Pet vaccination rules for boarding & grooming in Quebec

Quebec rules we’ve verified

What facilities must do. Anyone who owns or has custody of 15 or more cats or dogs — which includes boarding kennels and daycares at that size — must hold a permit from the Minister of Agriculture (MAPAQ), meet the housing and welfare standards in the regulation, and keep a register describing each animal (species, breed, colour, sex, date of birth, identification, arrival and departure). Grooming salons, boarding establishments, training schools and veterinary establishments are exempt from the register requirement. [Regulation respecting the safety and welfare of cats and dogs, CQLR c. P-42, r. 10.1, ss. 1.1–1.2, 45, 48 — verified September 2, 2026]

Record keeping. Where the register applies, it must be kept for two years after the date of the last entry. [CQLR c. P-42, r. 10.1, s. 46 — verified September 2, 2026]

The regulation sets no vaccination requirement for pets; we found no province-wide rabies vaccination mandate in Quebec, so any vaccination policy is the business's own (or a municipal by-law's).

Quebec's Charter of the French Language requires businesses serving the public to serve them in French. VaxCheck's owner-facing screens are not yet available in French; a Quebec shop should tell customers so, and our Terms and Privacy Policy are in English with a French language clause pending review.

Montréal. Owners must hold a valid permit for each dog and cat and renew it yearly under the City's animal by-law; the City recommends vaccination (and says dogs using dog parks should be vaccinated and treated for parasites) but does not make proof of rabies vaccination a condition of the permit. [Ville de Montréal, Règlement sur l'encadrement des animaux domestiques; montreal.ca, « Propriétaires d'animaux domestiques : vos responsabilités »]

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

What facilities in Quebec 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 Quebec?

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 Quebec?

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