🐾 Reference guides
The licensing rules, with the sources attached
Written by a licensed daycare owner from the primary documents: gov.uk statutory guidance, legislation.gov.uk, council fee schedules and Freedom of Information answers, and the tribunal decision that settled what the guidance is worth. Each page says when every figure was last checked.
- LicensingThe dog daycare licence in England: every rule in one placeWho needs a dog day care licence in England, what the 2018 Regulations require, the numbers in the statutory guidance (staff ratio, space, fencing, vaccinations), star ratings, licence lengths and what the licence does not ask for. Checked against gov.uk.
- CostsWhat a dog daycare licence costs in England, and the costs it hidesReal 2026 council fees for a dog day care licence (Elmbridge, Bromley, Liverpool, Test Valley), what a vet inspection adds, the Level 3 qualification, and the costs the licence conditions create: holiday cover under the staff ratio, the two dogs a five-star rating removes, and the space ceiling.
- EnforcementHow often unlicensed dog boarding actually gets prosecutedWhat the numbers say about enforcement against unlicensed dog boarders and daycares: one council's FOI response (one prosecution in five years), a £393 fine after two dog attacks, the councils that say a Facebook advert is enough to open an investigation, and the two petitions asking for change.
- Dog walkersDo dog walkers need a licence in England?No licence exists for dog walking in England. What does apply: the Animal Welfare Act duty of care, council public space orders that cap dogs per person in parks, the six-dog limit that binds licensed daycares on a walk, and the petitions asking for walkers and sitters to be licensed.