Looking for dog boarding kennels near you? Pick your area below and you will find our guide to the licensed centres we could verify there, with a Google Maps link for each and the honest gaps where we could not verify anyone. We have a boarding guide for 62 areas, and between them they list 504 licensed centres.
Here is how we list a centre. It needs its own website, a Google Maps listing and licence evidence we could actually see, either an official council record or a licence number stated on its own site. Where a council register would not open for us, we say so plainly rather than imply we checked it. We have not visited any centre and we do not endorse any of them, so please check the licence yourself before you book. Prefer to start from your county? Use our area finder.
Jump to: How to check a licence · England · Wales · Scotland · Northern Ireland · FAQs
How to check a dog boarding licence
The rules are not the same in each nation, so here is the short version for each. Every area guide goes into more detail for its own councils.
England. Dog boarding run as a business, whether in a kennel or a home, needs a licence from the local council under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Ask the centre to show its licence, number and expiry date, and look for the same details on its website. Many councils publish a register you can search.
Wales. Boarding dogs for other people is covered by the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, which works through licences from the local council. Check your council’s register or ask the council directly, and ask the centre to show its licence and expiry date.
Scotland. Dog boarding is licensed by the local council under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963. Check your own council’s page and ask the centre to show its licence and expiry date.
Northern Ireland. The Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, Part II, says nobody may keep an animal boarding establishment without a licence. We found no public register from DAERA, so we cannot point you to one. Ask the centre what licence it holds and who issued it, and ask your council or DAERA if you are unsure.
Wherever you are, we check each centre against the council register where one is published and against its Google Maps listing, and the ratings we show are the public’s, taken on the day we checked. Registers and ratings change, so confirm before you book.
England
38 areas, grouped by region.
North East
- Dog boarding kennels in County Durham: Two licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Northumberland: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
North West
- Dog boarding kennels in Cheshire: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Cumbria: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Greater Manchester: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Lancashire: Eight licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Merseyside: Three licensed centres we could verify.
Yorkshire and the Humber
- Dog boarding kennels in East Riding of Yorkshire: 12 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in North Yorkshire: 16 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in South Yorkshire: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
East Midlands
- Dog boarding kennels in Derbyshire: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Leicestershire: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Lincolnshire: 11 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Northamptonshire: Six licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Nottinghamshire: Eight licensed centres we could verify.
West Midlands
- Dog boarding kennels in Herefordshire: 10 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Shropshire: 13 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Staffordshire: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
East of England
- Dog boarding kennels in Bedfordshire: 12 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Cambridgeshire: 10 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Essex: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Hertfordshire: 16 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Norfolk: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
London
- Dog boarding kennels in Greater London: Seven licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Middlesex: Two licensed centres we could verify.
South East
- Dog boarding kennels in Berkshire: Four licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Buckinghamshire: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in East Sussex: 13 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Hampshire: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Isle of Wight: Two licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Kent: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Oxfordshire: 11 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Surrey: 12 licensed centres we could verify.
South West
- Dog boarding kennels in Cornwall: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog home boarding in Cornwall: Seven licensed home boarders we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Devon: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Dorset: 11 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Gloucestershire: 14 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Somerset: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
Wales
- Dog boarding kennels in Blaenau Gwent: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Bridgend: One licensed centre we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Cardiff: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Carmarthenshire: 15 licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Ceredigion: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Conwy: One licensed centre we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Denbighshire: Five licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Flintshire: Nine licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Gwynedd: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Monmouthshire: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Neath Port Talbot: Four licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Newport: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Pembrokeshire: Six licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Powys: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Rhondda Cynon Taf: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Swansea: Eight licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Torfaen: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
Scotland
- Dog boarding kennels in Aberdeen City: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in City of Edinburgh: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Dundee City: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
- Dog boarding kennels in Fife: Eight licensed centres we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Glasgow City: No licensed centre we could verify yet; the guide says who we left out and why.
Northern Ireland
- Dog boarding kennels in Belfast: One licensed centre we could verify.
- Dog boarding kennels in Derry and Strabane: Two licensed centres we could verify.
Before you book
A night or two away from home can be a lot for a sensitive dog. The Calmdogs calming bites are 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. Check that your dog’s vaccinations are up to date, because most kennels ask for proof, and read our kennel cough guide so you know what to ask about. Use our guides as a shortlist to visit, not a promise: meet the staff, see where the dogs sleep and ask for a trial stay.
Looking for somewhere for the day instead? See our dog daycare near me guide. Looking for something different? Try our dog walkers near me, secure dog fields near me and dog sitters guides, or head back to the full area finder.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you choose which dog boarding kennels to list?
We only list a centre if it has its own website, a Google Maps listing and licence evidence we could see, either an official council record or a licence number on its own website. We haven’t visited any of them, no centre is endorsed, and the ratings we show are the public’s, taken on the day we checked.
Does a dog boarding kennel need a licence in the UK?
Yes, in every nation, though the law differs. In England, boarding run as a business needs a council licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. In Wales and Scotland the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963 works through council licences. In Northern Ireland the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, Part II, requires a licence, and we found no public DAERA register. Whatever the nation, ask the centre to show its licence.
What should I ask a dog boarding kennel before booking?
Ask to see the licence, its number and its expiry date, and who issued it. Then ask what vaccinations the kennel requires, how the dogs are housed and exercised, who is on site overnight, what happens if your dog needs a vet, and whether you can do a trial stay first. If your dog struggles with being left, speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist before you book.
Why does my area show no licensed centre, or is it missing?
Some areas show no licensed centre because we couldn’t find licence evidence we could check, or because a council register couldn’t be read by our tools. That doesn’t mean there is nobody good nearby, only that we couldn’t prove the licence. Areas that are not listed above do not have a boarding guide yet, so try the area finder.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
