Pet vaccination rules for boarding & grooming in Alberta

Alberta rules we’ve verified

We found no provincial law in Alberta requiring rabies vaccination of pets. The Animal Protection Act sets duties of care for anyone who owns or is in charge of an animal; licensing of pet-care businesses is municipal.

Calgary. A business that cares for, boards, breeds or sells animals needs a City business licence; the City's guidance adds that a licence is required for doggy daycares, animal daycares, groomers and walkers whenever the business kennels one or more animals for any length of time at its premises. Dogs and cats must be licensed with the City under the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw. [City of Calgary, Pet Care and Services business guide; Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw 47M2021]

Citations checked against primary sources on September 2, 2026. Laws change — verify anything you rely on with the authority itself.

What facilities in Alberta commonly require

Separately from any law, most grooming salons, daycares and boarding kennels set their own admission policy — usually stricter than any legal minimum, because one sick dog can close a playroom for a week. Typical policies ask for:

Dogs: current rabies, DA2PP/DHPP (distemper–parvo combination), and bordetella (kennel cough) — with bordetella most strictly enforced by boarding and daycare, where dogs share air. Some ask for leptospirosis or canine influenza after local outbreaks. Cats: current rabies and FVRCP.

Bring the certificate your veterinarian issued — the facility needs the re-immunization dateprinted on it, not just proof a shot happened. Whether a facility accepts a titer (antibody test) instead of a booster is that facility’s call, and many don’t for rabies.

Running a pet-care business in Alberta?

Whatever your policy is, the hard part is keeping proof of it current for every pet without chasing paper.VaxCheck gives you a QR code for the counter: owners type their own dates and photograph the certificate, your staff checks once, owners get automatic reminders before anything expires, and check-in becomes a red / amber / green list. Set the exact vaccines and intervals your policy requires and it flags any pet missing one. Canadian shops get the Canada edition: Canadian terms and privacy notice, prices in Canadian dollars where offered, taxes at checkout.

Pet owner in Alberta?

Keep every certificate in one place, get told before anything expires, and hand a copy to any groomer, daycare, kennel or sitter who asks — including one that has never heard of VaxCheck. They open a link, print what they need, and create nothing. Free, and there is no password to lose.

What a shop will ask you for, and how to have it ready · See your pet’s records