We found eleven Essex dog daycare centres we could verify: each has its own website, a Google Maps listing and a licence we could see, either on a council’s published list or quoted by number on the centre’s own site. We haven’t visited any of them. Daycare is a licensed activity, so ask to see the licence before you book, and treat this as a shortlist to meet.
Daycare centres with a website, a licence we could see and a Google Maps listing
The Little Doggy Daycare – Chelmsford
★★★★★ 5.0 · 265 Google reviews
Springfield, Chelmsford (CM2)
Licence: its website shows “NUMBER: 22/00610/” and “5 STAR COUNCIL RATING” but names no council. Chelmsford City Council’s animal boarding register (last updated 26 May 2026) lists Little Doggy DayCare at the same address, licence 24/00867/BOARD, 5 star, expiring 19 January 2028. That register doesn’t say which activity each licence covers, and the number differs from the one on the site, so ask which licence covers daycare
Daycare Monday to Friday 7am to 6.30pm and Saturday 9.30am to 6pm, from £29 plus VAT for one dog, small breeds only, per its website
View on Google Maps
Passion For Paws Doggy Daycare Essex
★★★★★ 4.8 · 165 Google reviews
Epping (CM16)
Licence: its website shows “WK/000153841/2025” and doesn’t name the council or an expiry date. Epping Forest’s online licence register wasn’t opened by our tools, so we couldn’t cross-check it, so ask who issued it and when it expires
Daycare Monday to Friday 6am to 6.30pm, per its website, which also lists puppy pre-school, boarding and pick-up. No prices shown
View on Google Maps
Paws Indoors Southend
★★★★★ 4.8 · 158 Google reviews
Southend-on-Sea (SS2)
Licence: its website shows “Licence no. 23/00865/AEDC3” in the header and footer but doesn’t name the council. Southend-on-Sea City Council’s day care page lists no premises, so we couldn’t cross-check it. Ask who issued it and when it expires
Full-day daycare from 7am to 6pm with van pick-up and a free assessment hour, per its website. No prices shown
View on Google Maps
Eddie’s Doggy Daycare Essex
★★★★★ 4.8 · 142 Google reviews
Epping Forest district (Google Maps shows no address)
Licence: its website shows “Epping Forest District Council Licence Number N/000003836”, holder Edward Kirwan. Epping Forest’s online licence register wasn’t opened by our tools, so we couldn’t cross-check it, and the site shows no expiry date
Daycare Monday to Friday 8.15am to 6pm with pick-up and drop-off, per its website. No prices shown
View on Google Maps
Rachels Doggy Lodge
★★★★★ 4.9 · 134 Google reviews
near Braintree (CM77)
Licence: Braintree District Council’s animal activity licence register lists Rachels Doggy Lodge Limited, AAL/31, under “Boarding dogs (Daycare)”. The register shows no star rating or expiry date, and its website shows no licence statement
Daycare, home boarding and a private field for hire, per its website. Weekdays 7.30am to 6.30pm, Saturday 8.30am to 5.30pm, with no daycare prices shown
View on Google Maps
The Dog Club
★★★★★ 5.0 · 131 Google reviews
Maldon (CM9)
Licence: its website shows “Council licence – Maldon District Council – 22/00249/AWLAIA – 5 STAR”. Maldon’s Day Care for Dogs register lists The Dog Club at 5 star, with no number or expiry date shown
Daycare on three acres, plus home-from-home boarding and dog walking, per its website. No hours or prices shown
View on Google Maps
Pawtopia Doggy Day Care & Dog Hotel
★★★★★ 4.7 · 72 Google reviews
Doddinghurst, near Brentwood (CM15)
Licence: Brentwood Borough Council’s animal premises page lists Pawtopia Dog Services under Dog Day Care, licence LIANI22, 5 star, expiring 31 December 2027 (it is also listed under home boarding). We matched it by name. Its website says it is rated 5 stars by “our local council” but shows no number
Daycare at Doddinghurst and Harold Hill, per its website. No hours or prices shown
View on Google Maps
Mabel & Friends Day Retreat
★★★★★ 4.9 · 65 Google reviews
Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford (CM3)
Licence: its website shows “Braintree Animal Activity License: AAL/144” and Braintree District Council’s register lists Mabel And Friends Day Retreat, AAL/144, under “Boarding dogs (Daycare)”. The register shows no star rating or expiry date
Dog day care, per its website, which shows no hours or prices
View on Google Maps
Dogs of Pipers
★★★★★ 5.0 · 62 Google reviews
Danbury, near Chelmsford (CM3)
Licence: Maldon District Council’s Day Care for Dogs register lists Dogs of Pipers at 5 star, with no number or expiry date shown. Its website says “5 star rated dog day care” but gives no licence number
Weekday daycare, per its website, with a no-charge assessment. No hours or prices shown
View on Google Maps
Chrissies Doggy Daycare
★★★★★ 5.0 · 57 Google reviews
Point Clear, near Clacton-on-Sea (CO16)
Licence: Tendring District Council’s register of premises licensed for dog day care lists Chrissies Doggy Daycare, Point Clear, licence 24/00185/LIABE, 5 star, expiring 18 May 2027. The register shows no document date. Its website says it is fully licensed but shows no number
Daycare Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, per its website, which also offers boarding. No prices shown
View on Google Maps
Colchester Canine Creche
★★★★★ 4.8 · 57 Google reviews
Colchester (CO3)
Licence: its website shows “License Number M095330” and says it is highly rated by environmental health, but names no council and shows no expiry date. Colchester City Council publishes no register we could read, so we couldn’t cross-check it. Ask who issued it and when it expires
Dog day care is listed as a service, per its website, which shows no hours or prices
View on Google Maps
Ratings and review counts are from Google Maps on 12 November 2026 and come from the public. We haven’t checked them independently.
Listings we left out, and why
All Seasons Dogs (4.8 from 96), Mrs Paws Doggy Daycare (4.9 from 56), Paws and Relax Doggy Daycare (5.0 from 24), Day Care At The Play Barn (5.0 from 16) and Dengie K9-5 (5.0 from 2) are on Chelmsford’s, Thurrock’s or Maldon’s lists or have a Google Maps listing, but we found no website for them on Google Maps, so they don’t meet our own-website rule. Camp Canine is on Tendring’s day care register, but we couldn’t match it to an Essex Google Maps listing. St Mary’s Canine Creche came up in the Colchester search but is across the border in Suffolk. Harlow Council’s register lists only boarding and home boarding licences, with no day care entries, so we listed no Harlow centres as verified. We couldn’t read registers for Epping Forest, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, Uttlesford, Basildon, Castle Point or Rochford, so other licensed centres in those areas may exist. Many home boarders, walkers and smaller daycares came up in the same searches, and we didn’t check every one, so this list is not exhaustive. Rover hosts are home sitters rather than centres, and the Rover page we tried returned a 404, so we haven’t listed any. A centre being left out doesn’t mean it is unlicensed. It means we couldn’t see the proof, so ask it.
Other options we could not licence-verify
These Essex centres offer daycare and have their own website and a Google Maps listing, but we could not see a daycare licence number or an official record that clearly covers daycare, so we do not recommend them as verified. Ratings are from Google Maps on 12 November 2026. We have not visited them. Ask each for its licence, what it covers, who issued it and its expiry date before booking.
Barehams Boarding & Daycare Centre
★★★★★ 4.8 · 495 Google reviews
Orsett, near Grays (RM16). Its website shows “License No: 18/01387/LIANI” and says it is licensed by Thurrock Borough Council, and lists doggy day care, but doesn’t say which licence covers which service. Thurrock’s premises list (star ratings as at 5 July 2024, so out of date) shows Barehams Kennels as a boarding establishment, with no day care entry
Website · View on Google Maps
Bark Lane – City of Woofminster
★★★★★ 5.0 · 93 Google reviews
Epping. Its website says “Licensed by Epping Forest Council” and “5-star council rated care” but shows no licence number, and we couldn’t open Epping Forest’s register
Website · View on Google Maps
Canine Advisory Ltd
★★★★★ 4.7 · 84 Google reviews
Chignal Smealy, near Chelmsford (CM1). Chelmsford’s register lists the business with a “BOARD” licence, 5 star, expiring 6 February 2027, but doesn’t say the activity, and its website returned an error to our tools
Website · View on Google Maps
Dogs Play Centre
★★★★★ 4.7 · 66 Google reviews
Colchester (CO4). Its website blocks automated readers and Colchester publishes no register we could read, so we saw no licence evidence either way
Website · View on Google Maps
Billericay Doggie Daycare
★★★★★ 4.6 · 64 Google reviews
Ramsden Heath, near Billericay (CM11). Chelmsford’s register lists a “BOARD” licence under this name, 5 star, expiring 15 June 2029, but doesn’t say the activity, and its website blocks automated readers
Website · View on Google Maps
Brucey’s Buddies
★★★★★ 5.0 · 59 Google reviews
near Braintree (CM7). Its website says “Licenced with Braintree Council” and offers daycare and home boarding, but shows no number, and we found no entry under that name in Braintree’s register
Website · View on Google Maps
How to check a daycare licence in Essex
In England, dog daycare run as a business 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 Essex there is no single council. Licensing sits with the district, borough and city councils (Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest, Harlow, Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford) and with the Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock unitary councils. On 12 November 2026 we read Braintree’s, Brentwood’s, Chelmsford’s, Maldon’s, Tendring’s and Harlow’s registers, and Thurrock’s premises list (which dates from 2024). Chelmsford’s register doesn’t say which activity each licence covers, and Harlow’s lists no day care entries. We could not read registers for Epping Forest, Colchester, Southend-on-Sea, Uttlesford, Basildon, Castle Point or Rochford. For those, ask the council’s licensing team. Then ask the centre to show its licence, how many dogs it takes at once, how dogs are separated, and what happens if your dog needs a vet.
A first day at daycare can be a lot for a sensitive dog. 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 Essex: our Essex dog services hub, dog walkers in Essex if you only need a midday walk, vets in Essex, dog trainers in Essex and secure dog fields in Essex.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did you choose these Essex dog daycare centres?
Each has its own website, a Google Maps listing and a licence we could see, either on a council’s published list or quoted by number on its own site. We checked Google Maps and the council lists on 12 November 2026. We haven’t visited any of them, so meet any centre first.
Does dog daycare need a licence in Essex?
In England, daycare run as a business needs a council licence under the 2018 regulations. In Essex that is the district, borough or city council, or Southend-on-Sea or Thurrock unitary councils. Ask to see the licence, its number and its expiry date.
What should I ask a dog daycare centre?
Ask for the licence, how many dogs attend at once, how dogs are grouped, who is on site, and what happens if a dog is unwell.
Why are some well-reviewed centres missing?
We only list as verified the centres where we could see a licence and that clearly offer daycare. Some websites wouldn’t open for our tools, some council registers couldn’t be read, and some centres show no licence number. A few with daycare and a website are in the ‘Other options we could not licence-verify’ section instead.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who prefers his playdates to be properly licensed.
