Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Cambridge

All 20 dog boarders, day cares and kennels listed for Cambridge hold, or state they hold, a current council licence — a legal requirement in England for boarding, home boarding and day care alike. How easily that licence can be checked varies a great deal by council: East Cambridgeshire's own register (covering 11 of the 20, all shown under the Ely area) gives a licence number, star rating and expiry date; South Cambridgeshire's register (8 businesses) is reachable only through a third-party mirror and carries no star rating; and Cambridge City Council's own register could not confirm the one business here that states it holds a Cambridge City licence. See our council licences guide for the full breakdown.

Questions worth asking before you book

• Ask to see the licence certificate itself, including the licence number and issuing council, especially if you're booking Cambridge Paws — its own site states a Cambridge City Council licence that could not be matched against the register checked for this directory.
• Ask what vaccinations they require before booking, and how much notice they need to see proof — this varies between businesses, so do not assume a fixed schedule.
• Ask whether they require kennel cough cover, and if so, how far ahead of the stay.
• Ask about breed policies, including for an XL Bully with a valid exemption certificate, and what paperwork they would want to see.
• Ask whether the business says it carries public liability insurance, and ask to see the certificate rather than rely on a line on its website.
• Ask how many dogs, and from how many households, will share the house or site with yours on your dates.
• Ask which vet the business would use if your dog fell ill during the stay, and who makes that decision.

What the star rating does and doesn't cover

Where a star rating is shown on a Cambridge listing, it comes from East Cambridgeshire District Council's own register and is the council's inspection score, not a customer review — treat it the way you would a food hygiene rating rather than a Google star. No star rating is shown for any business licensed by South Cambridgeshire or Cambridge City Council, since neither register checked for this directory carries one; that is a gap in what could be confirmed, not a mark against those businesses.

None of the businesses listed here publish a vaccination schedule or an independently confirmed insurance position, so ask rather than assume an answer either way.

What this directory can't tell you

This directory does not verify a dog's vaccination status, check a business's insurance, or confirm an XL Bully's exemption paperwork — those are all things to raise directly with the business, not questions a listing here answers for you. Where a licence panel is shown, it reflects what could be checked against the specific register named in that guide, not a broader guarantee that everything about the business has been verified. If a business can't answer one of the questions above plainly, that's useful information in itself, and worth weighing before you book.