Find Trusted Dog Day Care Providers in Bromley

Popular locations

Daycare needs a commercial unit with outdoor space, so most of it is on industrial and business sites rather than on high streets. The main areas are the Cray Business Corridor around Foots Cray and St Mary Cray, Lower Sydenham around Kangley Bridge Road, Elmers End and Biggin Hill. Bromley's Local Plan also lists smaller industrial sites at Waldo Road in Bromley Town, Farwig Lane in Bromley North, Oakfield Road and the Franklin Industrial Centre in Penge, and Enterprise House, the Beechwood Centre and Bencewell Business Park at Bromley Common. The largest are Crayfield Business Park and the Foots Cray business area, which is shared with Bexley and designated a Strategic Industrial Location.

Some daycare is run from home. It needs the same licence, although some of the conditions are different.

Local requirements and standards

Dog daycare is a licensable activity under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Every daycare business in Bromley needs an animal activity licence from the council, including businesses run from home. Running one without a licence is an offence under Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Each licensed business gets a star rating from 1 to 5, based on its compliance history and welfare standards. A business that meets the minimum standards and has a good compliance record usually gets 3 stars and a 2 year licence. For 4 or 5 stars it has to meet all the required higher standards and at least half of the optional ones. A 5 star business gets a 3 year licence. One star means minor failings or a poor compliance record, a 1 year licence and more unannounced inspections.

Bromley publishes a register of current animal welfare licences at bromley.gov.uk/animal-welfare/search-animal-welfare-licences, which you can search by postcode or address. It lists every animal activity under one heading, so it shows that a business is licensed and its star rating, but not which activity the licence covers. Ask the provider for their licence number and what it covers, then check it on the register.

The licence conditions most relevant to owners:

Dogs in daycare must be supervised at all times. Home boarders can leave dogs alone for limited periods, but daycare cannot.

There should not normally be more than ten dogs for each member of staff.

The licence sets the maximum number of dogs allowed on the premises at one time.

Dogs from different households can only be mixed with written consent from their owners, and are fed separately unless the owners agree to group feeding. There must be separate areas so that a dog that is ill or unsettled can be kept apart.

Daycare is for the daytime only. A business that keeps dogs overnight needs a boarding or home boarding licence.

Licensed providers must have a preventative healthcare plan agreed with a vet. This normally covers core vaccinations for parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus and leptospirosis, and parasite control. You will usually be asked for vaccination records before your dog starts.

If the daycare walks dogs during the day, anyone walking four or more dogs in a public place needs a separate dog walking licence from the council.