Dog daycare star ratings by council: how many licensed daycares hold five stars

Every dog daycare in England needs a licence from its council. When the council inspects, it scores the business on two things: how far it meets the welfare standards in the Defra guidance, and how risky the inspector judges it to be. The two scores together give a rating from one to five stars, and the rating sets how long the licence lasts.

A new applicant without a year of compliance history is automatically rated higher risk, so a first licence can be four stars at most. Only the higher standards can earn four or five stars. The higher standards cost money to meet: a tighter staff ratio, more space per dog, more written procedures. That cost is set out in the five-star cost calculator.

Among councils with at least 10 rated daycares, Durham has the highest share at five stars (15 of 16) and Salford the lowest (2 of 10). A low share is not the same as poor care. Councils score differently, and a council that has just licensed several new businesses will show more four-star ratings for a year or two.

One row for each council that lists at least one licensed dog daycare. A business is counted once however many licences it holds. The last column is the date the council last updated its register.

Ask the daycare for its licence. It should show the licence number, the activities covered, the star rating and the expiry date, and the business must display it. Then check the council's public register, which every council has to publish. If the daycare is not on it, ask why. Running a dog daycare without a licence is a criminal offence under section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

A rating tells you how the business did on the day of its last inspection. It does not tell you who will look after your dog. Visit, ask about staff ratios and groups, and book a trial day before you commit.

We read the public registers of 286 English councils through Animal Licensing UK, which collects them in one place, on 23 September 2026. We kept every business licensed for dog day care, counted each business once, and took the rating shown for its day care licence. 20 had no rating shown and are left out of the shares. Regions come from the business's postcode where the register gives one, and from the council's location where it does not.

A register is only as current as the council keeps it, and some had not been updated for months. If a figure for your council is wrong, email info@generasoftware.com and we will correct it in place and update the date. You are welcome to quote any figure with a link to this page.