Looking for dog daycare near you? Pick your area below and you will find our guide to the 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 guide for 72 areas, and between them they list 353 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 daycare 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 daycare run as a business 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.
Wales. Boarding dogs for other people is covered by the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, which works through licences from the local council. The Welsh Government’s 2021 licensing regulations cover selling animals as pets, so they do not apply here. Whether daytime-only care counts is a question for the council, so ask the council and the centre.
Scotland. Dog boarding is licensed by the local council under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, and councils differ in how they treat daycare. Some say plainly that day care needs a licence, so 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 says nobody may keep an animal boarding establishment without a licence, and DAERA says it licenses boarding kennels. The pages we read do not mention day care and we found no public register, so we cannot tell you whether a day-only centre needs one. Ask DAERA directly, and ask the centre what licence it holds and who issued it.
England
46 areas, grouped by region.
North East
- Dog daycare in County Durham: Six centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Northumberland: Eight centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Tyne and Wear: Seven centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
North West
- Dog daycare in Cheshire: 11 centres we could verify, plus seven other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Cumbria: Four centres we could verify, plus one other option we could not.
- Dog daycare in Greater Manchester: 18 centres we could verify, plus eight other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Lancashire: 10 centres we could verify, plus five other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Merseyside: 11 centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
Yorkshire and the Humber
- Dog daycare in East Riding of Yorkshire: Four centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in North Yorkshire: Four centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in South Yorkshire: Six centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in West Yorkshire: Six centres we could verify, plus five other options we could not.
East Midlands
- Dog daycare in Derbyshire: Eight centres we could verify, plus five other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Leicestershire: 10 centres we could verify, plus eight other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Lincolnshire: Seven centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Northamptonshire: Four centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Nottinghamshire: Six centres we could verify, plus five other options we could not.
West Midlands
- Dog daycare in Herefordshire: One centre we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Shropshire: Five centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Staffordshire: Nine centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Warwickshire: Two centres we could verify, plus five other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in West Midlands: One centre we could verify, plus eight other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Worcestershire: Four centres we could verify.
East of England
- Dog daycare in Bedfordshire: 10 centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Cambridgeshire: Nine centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Essex: 11 centres we could verify, plus six other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Hertfordshire: Seven centres we could verify, plus six other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Norfolk: Four centres we could verify, plus six other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Suffolk: 11 centres we could verify. We read all five council registers.
London
- Dog daycare in Greater London: 13 centres we could verify, plus 13 other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Middlesex: Four centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
South East
- Dog daycare in Berkshire: Five centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Buckinghamshire: 14 centres we could verify, plus seven other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in East Sussex: Five centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Hampshire: Eight centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Isle of Wight: One centre we could verify, plus one other option we could not.
- Dog daycare in Kent: 10 centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Oxfordshire: Four centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Surrey: Seven centres we could verify, plus two other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in West Sussex: Five centres we could verify, plus four other options we could not.
South West
- Dog daycare in Cornwall: 13 centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Devon: Seven centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Dorset: 10 centres we could verify, plus two other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Gloucestershire: Eight centres we could verify, plus one other option we could not.
- Dog daycare in Somerset: Six centres we could verify, plus eight other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Wiltshire: Four centres we could verify, plus one other option we could not.
Wales
- Dog daycare in Blaenau Gwent: No centre we could verify yet, and none listed as an option.
- Dog daycare in Bridgend: No centre we could verify yet; three other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Cardiff: No centre we could verify yet; six other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Carmarthenshire: Five centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Ceredigion: No centre we could verify yet; two other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Conwy: One centre we could verify, plus one other option we could not.
- Dog daycare in Denbighshire: Four centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Flintshire: No centre we could verify yet; four other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Gwynedd: No centre we could verify yet; one other option to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Monmouthshire: No centre we could verify yet; three other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Neath Port Talbot: Five centres we could verify.
- Dog daycare in Newport: No centre we could verify yet; two other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Pembrokeshire: Three centres we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Powys: No centre we could verify yet; two other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Rhondda Cynon Taf: No centre we could verify yet; three other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Swansea: Five centres we could verify. The council register we read lists three day care centres.
- Dog daycare in Torfaen: No centre we could verify yet; one other option to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Vale of Glamorgan: One centre we could verify, plus two other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Wrexham: No centre we could verify yet; four other options to ask about.
Scotland
- Dog daycare in Aberdeen City: No centre we could verify yet, and none listed as an option.
- Dog daycare in City of Edinburgh: No centre we could verify yet; one other option to ask about. The council’s boarding spreadsheet would not open in our reader.
- Dog daycare in Dundee City: No centre we could verify yet; two other options to ask about.
- Dog daycare in Fife: One centre we could verify, plus three other options we could not.
- Dog daycare in Glasgow City: No centre we could verify yet; two other options to ask about.
Northern Ireland
- Dog daycare in Belfast: No centre we could verify yet; six other options to ask about. We could not confirm whether a day-only centre needs a licence.
- Dog daycare in Derry and Strabane: No centre we could verify yet; three other options to ask about. We could not confirm whether a day-only centre needs a licence.
Areas still to come
We do not have a daycare guide for these areas yet, but their area guides list everything else we have: Aberdeenshire · Isle of Anglesey · Caerphilly · Merthyr Tydfil.
Before you book
A first day at daycare 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. Use our guides as a shortlist to visit, not a promise: meet the staff, see where the dogs spend the day and ask for a trial day.
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 daycare centres 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 dog daycare need a licence in the UK?
It depends where you are. In England, dog daycare 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, and whether daytime-only care counts is a question for each council. In Northern Ireland the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 covers boarding establishments, and we couldn’t confirm whether a day-only centre needs a licence. Whatever the nation, ask the centre to show its licence.
What should I ask a dog daycare before booking?
Ask to see the licence, its number and its expiry date, and who issued it. Then ask how many dogs the centre takes at once, how the dogs are separated, what happens if your dog needs a vet, and whether you can do a trial day first. If your dog struggles with being left, speak to your vet or a qualified behaviourist before you start.
Why does my area show no centre, or is missing?
Some areas show no 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. Aberdeenshire, the Isle of Anglesey, Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil don’t have a daycare guide yet.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
