What documents should you send with a dog day care licence application?

A dog day care licence applicant was recently asked by their Local Authority to send:

• Operating procedures covering GC 7.1, GC 7.5, GC 8.2, GC 9.1, GC 10.1 and GC 10.2 of the dog day care statutory guidance
• Client booking form with owner consents
• Proof of registration with a local vet practice

They then asked a sensible question:

Is there anything else I can send that would be useful for my application?

Yes.

This is a fairly standard pre-inspection document request. The council is asking for evidence that the applicant has written systems, owner consent records and veterinary arrangements in place.

The current GOV.UK dog day care statutory guidance was updated on 1 June 2026. It says new dog day care licences must meet the minimum standards before a licence can be granted.

That means it is worth sending a tidy, indexed document pack, not just the bare minimum.

A good document pack does not guarantee a licence. It does help the inspector see that you understand the conditions, have thought through your procedures and have documents that reflect how the business will actually operate.

This is practical guidance only. Always check the current GOV.UK guidance and your own Local Authority's requirements.

What the listed requirements mean

1. Operating procedures covering GC 7.1

This relates to enrichment.

You should send a written enrichment programme explaining how each dog will receive suitable enrichment during the day.

This may include:

• Environmental enrichment
• Grooming, where appropriate
• Safe socialisation
• Play
• Toys
• Feeding enrichment
• Rest and recovery
• Owner agreement to the enrichment plan

Useful documents to send include:

• Enrichment Policy
• Daily Enrichment Plan
• Toy Safety and Cleaning Procedure
• Feeding Enrichment Procedure
• Owner Consent Form covering enrichment

The guidance says the facility must create a written programme showing how it provides enrichment, and this must be agreed with the owner. It also says all dogs must receive toys and feeding enrichment unless a vet advises otherwise.

2. Operating procedures covering GC 7.5

This relates to dogs under one year of age.

You should send a Puppy and Young Dog Procedure covering how immature dogs will be managed safely.

This should include:

• How dogs under 12 months will be cared for
• How they will interact with people
• How they will interact with other dogs
• How they will be introduced to normal day care activity
• Habituation to noises, objects and the environment
• When they will be separated from adult dogs
• When owner consent is required for mixing with older dogs

Useful documents to send include:

• Puppy and Young Dog Procedure
• Under-1 Dog Assessment Form
• Socialisation and Habituation Plan
• Owner Consent Form for mixing with older dogs, where appropriate

The guidance says there must be written procedures for dogs under one year of age. It also says dogs under one year must be housed separately from older dogs unless the owner has given written consent.

3. Operating procedures covering GC 8.2

This relates to compatible grouping, separation and introducing new dogs.

You should send a Dog Grouping, Compatibility and New Dog Introduction Policy.

This should explain how you will:

• Group dogs safely
• Consider size, age, temperament, behaviour and welfare needs
• Separate dogs when needed
• Remove dogs showing aggressive behaviour
• Introduce new dogs to an existing group
• Monitor new dogs during trial sessions
• Provide mental stimulation for dogs kept away from others

Useful documents to send include:

• Dog Grouping and Compatibility Policy
• New Dog Introduction Policy
• New Dog Screening Form
• Trial Session Assessment Form
• Behaviour Observation Form
• Separation and Rest Procedure
• Incident Report Form

The guidance says the facility must be able to separate dogs. It also says the business must consider age, size and behaviour differences, separate aggressive dogs and follow a written policy for monitoring a new dog added to a group.

4. Operating procedures covering GC 9.1

This is one of the biggest areas.

GC 9.1 is about core Standard Operating Procedures.

You should send written procedures covering:

• Feeding regimes
• Cleaning regimes
• Transportation
• Disease prevention and control
• Monitoring health and welfare
• Death or escape of an animal
• Care following suspension or revocation of the licence
• Emergency care following an emergency

Useful documents to send include:

• Feeding Policy
• Cleaning and Disinfection Procedure
• Transport Policy
• Infection Control and Biosecurity Policy
• Daily Health and Welfare Monitoring Procedure
• Death, Escape and Lost Dog Procedure
• Continuity of Care Procedure
• Emergency Animal Care Procedure
• Medication Administration Form
• Incident Report Form
• Daily Register Template

The guidance says written procedures must cover feeding, cleaning, transportation, disease control, monitoring health and welfare, death or escape, and animal care following licence suspension, revocation or emergency.

5. Operating procedures covering GC 10.1 and GC 10.2

This relates to emergency planning.

You should send a written Emergency and Evacuation Plan.

This should cover:

• Fire
• Heating failure
• Ventilation failure
• Essential system failure
• Extreme weather
• The premises becoming unusable
• How dogs will be removed safely in an emergency
• Emergency accommodation or alternative care arrangements
• Emergency contacts
• Annual drills
• Keyholder arrangements

Useful documents to send include:

• Emergency and Evacuation Plan
• Fire Evacuation Procedure
• Hot Weather Policy
• Cold Weather Policy
• Essential Services Failure Procedure
• Emergency Contact List
• Emergency Drill Log or Planned Drill Schedule
• Alternative Accommodation Plan
• Keyholder Details

The guidance says there must be a written emergency plan that is acceptable to the Local Authority, known and available to all people on the premises.

The plan must cover fire, essential system breakdowns and other emergencies. It must also include emergency measures for removing animals if the premises become uninhabitable, plus an emergency telephone list including the fire service and police.

Client booking form with owner consents

The booking form should not be a basic enquiry form.

It should collect the information needed for the day care register and include clear owner consent sections.

A good client booking form should include:

Owner details

• Owner name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address

Emergency contact details

• Emergency contact name
• Phone number
• Relationship to owner

Dog details

• Dog's name
• Age
• Sex
• Neuter status
• Breed or description
• Microchip number

Veterinary and insurance details

• Normal veterinary practice
• Vet contact details
• Out-of-hours vet details, where available
• Insurance provider
• Insurance policy details, where available

Health history

• Medical history
• Current medication
• Previous injuries or conditions
• Allergies
• Parasite treatment
• Exercise restrictions
• Veterinary instructions

Behaviour history

• Anxiety
• Reactivity
• Aggression
• Fear
• Triggers
• Previous incidents
• Handling concerns
• Resource guarding
• Separation issues

Diet and feeding

• Normal food
• Feeding instructions
• Allergies
• Special diet
• Treat permissions
• Food guarding concerns

Vaccination and parasite records

• Vaccination dates
• Kennel cough status, where relevant
• Flea treatment
• Worming treatment
• Titre information, where accepted by the Local Authority

Owner consents

The form should include clear consent sections covering:

• Group play
• Mixing with other dogs
• Walking with other dogs
• Feeding
• Treats
• Medication administration
• Emergency veterinary treatment
• Use of the owner's nominated vet or the business vet
• Parasite treatment, where needed
• Crate or rest area use, where applicable
• Grooming or basic cleaning, where applicable
• Transport, where applicable
• Under-1 mixing with older dogs, where relevant

The guidance requires a register containing owner details, emergency contacts, vet and insurance details, medical and behavioural history, diet, consent forms, vaccination records, worming and flea treatment records, and medication details.

Proof of registration with a local vet practice

You should send evidence that the business is registered with a suitable veterinary practice.

This could be:

1. A letter or email from the vet confirming the business is registered with them, or
2. A screenshot or document showing the practice has accepted the business as a registered client, together with the full practice contact details.

The document should include:

• Vet practice name
• Address
• Phone number
• Email address
• Out-of-hours arrangements
• Confirmation that the business is registered, where possible

The guidance says the business must register with a vet with suitable experience. The vet's name, address, phone number and out-of-hours number must be readily available to staff.

It also says the dog owner and licence holder must agree which vet will be used, and that decision must be recorded.

Extra documents worth sending

I would send a tidy, indexed document pack rather than only the minimum requested.

This shows the inspector that the applicant understands the licence conditions and has thought through how the business will operate.

Useful supporting documents include:

Site and premises documents

• Site plan or floor plan
• Dog area plan
• Rest area plan
• Isolation area details
• Exit and barrier plan
• Maximum dog number calculation
• Fire risk assessment or emergency checklist

These help show how the premises will be used safely.

Staffing and training documents

• Staff Training Policy
• Staff induction checklist
• Staff training records or certificates
• Staff supervision procedure
• Staff rota template, where relevant

These help show that staff are competent and that training has been considered.

Dog admission and assessment documents

• New Dog Screening Form
• Trial Session Assessment Form
• Dog Compatibility Assessment
• Behaviour Observation Form
• Owner Consent Form
• Vaccination and Parasite Record

These support safe admission, grouping and welfare decisions.

Daily operation documents

• Daily Register Template
• Daily Health and Welfare Monitoring Form
• Feeding Record
• Medication Administration Form
• Cleaning Schedule
• Toy Cleaning Record
• Enrichment Record
• Incident Report Form

These help show how the business will record what happens each day.

Health, disease control and emergency documents

• Vaccination and Parasite Policy
• Infection Control and Biosecurity Policy
• Preventative Healthcare Plan
• Isolation Procedure
• Emergency and Evacuation Plan
• Death, Escape and Lost Dog Procedure
• Continuity of Care Procedure

These are especially useful because inspectors will want to see how the business will manage illness, disease risk, emergencies and serious incidents.

Business readiness documents

• Insurance certificate
• Public liability certificate
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy notice
• Client communication procedure
• Complaints procedure

These are not always requested at this stage, but they help show that the business is organised and ready to operate professionally.

The strongest additions

If you want to keep the pack focused, the strongest extra documents to include are:

• New Dog Screening Form
• Trial Session Assessment Form
• Group Compatibility Policy
• Daily Welfare Monitoring Form
• Cleaning Schedule
• Emergency and Evacuation Plan
• Isolation Procedure
• Preventative Healthcare Plan
• Staff Training Policy
• Staff Training Evidence
• Insurance Certificate
• Terms and Conditions

These documents help demonstrate that the applicant has considered welfare, safety, disease control, staffing and owner responsibilities.

Best way to send the documents

Send one email with a short covering note and an indexed PDF bundle.

Use a clear title, such as:

Dog Day Care Licence Application Document Pack

Suggested index:

1. Operating Procedures Index
2. Enrichment Programme, GC 7.1
3. Puppy and Young Dog Procedure, GC 7.5
4. Grouping, Compatibility and New Dog Introduction Policy, GC 8.2
5. Feeding, Cleaning, Transport, Disease Control, Welfare Monitoring, Death and Escape Procedures, GC 9.1
6. Emergency and Evacuation Plan, GC 10.1 and GC 10.2
7. Client Booking Form and Owner Consents
8. Vet Registration Evidence
9. Supporting Forms and Records
10. Insurance, Training and Supporting Evidence

That gives the council what they asked for, plus enough supporting evidence to make the application more organised, easier to review and better prepared for inspection.

Important final point

Do not send generic templates without checking them carefully.

Every document should reflect:

• The actual premises
• The actual layout
• The actual staffing arrangements
• The actual number of dogs
• The actual vet practice
• The actual cleaning products
• The actual emergency contacts
• The actual transport arrangements
• The actual way the business will operate

Inspectors are not just looking for paperwork.

They are looking for evidence that the applicant understands the licence conditions and can apply them in practice.

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