Vaccinations, licences and what to ask in Rotherham
Eleven dog boarders, day cares and kennels are listed for Rotherham. Every one of them says it is licensed by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, which does licence home boarding, day care and boarding kennels under the same England-wide rules as anywhere else — but the council publishes no public register of any kind, so none of the licence numbers or star ratings a business quotes on its own site can be checked independently here. That makes asking to see the certificate itself matter more in Rotherham than almost anywhere else on this site.
Vaccinations
Every business here sets its own vaccination policy, so ask what it requires and how long before a stay it needs to see proof, rather than assuming one rule covers the whole borough. None of the eleven publish a specific vaccination schedule or a fixed kennel-cough waiting period on their own site, so this is a question to ask directly rather than something you can read off a listing here.
Licences, and why asking to see one matters more here
Several businesses name Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council as their licensing authority and quote their own licence number: Paws Express, Play, Paws, Repeat and Old Flatts Farm all do this on their own sites. None of these numbers appear on any council register, because Rotherham does not run one that is reachable online, so treat a quoted number as the business's own claim rather than a checked fact, and ask to see the certificate itself when you call. See our council licences guide for more on why no licence fact is shown against any business here.
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 with a valid exemption certificate, so ask directly rather than assume either way. None of the eleven businesses listed here state on their own site that they hold public liability insurance, so do not assume it; ask to see evidence if it matters to your decision.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which council licensed you, and can I see the certificate or licence number itself?
- 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 with mine at the same time, and from how many households?
- What happens if my dog needs a vet while in your care, and who decides that?
What a licence actually covers, where one can be confirmed
Wherever it can be 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 regardless of what a certificate shows. In Rotherham's case, asking directly is the only way to confirm a licence exists at all, since there is no register this site or a reader can check against.