card says so. Two more options we couldn’t fully tie to a premises sit below the cards.
Boarding centres with a council licence record, a website and a Google Maps listing
Grays Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 124 Google reviews
Jeffreys Wood, Carlisle (CA5 6LA)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Cumberland Council’s Carlisle area animal boarding list (updated 12 October 2026) shows Grays Kennels, Boarding – Kennel, licence M 9040, 5 star, expires 5 May 2028. We matched it by name and area, because the list gives the postcode CA5 6JZ and Google Maps shows CA5 6LA, so ask to see the licence. Its website says “fully licensed by the local authority” but shows no number
Website
View on Google Maps
Glaneils Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 4.8 · 106 Google reviews
Burton-in-Kendal, near Carnforth (LA6 1HS)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s licensing register (read 13 November 2026) lists Glaneils Kennels and Cattery under Kennels, licence AB001, five star, expires 31 December 2027. South Lakeland’s register shows the same number at Station Lane, Burton-in-Kendal, and the website footer quotes it for South Lakeland District Council
Website
View on Google Maps
Grassgarth Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.9 · 98 Google reviews
Lyth, near Kendal (LA8 8DG)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists “Tarnside Cattery and Grassgarth Kennels”, licence AB026, five star, expires 31 December 2027, and South Lakeland’s register puts that number at Grassgarth Farm, Lyth. Its website quotes “Cumbria County Council Animal Welfare Licence No. AB026”, an older council name with the same number
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Cumbria
Website
View on Google Maps
Allisons Kennels
★★★★★ 4.9 · 92 Google reviews
The Lodge, Brockham Wood, near Appleby-in-Westmorland (CA16 6ED)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Allison’s Kennels and Doggy Day Care under Kennels, licence 003558/25, five star, expires 30 April 2028. Its website states “Dog Boarding Licence Number 003558/25” and says boarding is charged per night
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Cumbria
Website
View on Google Maps
Allenwood Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 86 Google reviews
Heads Nook, Brampton (CA8 9AJ)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Cumberland Council’s Carlisle area list (updated 12 October 2026) shows Allenwood Boarding Kennels, Boarding – Kennel, licence M 9333, 3 star, granted 28 July 2026, expires 28 July 2028. Its website quotes “M:008504”, which is not the number on the list, so ask which is current. The business also runs a cattery and grooming parlour, and we have only described the dog boarding
Website
View on Google Maps
Flatt Farm Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 66 Google reviews
Whinfell, near Kendal (LA8 9EJ)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Flatt Farm Boarding Kennels under Kennels, licence AB040990, five star, expires 17 May 2027, and South Lakeland’s register shows it at Dogwood, Whinfell. Its website quotes “DDC040991” and “Awarded 5* in May 2024” without naming a council, so ask which licence covers boarding
Website
View on Google Maps
Hesket Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 4.8 · 52 Google reviews
High Hesket, near Carlisle (CA4 0JF)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Hesket Kennels and Cattery under Kennels, licence 003601/25, three star, expires 5 July 2027. The register shows no address, so we matched it by name and place. Its website quotes a different, older number (“003232/21/K”), so ask which is current. The site says space for new kennel clients is very limited
Website
View on Google Maps
Warathwaite Luxury Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 46 Google reviews
Armathwaite, near Carlisle (CA4 9TB)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Cumberland Council’s Carlisle area list (updated 12 October 2026) shows Warathwaite Luxury Boarding Kennels, CA4 9TB, Boarding – Kennel, licence M 8834, 5 star, expires 30 June 2027. Its website quotes “M:008285-30”, which differs from the list, so ask which is current
Website
View on Google Maps
Lindeth Kennels
★★★★★ 4.9 · 41 Google reviews
Bouth, near Ulverston (LA12 8JJ)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Lindeth Kennels under Kennels, licence AB031224, five star, expires 2 December 2027, and South Lakeland’s register shows it at Lindeth House, Bouth. Its website states the same number, licensed through South Lakeland District Council
Website
View on Google Maps
Wagging Tails Home Dog Boarding
★★★★★ 5.0 · 39 Google reviews
Murton, near Appleby-in-Westmorland (CA16)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Wagging Tails under Home boarding, licence 003614/25, three star, expires 14 October 2027. Its website states “Licence No: 003614/25” and names no council. We give the village and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Cumbria
Website
View on Google Maps
Verstone Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 4.9 · 35 Google reviews
Mascalles, near Ulverston (LA12 0TQ)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Verstone Kennels and Cattery under Kennels, licence AB022, five star, expires 19 December 2027, and South Lakeland’s register lists it for boarding of cats and dogs at Stonebarrow Lane, Mascalles. Its website says it is fully licensed with South Lakeland District Council but shows no number and doesn’t spell out overnight stays, so ask
Website
View on Google Maps
Lough House Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 35 Google reviews
Little Orton, near Carlisle (CA5 6EP)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Cumberland Council’s Carlisle area list (updated 12 October 2026) shows Lough House Boarding Kennels, CA5 6EP, Boarding – Kennel, licence M 9002, 5 star, expires 19 February 2028. Its website returned a “403 Forbidden” error to our tools, so we haven’t read it and rely on the list. Ask to see the licence
Website
View on Google Maps
Moorfield Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.8 · 28 Google reviews
Walton, near Brampton (CA8 2JW)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Cumberland Council’s Carlisle area list (updated 12 October 2026) shows Moorfield Boarding Kennels, CA8 2JW, Boarding – Kennel and Cattery, licence M 9053, 5 star, expires 12 April 2028. Its website quotes “Cumberland Council Licence No. M:009053”
Website
View on Google Maps
Pooch Pods
★★★★★ 5.0 · 21 Google reviews
The Duke, Farleton, near Milnthorpe (LA6 1PB)
Type: Kennel
Licence: Westmorland and Furness Council’s register (read 13 November 2026) lists Pooch Pods Ltd under Kennels, licence AB041173, five star, expires 8 March 2027, and South Lakeland’s register shows the same address. Its website shows AB041173 and a second number, DDC041174, and names the council. Google files it as a dog day care centre, and its website has a Boarding page
Website
View on Google Maps
Ratings and review counts are from Google Maps on 13 November 2026 and come from the public, so we haven’t checked them independently. Register entries are as read on that date and can change, so it is worth checking again before you book. Star ratings are the councils’ own figures and we have not ranked by them.
Listings we left out, and why
Radmores Kennels in Dalston (4.9 from 13) is on Cumberland’s Carlisle list, but its website address now shows a “reconnect your domain” page, so it misses our website test. Lowood Boarding Kennels near Armathwaite (4.9 from 35) and Ross-Lyne Boarding Kennels in Westlinton (4.7 from 17) are both on the Carlisle list but show no website on Google Maps. South Lakes Kennels and Day Care near Ulverston (4.9 from 41), Crossgate Boarding Kennels in Dalton-in-Furness (4.8 from 17) and Hairy Hound Hotel near Keswick (4.6 from 11) link only a Facebook page. Peter Lane Boarding Kennels is on the Carlisle list but we couldn’t find a single matching Google listing. Solway Dog Home Boarding and Daycare near Wigton (5.0 from 34) has a website that blocks our reading tools and isn’t on a register we could read. Berrier Boarders is on Westmorland and Furness’s register with an expiry of 19 October 2026, which has passed, and Utopia Kennels near Whitehaven is on Cumberland’s February 2026 Copeland list with an expiry of 27 February 2026, so both are out. Top Dog in Carlisle is licensed for day boarding only, and Taylor Made Doggy Daycare holds a day care licence, so neither is boarding evidence. WoodVilla Kennels is on the Carlisle list but sits in Scotland. We left out catteries, rescues and franchise or carer networks. We didn’t have time to check every business on the registers: the Copeland list (Whitehouse Kennels, Tutehill, Wuf Boarding Kennels, West Coast Kennels and others), Murrays Dog Hotel and Daycare, Carls Head Kennels, Roundhills Kennels, and many of the home boarders on both councils’ lists weren’t checked, so absence from this guide doesn’t mean absence from the registers. A centre being left out doesn’t mean it is unlicensed. It means we couldn’t tick every box, so ask it.
Other options we could not licence-verify
These two have an entry on Westmorland and Furness’s register under the same name, but the register shows no address and their own sites state no licence number, so we couldn’t tie the entry to the premises. Ask each to show the licence and its number.
Park Road Kennels and Cattery
★★★ 3.0 · 21 Google reviews
Barrow-in-Furness (LA14)
Type: Kennel
Licence: the register (read 13 November 2026) lists Park Road Boarding Kennels under Kennels, licence 24674, three star, expires 9 March 2027, but shows no address. Its website says it boards cats and dogs but shows no licence number, so ask whether the entry is this business. Note the 3.0 Google rating
Website
View on Google Maps
Cherry Tree Kennels
★★★★★ 5.0 · 12 Google reviews
Brough, near Kirkby Stephen (CA17 4DS)
Type: Kennel
Licence: the register (read 13 November 2026) lists Cherry Tree Kennels under Kennels, licence 003631/26, two star, expires 1 March 2027, but shows no address. Its website states overnight stays but shows no licence number, so ask to see the licence
Website
View on Google Maps
How to check a dog boarding licence in Cumbria
In England, dog boarding run as a business, in kennels or in a home, needs a licence from the local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. The licence holder’s name and number must appear on the business’s website, and a copy must be displayed at the premises. Cumbria is split between two councils, so ask the one for the postcode. Cumberland Council covers Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland and publishes animal boarding lists as PDFs: the Carlisle area list (updated 12 October 2026) shows postcodes, star ratings and expiry dates, and the Copeland area list (updated 17 February 2026) is older. We found no Allerdale list. Westmorland and Furness Council covers Barrow-in-Furness, Eden and South Lakeland and has one animal welfare licensing register with kennels, home boarding and dog day care sections, each showing licence number, star rating and expiry date but no addresses. South Lakeland also keeps a licensing register that shows names and addresses. We read all of these on 13 November 2026, the South Lakeland one in a browser. The Eden register had no animal licence section and the Barrow register did not load for us. Ask the centre to show its licence, the number and when it expires, and if the star rating or number differs from the register, ask which is current.
What to ask before you book
Ask what vaccinations the centre wants to see, and speak to your vet about what your own dog needs. Our guide to kennel cough in dogs explains the signs and when to call your vet. Ask what happens if your dog needs a vet in the night, who is on site overnight, how dogs are exercised and supervised, whether dogs from different homes ever mix, how many dogs are boarded at once, and whether a trial stay is possible.
A stay somewhere new can feel exciting or unsettling for some dogs. A calming bite is a complementary feed some owners use around change, and if your dog struggles with being left, speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist first.
More for Cumbria: our Cumbria dog services hub, dog daycare in Cumbria if your dog only needs the day, dog walkers in Cumbria for a midday walk, vets in Cumbria and dog trainers in Cumbria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you choose these Cumbria dog boarding centres?
We listed centres that appear on a Cumberland or Westmorland and Furness licence record for dog boarding, have their own website and a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews. We checked on 13 November 2026 and haven’t visited anywhere.
Does dog boarding need a licence in Cumbria?
In England, boarding dogs as a business, in kennels or in a home, needs a council licence under the 2018 regulations. In Cumbria that is Cumberland Council (Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland) or Westmorland and Furness Council (Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland). Ask to see the licence, its number and its expiry date.
What should I ask a kennel or home boarder before booking?
Ask to see the licence and its expiry date, what vaccinations they want to see, what happens if your dog needs a vet, how dogs are exercised and supervised, whether dogs from different homes mix, and whether a trial stay is possible. Speak to your vet about your own dog’s needs.
Why are some Cumbria kennels missing?
We only list centres with a licence record, their own website and a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews. Some have good reviews but no website, a website that no longer works, an expired licence or no entry we could find, and we didn’t check every business on the registers, so ask any centre directly.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who prefers his holidays to be properly licensed.
