​​​​​​​Check for a licence and rating

When choosing an animal boarder (doggy day care, kennels, catteries or dog home boarding), or looking to buy a puppy from a dog breeder we advise you to check that the business is licensed. This also applies to shops selling pets and businesses which hire out horses for riding or riding lessons.

Under the new Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed establishments must as of 1 October 2018, clearly display their licence on their premises and display their name and licence number on any website they use.

The new licence also contains a star rating which the business has achieved. The star rating is awarded following the guidance issued by DEFRA which includes risk rating and inspection against the conditions in the relevant guidance for each type of activity.

Please find the risk rating chart and how this is determined below

• Risk Rating Chart (PDF, 40 KB)(opens new window)
• How animal welfare licences are determined (PDF, 35 KB)(opens new window)

Businesses are rated using the higher standards which can be found in each licensable activity specific guidance that can be found in the related documents below.

If a licence number is not displayed you can check for a licence on thepublic register or by sending the name and address of the boarding establishment to the Licensing Team.

Guidance documents

• Dog Boarding Kennel Guidance (PDF, 689 KB)(opens new window)
• Cat Boarding Guidance (PDF, 1 MB)(opens new window)
• Home Boarding of Dogs Guidance (PDF, 839 KB)(opens new window)
• Dog Breeding Guidance (PDF, 966 KB)(opens new window)
• Day Care for Dogs Guidance (PDF, 691 KB)(opens new window)
• Selling animals as pets guidance (PDF, 866 KB)(opens new window)
• Hiring out horses guidance (PDF, 722 KB)(opens new window)