Dog day care and boarding businesses (England) playbook · 7 jobs

AI for dog day care and boarding businesses: 7 jobs to hand to AI this week (blank sheets and drafts only: welfare, vet and licence decisions stay with you, your vet and the council)

This page is for the licence holder or manager of a dog day care or boarding business in England. In England these businesses are licensed by the council under the 2018 animal activities regulations: each site is inspected and given a star rating, must keep a register and other records for at least three years, must keep enough staff for the dogs in its care, and must show the licence holder’s name and licence number on its website. Three day cares write on their own sites about being inspected on policies, procedures and record keeping, which is where these jobs sit. AI here only lays out blank sheets, indexes, templates and short drafts from your own wording and from text you copy from the official guidance. It never sees an owner’s or dog’s details, a vet record or a staff name: you fill those in afterwards in your own system. Whether you have enough staff, whether a dog is fit to attend, what treatments a dog needs and whether your records or procedures meet the licence conditions are not AI questions: they are for you, your vet and the council’s inspector. Six jobs are listed because that is what the evidence supports. The licence items are England only.

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Job 1 of 7ChatGPTClaude

Check each day’s rota against booked dogs before you open, on a sheet that flags any day or session that needs another person (England)

Staffing is a licence condition that changes every day with bookings. Defra’s statutory guidance for dog day care in England says each member of staff should have 10 dogs or less to care for, and lists one full-time member of staff per 8 dogs as an optional higher standard; Liverpool City Council’s page gives the same two figures. Defra’s guidance for kennel boarding and for home boarding sets its own staffing figures, so a boarding business copies the figures from the guidance for its own activity. In 2022 a council licensing committee found that the staff-to-animal ratio had been exceeded at a day care on the day a puppy died, and in 2025 another council revoked a day care licence. A simple sheet that sets tomorrow’s booked dogs against tomorrow’s rota, session by session, with a flag when a session needs another person, turns a mental check into a written one you can show an inspector. The AI lays out the blank sheet and the wording for the flag. It does no counting: you add the formula in your own spreadsheet and test it. A ratio figure is a minimum, not proof of welfare: whether every dog’s needs are met is your judgement, and the inspector decides on the licence.

Time: About 60 minutes once, then 5 minutes each afternoonTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use

Steps

  1. Copy into your own document the staffing lines that apply to your licence: the wording of Defra’s guidance for your activity (day care, kennel boarding or home boarding) and any condition on your own licence or from your council. If your licence or star rating was based on a higher staffing standard, use that figure. If unsure, ask the council. Do not ask an AI tool.
  2. Run the prompt below with its brackets left as they are. You get back a blank daily sheet and the wording for a flag and an action note.
  3. Build the sheet in your own spreadsheet. Add the formula that divides booked dogs by staff on duty yourself, then test it with a few days whose answer you already know.
  4. Each afternoon, a named person enters tomorrow’s bookings by session and the rota, using staff initials and booking counts only, and checks the flag column.
  5. If a session is flagged, the licence holder decides what to do (another person on the rota, fewer bookings in that session) and records the decision on the sheet.
  6. Keep the sheets with your other licence records for as long as your licence says, and back them up.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Write two things for a licensed dog day care business in England, [BUSINESS NAME].
1. A blank daily staffing sheet with columns: date, session ([SESSION TIMES CHOSEN BY THE LICENCE HOLDER]), dogs booked (number), dogs with extra needs noted by the licence holder (number), staff on duty (initials), staff count (number), dogs per staff member (left empty for the licence holder’s own formula), the figure from the licence conditions ([FIGURE COPIED FROM THE LICENCE OR GUIDANCE]), flag (yes or no), action decided, decided by ([ROLE]). Leave fourteen rows empty.
2. A one-line flag message and a short action note template: Session [SESSION] on [DATE] needs review: [REASON]. Action decided: [ACTION]. Decided by [ROLE] at [TIME].
Do not fill in any figure, do not calculate anything, and do not say whether any staffing level is enough.
RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my own business wording, headings, dates and rules that I have typed in, and text I have copied from official guidance or my licence. I will not give you, and you must not ask for, any dog owner’s name, address, phone number, email or emergency contact, any dog’s name, microchip number, medical, behaviour, vaccination, insurance or vet details, any staff name, or any payment detail. Use the blanks in square brackets exactly as I give them. Do not invent rules, ratios, times, treatments, procedures, ratings or facts about any dog, person, vet or council, and do not say what is enough, safe, required, compliant or legal. Do not give veterinary, welfare, safety, legal or licensing advice, do not say whether any dog is fit to attend or mix, and do not do any arithmetic. Where something is missing write [FOR THE LICENCE HOLDER TO COMPLETE]. Everything you write is a draft that a named person will check before it is used.

✓ Check before you send

  • The staffing figure on the sheet is copied from your licence conditions or the Defra guidance; the AI tool supplied none.
  • The dogs-per-staff column is your own spreadsheet formula, tested with days whose answer you already knew.
  • Every flagged session has a decision and a name against it, made by the licence holder, not by the sheet.
  • Only booking counts and staff initials are on the sheet, and no owner, dog or staff detail was typed into the AI tool.
  • The sheets are kept and backed up with your other licence records.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

Job 2 of 7ChatGPTClaude

Build an inspection-ready records index: the register fields from the guidance, a keep-until date, a backup check and a list of your written procedures (England)

Inspections look at paperwork as well as the dogs. Bark Lane Daycare in Essex wrote in January 2026 that its inspection covered policies, procedures and record keeping and was thorough and detailed; Oakington Dog Day Care wrote in 2019 that its records were all available to its inspector. Defra’s statutory guidance for England says the licence holder must keep all such records for at least 3 years from the date each was created, that electronic records must be backed up, and that a register must be kept of all the dogs on the premises with set fields (dates, the dog’s details, the owner’s and emergency contacts, the vet and insurance, medical and behavioural history, diet, consent forms, recent vaccination, worming and flea treatment dates, and any current treatment). GOV.UK says your licence can be taken away if you stop or delay an inspection. An index that lists each kind of record, where it is kept, its keep-until date, when it was last backed up and who owns it means you can find anything quickly when the inspector asks. The AI lays out the index and a blank register header from field names you copy from the guidance. It never sees a register entry. You keep the records, and the inspector decides whether they meet the conditions.

Time: About 90 minutes once, then 10 minutes a monthTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use

Steps

  1. Read the records and register sections of Defra’s guidance for your activity (day care or boarding) and copy the field names word for word into your own document. Defra publishes separate guidance for kennel boarding and for home boarding: use the one for your activity, and ask your council if unsure. Do not ask an AI tool.
  2. List every kind of record you keep (register, daily logs, staffing sheets, incident records, medication records, training records, written procedures) and where each one is.
  3. Run the prompt below with its brackets left as they are, pasting in only the field names and your list of record types. You get back a records index and a blank register header.
  4. Build both in your own system. Compare your register’s columns with the copied field names and add any that are missing, without moving any owner or dog data into the AI tool.
  5. Each month, a named person checks the backup date, the keep-until dates and that each record in the index can be found, and initials the index.
  6. Before an inspection, print the index and walk through it with the person who will meet the inspector.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Write two blank layouts for [BUSINESS NAME], a licensed dog [DAY CARE OR BOARDING] business in England.
1. A records index table with columns: record type ([RECORD TYPES, AS LISTED BY THE LICENCE HOLDER]), what it covers ([DESCRIPTION]), where it is kept ([PLACE OR SYSTEM]), paper or electronic, keep until ([DATE RULE COPIED FROM THE GUIDANCE]), last backed up ([DATE]), owner ([ROLE]), checked this month (initials). One row per record type; leave every other cell empty.
2. A blank register header using exactly these field names, copied from the official guidance, as column headings and nothing else: [FIELD NAMES, PASTED WORD FOR WORD]. Leave every row empty.
Do not add, drop or rename any field, do not say what the law requires, and do not say whether any record is complete or compliant.
RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my own business wording, headings, dates and rules that I have typed in, and text I have copied from official guidance or my licence. I will not give you, and you must not ask for, any dog owner’s name, address, phone number, email or emergency contact, any dog’s name, microchip number, medical, behaviour, vaccination, insurance or vet details, any staff name, or any payment detail. Use the blanks in square brackets exactly as I give them. Do not invent rules, ratios, times, treatments, procedures, ratings or facts about any dog, person, vet or council, and do not say what is enough, safe, required, compliant or legal. Do not give veterinary, welfare, safety, legal or licensing advice, do not say whether any dog is fit to attend or mix, and do not do any arithmetic. Where something is missing write [FOR THE LICENCE HOLDER TO COMPLETE]. Everything you write is a draft that a named person will check before it is used.

✓ Check before you send

  • The register columns match the field names you copied from Defra’s guidance word for word, and the AI tool added or dropped none.
  • The keep-until rule in the index is copied from the guidance (at least 3 years from the date each record was created), and each record type has a named owner.
  • Electronic records have a backup date checked each month, and the index is initialled each time.
  • No owner, dog, vet, insurance or staff detail went into the AI tool; the AI tool saw only field names and record types.
  • Whether your records meet the licence conditions is left to the inspector; the index makes no such claim.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

Job 3 of 7ChatGPTClaude

Make a daily report template for owners: rest, play, food and a plain factual line that points to your incident record when something happened

Many day cares send owners a short report at the end of the day. Pawsitive Life, a UK day care, tells customers on its own page that it sends daily reports on who their dog snuggled up with. Writing each one from scratch at closing time is slow, and the line that matters is the one about anything that went wrong: it must say what happened, plainly, and match your incident record. A template with fixed sections (arrival and collection time, rest, play, food and water, anything to tell you, who to call) and a separate, factual incident line keeps reports quick and consistent. The AI lays out the template and a short phrase bank from your own wording. It never sees a dog’s or owner’s details and never writes about a specific day. It never describes an injury, symptom or behaviour as serious or minor, and never suggests treatment: anything about a dog’s health goes through your incident procedure, and the vet decides on treatment.

Time: About 45 minutes once, then 2 minutes per dog per dayTool cost: you can start with a free AI tool

An AI chat tool you already use

Steps

  1. Decide what owners get each day and through which system (your booking app, email or messaging). Write the sections in your own words.
  2. Write your own short phrases for rest, play and food that staff are allowed to use, and the one sentence used when something is recorded in the incident record.
  3. Run the prompt below with its brackets left as they are. Do not type any dog’s or owner’s name or any real event into the AI tool. You get back a template and a phrase bank.
  4. Load the template into your booking app or email. Staff fill it in from what they saw that day, using the phrase bank, and add only facts.
  5. Any report that mentions an incident is read by the licence holder or manager before it goes, and matches the incident record word for word on what happened.

The exact prompt

Copy, paste, then fill in the [brackets]
Write two things for [BUSINESS NAME], a licensed dog day care in England.
1. A short daily report template for owners with these sections, each followed by its bracket: Arrived and collected ([TIMES]); Rest ([PHRASE FROM THE PHRASE BANK]); Play ([PHRASE]); Food and water ([PHRASE]); Anything to tell you ([NOTHING TODAY, OR THE INCIDENT LINE]); Questions ([CONTACT ROLE]). Under 120 words, warm and plain.
2. A phrase bank built only from these phrases written by the licence holder: [PHRASES, AS TYPED BY THE LICENCE HOLDER]. Group them under Rest, Play and Food and water. Then add this incident line exactly as given: [INCIDENT LINE CHOSEN BY THE LICENCE HOLDER].
Do not add any phrase about health, injury, illness, behaviour or treatment, and do not describe anything as serious or minor.
RULES FOR THIS CHAT: I will give you only my own business wording, headings, dates and rules that I have typed in, and text I have copied from official guidance or my licence. I will not give you, and you must not ask for, any dog owner’s name, address, phone number, email or emergency contact, any dog’s name, microchip number, medical, behaviour, vaccination, insurance or vet details, any staff name, or any payment detail. Use the blanks in square brackets exactly as I give them. Do not invent rules, ratios, times, treatments, procedures, ratings or facts about any dog, person, vet or council, and do not say what is enough, safe, required, compliant or legal. Do not give veterinary, welfare, safety, legal or licensing advice, do not say whether any dog is fit to attend or mix, and do not do any arithmetic. Where something is missing write [FOR THE LICENCE HOLDER TO COMPLETE]. Everything you write is a draft that a named person will check before it is used.

✓ Check before you send

  • Every phrase in the phrase bank was written or approved by you; the AI tool added none about health, injury, behaviour or treatment.
  • Any report that mentions an incident is read by the licence holder or manager first and matches the incident record on what happened.
  • No dog’s or owner’s name or real event was typed into the AI tool; staff fill in the template in your own system.
  • Health questions are handled through your incident procedure and the vet, never in the daily report.

UK notes extra

Last reviewed Oct 2026. Free tools change. If a screen looks different, the steps still apply.Back to top ↑

Open this job on its own page →

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Questions dog day care and boarding businesses (England) ask

Is it safe to put owners’ or dogs’ details into an AI tool?

Don’t. Owners’ names, addresses, phone numbers, emails and emergency contacts, dogs’ microchip numbers, vet, insurance, medical and behaviour details, and staff names stay in your own booking system and register. The prompts on this page use blanks such as [DATE], [ROLE] and [FIELD NAMES], and you fill them in afterwards in your own system.

Can AI tell me whether I have enough staff, whether a dog can attend, or whether my records and procedures meet my licence?

No. The staffing figures and record rules come from Defra’s statutory guidance and your licence conditions, whether every dog’s needs are met is your judgement, what treatments a dog needs is for the vet, and whether your business meets the licence conditions is for the council’s inspector. The jobs on this page only lay out sheets, indexes, templates and tidied versions of your own notes, which you check yourself.

I run day care or boarding outside England, or in my own home. Does this page apply?

The licence items on this page are for licensed premises in England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland license dog boarding and day care differently, and day care or boarding in your own home is licensed as home boarding, under its own Defra guidance. Ask your council which rules apply before using any of the licence notes here.

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