The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 Schedule 4, Part 4 covers dog day care.

You may need a dog day care licence if you provide daytime housing for other people’s dogs as a commercial business. This includes where day care is provided as part of the business or as the only activity of the business.

This page is for day care where dogs are not kept overnight. Businesses that provide overnight accommodation should be directed to the dog boarding page. Businesses that look after dogs in the owner’s own home, such as dog sitting or dog walking, are not treated as dog day care under the statutory guidance.

Before you apply

Before making an application, please read the statutory guidance and prepare any policies, procedures and records relevant to your day care activity. You should also review the Council’s Animal Licensing Policy and prepare your standard licence documents before inspection.

• read the dog day care statutory guidance
• consider using our checklist for dog day care to self audit that you have all required policies or procedures
• prepare written procedures for cleaning, disease control, transport, monitoring, emergencies and animal care
• make sure vaccination, veterinary, medication and training records are available for inspection
• check the day care environment provides suitable space, safe physical barriers, temperature control, ventilation, lighting, resting areas, toileting opportunities and enrichment.
• check staff numbers, staff competence and staff training records
• make sure your website displays the licence holder’s name and licence number once licensed

Apply for a licence

Use our animal welfare licence application form to apply. The application does not currently have a save draft function, so you should have the information and documents you need ready before starting the application.

We aim to determine new licence applications within 10 weeks of receiving a complete application. Some applications may take longer where further information is needed or where an inspection is difficult to arrange. Existing licence holders should apply to renew at least 10 weeks before the current licence expires.

Apply for Animal Welfare Licence

Inspection

Dog day care premises will be inspected as part of the application and renewal process. The inspection will consider whether the premises, staffing, records, procedures and dog day care arrangements meet the relevant welfare standards and licence conditions.

Please bear in mind that we will star rate your premises on the day of the inspection, those items furnished to the council after the inspection and not available on the premises during the inspection will NOT be taken into account for star rating purposes.

Guidance and useful information

Checklists, templates and records

Dog day care documents

• Checklist for dog day care providers

Standard documents required by most licence holders

• Preventative healthcare plan template and guidance notes 
• Medication record
• Training policy and staff training record
• Isolation facilities template letter to be completed by veterinary practice 
• Nominated veterinary practice form

Key dog day care rules to highlight

• dog day care activities require a licence where they are carried out as a commercial business
• dog day care is for daytime housing only; overnight accommodation may be considered dog boarding and requires a different licence
• the licence applies only to providing day care for dogs and should clearly state the maximum number of dogs allowed on the premises
• licence holders must keep required records available for inspection and retain them for at least 3 years from creation.
• the business must have enough competent staff to meet the welfare needs of all dogs; the statutory guidance states that each member of staff should have 10 dogs or fewer to care for.
• each dog must have suitable space available within the premises, which may include inside and outside space.
• dogs must not be kept in areas where the temperature may cause them distress; the guidance identifies the sleeping/rest area temperatures as above 10°C and below 26°C.
• dogs must not be crated for longer than one hour in any 8-hour period and only where it forms part of the dog’s normal routine with owner consent.
• dogs must have regular opportunities for toileting and appropriate enrichment, socialisation and play.
• a dog walker may walk no more than 6 dogs at the same time, and the owner must consent to their dog being walked with others

Zoonoses and infection control

Zoonoses are infections that can pass between animals and humans. Exhibition businesses should consider zoonoses as part of their infection control procedures. We suggest that you examine the list on the Zoonoses - HSE page and consider all those infections relevant to your business. Particular care should be taken where multiple species are exhibited or where animals have direct contact with members of the public.

Fees, star ratings and licence duration

Fees are payable for the grant and renewal of a licence, variations, inspections and other matters where applicable. Dog day care licences are subject to the animal activity star rating system. Licences may be issued for one, two or three years depending on the star rating and risk assessment. New applicants are generally issued with a one-year licence initially because there is no compliance history available.

If you are unsure whether you need a licence

If you are unsure whether your dog day care activity requires a licence, please contact the Licensing team before you apply. We can advise on whether the activity appears to fall within the licensing regime and whether dog day care, dog boarding or home boarding is the most appropriate category.