Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Hemel Hempstead and Chesham

Twelve dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed across Hemel Hempstead and Chesham, split between two licensing councils: Dacorum Borough Council covers Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted & Tring, and Buckinghamshire Council covers Chesham & Amersham, Chalfont St Giles & Beaconsfield and Great Missenden. Both licence home boarding, day care and boarding kennels in England under the same 2018 regulations.

Vaccinations

Every business listed here sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what it requires and how far ahead of a stay it needs to see proof, rather than assuming one rule covers the whole area. Only Dogtopia of Amersham states a specific condition on its own site — that dogs must be over a year old, neutered or spayed and fully vaccinated, including against kennel cough, before starting — and even that is worth confirming directly rather than assuming it covers every situation. Arklow Kennels, a boarding kennels in Chalfont St Giles, asks for a separate kennel cough vaccination for dogs in addition to standard cover; views like this vary business to business, so ask rather than assume.

Licences: one council's own register, one mirror

Dacorum Borough Council, covering Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamsted & Tring, publishes its own PDF register directly, giving a licence number, expiry date and star rating for all seven of its businesses listed here: Pet Relief, Cosy Paws Dog Boarding and Auntie Kelz Dog Home Boarder and Day Creche (5, 4 and 5 stars, the last two under a more recent licence number than shown on their own sites, most likely a renewal), K&M Animal Care (4 stars), Poos and Doodles (5 stars), Harts and Hounds @ The Hayfields (5 stars) and The Old Pastures Boarding Kennels (5 stars). Buckinghamshire Council does not run a register this directory could read directly; its five businesses — The Puppy Dog Hotel, Schnoodles Doggy Daycare, Dogtopia of Amersham, Arklow Kennels and Friends Paw Life — are checked instead against the animal-licensing.uk mirror, which carries a licence number and expiry but, because it is a mirror rather than the council's own page, no star rating is shown for any of the five. Dogtopia of Amersham's licence expiry, as read from that mirror, had already passed by the time this was checked; treat that as a possible mid-renewal rather than a closure, and ask directly.

Breed policies and insurance

A boarder, kennels or day care is entitled to ask about a dog's breed and set its own conditions, including for an XL Bully, so ask directly rather than assuming either way. No business listed here publishes a stated insurance position beyond its licence, so ask rather than assume an answer either way; if a business tells you it is insured, that is its own claim, not something this directory has checked.

Questions to ask before you book

• Which council licensed you, and can I see the certificate or licence number?
• What vaccinations do you need before the stay, and how far in advance?
• Do you have a policy on kennel cough cover?
• Do you have any breed policies I should know about, including for an XL Bully?
• Do you say you hold public liability insurance, and can I see evidence of it?
• How many other dogs will be there during my dates, and are they from one household or several?
• What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care, and who decides that?

What a licence actually covers

Wherever it is confirmed, a licence covers premises or home standards, record-keeping and how many dogs a business may keep at once; it does not fix a price, promise a particular room, or guarantee a certain group size, so ask those separately even once the licence itself checks out. See our council licences guide for the full breakdown by council.