Yes. We have undergone a full inspection and are proud to have achieved the new "‘higher standard’ with a rating of four stars, in accordance with the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs Guidance notes for conditions for providing daycare for dogs (October 2018). Dog Stories is licensed to provide dog daycare and dog home boarding in London by Runnymede Council. We are listed on the public register for Animal Activities Licensing. Our licence number is 026853. Dog Stories is also a member of the Pet Industry Federation, and the International Boarding and Pet Services Association.

Yes. Dog Stories has public liability and professional pet carers' insurance. Our insurance covers public liability, daycare, boarding, training, custody, control and transportation of your dog, and loss of your keys.

We currently offer our dog chauffeur service to and from our dog daycare centre in: Balham SW12 Barnes SW13 Chelsea SW10 Chertsey KT15 East Molesey East Sheen SW14 Egham Esher Fulham SW6 Hammersmith W6 Hampton Kensington W6 Kingston KT1 New Malden Old Windsor North Sheen TW10 Putney SW15 Richmond KT2 Roehampton SW15 Staines TW18 Sunbury Sunningdale Surbiton Teddington Twickenham Virginia Water Walton-on-Thames Wandsworth SW18 Wimbledon SW19

We have crates of all sizes to suit different dogs. We ensure that your dog is comfortable in our 'doggy school bus' and take the extra time to acclimatise them, if this is necessary, to ensure that they are comfortable, confident, and happy travelling with us. We never have more than one dog in a crate, so your dog will always feel safe in his own space during the journey to and from its day out. Most dogs are thrilled about getting into the van as they associate it with an enjoyable day spent playing with their friends. If you have specific concerns about putting your dog in a crate, please do get in touch.

Part of our vision for Dog Stories is to provide daycare services for ‘dogs who can’t go to daycare’ elsewhere for reasons including anxiety, lack of socialisation, or behavioural issues. We have therefore designed our facility to provide separate areas for dogs who are not yet ready to be with our other canine clients. This special welcome area provides an environment for us get to know your dog and work with them in their own safe and secure environment while they acclimatise themselves to their surroundings and the other dogs. Every dog coming to our daycare centre for the first time is taken through our temperament test and new doggy client procedure on their first day. This approach is designed to ensure the wellbeing of all of the pets in our care. As part of his or her induction to daycare, we will analyse your dog’s temperament and response to various stimuli upon arrival, in our safe and secure welcome area, away from other dogs. We then slowly introduce individual dogs to the new canine client and monitor their response, introducing additional dogs at their own pace. Whether it takes a couple of hours, days or even weeks, your dog will only be put in a field to play with other doggy companions once he or she and we can be confident that they will all respond positively. If you are worried that your dog would need extra support to settle in, please contact us to discuss how we can help.

Yes. All of our staff are DBS checked.

Yes. We recommend you come and visit our daycare centre and meet our team so that you can see where your dog will spend their day, with whom and what they’ll be doing. Please contact us to get directions to visit us. Every month or so we host weekend events for dogs and their humans at our daycare centre, these include barbecues and picnics. If you cannot come to visit during the week, you’re welcome to join us at one of our events to meet our carers, some of our doggy clients and their humans.

Yes. You will need to book your dog in for the same days every week in order for us to reserve your dog's place. We will invoice you monthly for your regular days, with payment due in advance, for your dog's daycare. If you wish to pause your dog's daycare for any of your regular days, we require one month's notice.

No. We are currently open Monday to Friday for daycare. Home boarding is available seven days a week.

No. Most of our clients give us a set of keys so that we can collect and drop off your dog even when you cannot be there for the handover.

Yes. We have a dedicated carer for each field, and never have more than eight dogs per dedicated carer. Your dog will be supervised at all times and will get the attention, stimulation, games and rest breaks he needs throughout the day.

We accept unneutered dogs if they do not display any troublesome behaviour that could be considered a safety issue for the other dogs and handlers. Bitches on heat are not allowed at daycare.

No. Daycare is an opportunity to build on whatever training your dog has already received. We believe that keeping your dog stimulated mentally and giving them new experiences and new skills is part of our role in caring for them. Our human clients often say that their dog’s behaviour improves and they appear happier when they start coming to Dog Stories. Of course, if your dog has specific training needs that you would like to address, we recommend that you book some training sessions with us. These will provide an opportunity for you to learn to read your dog’s body language and to develop strategies to train him and to correct unwanted behaviour.

We always take the time to get to know each dog we care for; we gently introduce dogs to new surroundings, humans and dogs. We get to know which dogs enjoy spending time together, and will always have your dog in a secure area only with their friends. We have separate areas for different sizes of dogs and for different groups of dogs that enjoy spending time together.

Each of our fields has a shelter, which includes somewhere to snuggle up and have a snooze as well as a covered deck where dogs and carers escape the elements and stay warm and dry. Your dog will have access to these at all times and can choose whether to stay inside or play with their friends in the field. If your dog wears a coat outdoors when the weather is cold, we recommend that you send the jacket along with your dog on colder and wetter days.

With our home boarding service, your dog will spend a full day at our daycare centre and then stay overnight with one of our trusted carers, in their home. We only board a maximum of two dogs per home at once so that we can ensure that our guests enjoy all the space, rest and attention they need during their doggy sleepover.