Dorset is split between two licensing councils, which makes checking a boarder a little fiddly. BCP Council (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) publishes a register that we could read, and Dorset Council doesn’t publish one that we could find. We found eleven centres that have their own website, a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews and licence evidence: a number on the website that names the council, or an entry we could match on the BCP register. Five quote a Dorset Council licence, and six are home boarders in the BCP area. We haven’t visited any of them. A number on a website is the centre’s own statement, so ask to see the licence, and where our evidence is thinner the card says so. Six more with their own website sit lower down as options we couldn’t licence-verify.
Boarding centres with licence evidence and a Google Maps listing
New Forest Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 4.8 · 300 Google reviews
St Leonards, near Ringwood (BH24)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website says “Licenced by Dorset Council – Licence No: 9049”. Its postal address says Ringwood, Hampshire, but the licence it quotes is from Dorset Council, which is why it is here. The business also takes cats, and we have described only the dog boarding. We couldn’t check the number against a council register
Website
View on Google Maps
Branscombe Kennels & Cattery
★★★★★ 4.8 · 123 Google reviews
Stour Row, near Shaftesbury (SP7)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website footer says “License Number: 8063 valid until July 2027” and that it was issued by Dorset Council. Its menu lists dog boarding, and the business also takes cats. We couldn’t check the number against a council register
Website
View on Google Maps
Snipegate Kennels
★★★★★ 4.6 · 82 Google reviews
Portesham, near Weymouth (DT3)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website shows “License No: 9216” and names Dorset Council. It lists overnight and long-term boarding. We couldn’t check the number against a council register
Website
View on Google Maps
Fido’s Friends Pet Services
★★★★★ 5.0 · 65 Google reviews
Bournemouth (BH8)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website shows no licence number, only a BCP Council logo linking to the council’s animal activity register. We found a Home Boarder entry for Fido’s Friends on the BCP register (number 90802, 5 star, expires 30 April 2027), matched by name and area, so ask to see its licence and confirm the number. It offers home-from-home boarding, and Google files it as a dog walker. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Website
View on Google Maps
Elwell Boarding Kennels
★★★★★ 4.4 · 44 Google reviews
Waytown, near Bridport (DT6)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website says “Licence Number: 8030” and names “Dorset County Council”, which is the old name, so ask which council issued it and when it expires. It describes a dog boarding service in Bridport, and Google files it as a dog day care centre. We couldn’t check the number against a council register
Website
View on Google Maps
Hurn Lodge Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 5.0 · 31 Google reviews
St Leonards, near Ringwood (BH24)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website shows licence 13296 and names Dorset Council. Its postal address says Ringwood, Hampshire, but the licence is from Dorset Council, which is why it is here. It advertises boarding kennels for dogs and cats, and we have described only the dogs. We couldn’t check the number against a council register
Website
View on Google Maps
The Dog Nook at Cranbrook
★★★★★ 5.0 · 30 Google reviews
Poole (BH12)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website says “AAL 181724” and names BCP Council. The BCP register lists 181724 as a Home Boarder, 4 star, expiring 1 October 2027. Its services page lists overnight boarding. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Dorset
Website
View on Google Maps
Pooches of Poole
★★★★★ 5.0 · 23 Google reviews
Poole (BH15)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website now says “Animal Boarding Licence Number: AAL 157387” and “Fully licensed by the Borough of Poole”, which is the old council name. The BCP register lists 157387 as a Home Boarder, 5 star, expiring 31 December 2027. Our daycare guide quoted an older reference of 009746 from the site, so the register number is the one to use. It describes home-from-home dog boarding, and Google files it as a dog walker. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also in our dog daycare guide for Dorset, among the options we couldn’t licence-verify for daycare
Website
View on Google Maps
Doggy Day Care Poole
★★★★★ 4.8 · 19 Google reviews
Poole (BH12)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website says “AAL 157409” and “5 Star licence by Poole council”. The BCP register lists 157409 as a Home Boarder, 5 star, expiring 30 April 2029. Its site lists dog boarding, though it doesn’t say overnight in the text we read, and Google files it as a pet sitter, so check what it offers for overnight stays. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Dorset
Website
View on Google Maps
Bella’s House
★★★★★ 4.6 · 10 Google reviews
Bournemouth (BH9)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website says “AAL 166510” and “5/5 star license with BCP Council”. The BCP register lists 166510 as a Home Boarder, 5 star, expiring 27 February 2027. Its site mentions a one-time boarding booking but doesn’t say overnight in the text we read. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Dorset
Website
View on Google Maps
The Doodle Den
★★★★★ 5.0 · 8 Google reviews
Broadstone, Poole (BH18)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website says “AAL 181075” and that it is licensed under BCP Council. The BCP register lists 181075 as a Home Boarder, 4 star, expiring 15 July 2027, in the same BH18 area, but under the name Maxal rather than The Doodle Den, so ask which name the licence is held in. Its site lists overnight boarding. We give the town and outward postcode only because it is a home
Also offers daycare: see our dog daycare guide for Dorset
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 details are from the BCP Council register dated 4 September 2026 and may have changed since. Dorset Council numbers are quoted as each site shows them. We have not ranked by star rating or expiry date, and none of the licences above expires within about a month of our check.
Listings we left out, and why
Country Kennels at Ferndown (4.5 from 127) and Pets Haven near Sherborne (4.9 from 45) have websites that block our reading tools, so we couldn’t check a licence and left them out. Merley Mews Doggy Day Care at Wimborne (4.9 from 73) and Muttleys Dogs at Hurn (5.0 from 59) are daycare centres, and the pages we read didn’t offer overnight boarding, so a register entry alone wasn’t enough. Baileys and Pickle (5.0 from 12) and Hamm’s Hounds (5.0 from 11) at Christchurch, Turnpike Kennels and Cattery near Shaftesbury (4.7 from 66), Laburnham Kennels and Cattery near Crewkerne (4.8 from 56), Pondarosa Kennels and Cattery near Crewkerne (4.6 from 31) and Sans Farm Kennels near Shaftesbury (4.0 from 14) show no website on Google Maps, and TJ’s Dog Hotel at Broadstone (4.6 from 10) links only to Facebook. We found no website for Sitter Pet Dog in Poole. Rusty’s Dog Club and Hotel, Barilla Kennels, Woof Wonderland and Wyke Dog Boarding were shown as temporarily closed on Google Maps. Two BCP licences had expired before our check, Highcliffe Happy Dogs and Rachael Fox Pet Sitting, and Stay&Play4Paws shows an expiry of 18 December 2026 with no Google Maps listing we could confirm. We left out catteries, franchise and carer networks such as PetStay and We Love Pets, and dog walkers and pet sitters without a boarding licence on show. 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 six have their own website, a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews and offer dog boarding, but we couldn’t see a licence number tied to a council. Ask each to show its licence, the number and the expiry date before you book.
Noarck Boarding Kennels and Cattery
★★★★★ 4.9 · 108 Google reviews
St Leonards, near Ringwood (BH24)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website describes a family run kennels and cattery with purpose built chalets but shows no licence number or council, so ask which council licenses it and to see the licence
Website
View on Google Maps
West Burton Kennels
★★★★★ 4.7 · 96 Google reviews
Winfrith Newburgh, near Dorchester (DT2)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website shows “7256” but doesn’t name the council that issued it, so ask which council and when it expires. It lists day and overnight boarding
Also in our dog daycare guide for Dorset, among the options we couldn’t licence-verify for daycare
Website
View on Google Maps
Hillcrest Kennels & Cattery
★★★★★ 4.8 · 89 Google reviews
Steepleton, near Dorchester (DT2)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website says it has been “licensed for over 40 years” but shows no number or council, so ask to see the current licence. It advertises dog and cat boarding
Website
View on Google Maps
Valentines Kennels
★★★★★ 3.8 · 39 Google reviews
Chickerell, near Weymouth (DT3)
Type: Kennel
Licence: its website says it is “fully licenced with the local authority” but shows no number or council, so ask to see the licence. Its pricing refers to dogs staying two days or longer
Website
View on Google Maps
Humphrey & Bo
★★★★★ 4.6 · 18 Google reviews
Stalbridge (DT10)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website shows “Home Boarding Licence No 8101” but doesn’t name the council, so ask which council issued it and when it expires. It describes a luxury dog boarding and hotel service where dogs live with the family
Also in our dog daycare guide for Dorset, where its day care licence number was quoted
Website
View on Google Maps
Mucky Boots Dorset
★★★★★ 4.7 · 16 Google reviews
Winterborne Stickland, near Blandford Forum (DT11)
Type: Home boarding
Licence: its website returned a server error when we checked on 13 November 2026, so we couldn’t read any licence wording. Google files it as a home boarding service for dogs, so ask to see the licence
Website
View on Google Maps
How to check a dog boarding licence in Dorset
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. In Dorset the licensing council depends on where the centre is. In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole it is BCP Council, whose animal activity register we read on 13 November 2026 (a PDF dated 4 September 2026) and which lists the licence number, category, expiry date and star rating. Elsewhere in the county it is Dorset Council, which publishes no public register that we could find, so you can ask its licensing team at envhealth@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk to confirm a licence. Ask the centre to show its licence, the number, which council issued it and when it expires, and if the number differs from what its website says, ask which is current.
What to ask before you book
Ask each centre what vaccination records it 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 Dorset: our Dorset dog services hub, dog daycare in Dorset if your dog only needs the day, dog walkers in Dorset for a midday walk, dog trainers in Dorset, secure dog fields in Dorset and vets in Dorset.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you choose these Dorset dog boarding centres?
We listed centres with their own website, a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews and licence evidence: a number on the site that names the council, or a match on the BCP Council register. Dorset Council publishes no list we could read. We checked on 13 November 2026 and haven’t visited anywhere.
Does dog boarding need a licence in Dorset?
In England, boarding dogs as a business, in kennels or in a home, needs a council licence under the 2018 regulations. In Dorset that is BCP Council for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Dorset Council for the rest of the county. 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 Dorset kennels missing?
We only list centres with licence evidence and a Google Maps listing with at least eight reviews. Some have good reviews but no website, no licence number, a daycare-only service or a site that blocks our tools, so ask any centre directly.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who prefers his holidays to be properly licensed.
