Vaccines Colorado Kennels Require
Every boarding, daycare and board-and-train facility on the Front Range asks for vaccination records before your dog walks in, and since July 2025 Colorado's licensing rules require them to keep those records. This guide explains what is typically required, why canine influenza moved from optional to common, and how far ahead to book the vet. It is general information; your veterinarian decides what your dog needs.
The baseline: three vaccines almost everyone requires
| Vaccine | What it covers | Front Range kennel status |
|---|---|---|
| Rabies | Rabies | Required everywhere; also required for city dog licenses |
| DHPP (sometimes DA2PP or DAPP) | Distemper, adenovirus/hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus | Required everywhere |
| Bordetella | Kennel cough (Bordetella bronchiseptica) | Required everywhere; does not protect against canine influenza |
| Canine influenza (CIV, H3N2/H3N8) | Dog flu | Required at a growing number of facilities since 2023; ask |
| Leptospirosis | Bacterial infection spread through water and wildlife urine | Recommended at many facilities; required at some |
Camp Bow Wow's Denver and Colorado Springs locations state the pattern plainly: rabies, DHPP and Bordetella required at all locations, leptospirosis recommended annually, spay or neuter required for group play, and an interview day before the first stay. Independent kennels publish similar lists. Cottonwood Kennels in Boulder requires current rabies, distemper and Bordetella plus a trial day. In Colorado Springs, A Paw Above wants proof of rabies, distemper, parvo and Bordetella 72 hours before arrival, and Mountain Dogs Boarding adds leptospirosis to its required list.
Why canine influenza joined the list
In November 2023 the Colorado Department of Agriculture reported that veterinarians were seeing roughly twice the normal number of canine infectious respiratory disease cases, with prolonged coughs and some pneumonia. Colorado State University's diagnostic lab found parainfluenza, coronavirus and pneumovirus but no single culprit. By February 2024 the department reported cases had fallen significantly, and its standing advice is yearly respiratory vaccines for dogs in high social situations: daycare, boarding, dog parks, group classes.
Facilities reacted. A Roxborough boarding business began requiring the flu vaccine during the 2023–24 wave, and many followed. Two points from the veterinary coverage matter for planning: the flu vaccine needs a booster two to four weeks after the first dose before it counts, and Bordetella does not protect against flu. If a kennel requires CIV and your dog has never had it, you need three to four weeks of lead time, not a day.
Timing checklist. Book the vet at least four weeks before a first stay if your dog needs the flu series. Several facilities want records on file 48 to 72 hours before arrival (Bowhaus Boulder asks for a vet-issued record at least 48 hours out). Bring the record, not just the tag: a rabies tag proves nothing about DHPP or Bordetella. Ask your vet which route of Bordetella your dog received and when the next one is due; kennels check expiry dates.
What the 2025 PACFA rule change did
The Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA), run by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, licenses boarding, daycare, board-and-train and grooming businesses. A rule update adopted May 15, 2025 and effective July 15, 2025 added new recordkeeping requirements for dogs and cats at grooming, boarding/training and pet-handler facilities, with the stated goal of ensuring animals are vaccinated before they commingle. It also updated enclosure, sanitation, isolation and commingling rules.
For you, that means two practical things. First, a licensed facility now has a regulatory reason to be strict about records, so an "it's fine, bring it next time" attitude is a yellow flag rather than a kindness. Second, your records need to be legible and complete: vaccine name, date given, expiry, clinic. A photo of a crumpled invoice may not pass. Ask the facility which format it wants before drop-off.
Age, health and the exceptions
- Puppies. Most facilities will not board a puppy until its core series is complete; Tenaker Pet Care Center in Aurora does not accept dogs under four months. Your vet sets the schedule.
- Seniors. Some kennels want a vet's note for older dogs (Tenaker asks for one at 13 and up).
- Titers and medical exemptions. A few facilities accept titer results or a vet's written exemption in place of a vaccine; many do not. Ask before you assume.
- Intact dogs. Group-play facilities commonly require spay or neuter past a stated age; Mountain Dogs Boarding, for example, publishes a rule for intact males over six months. This is a facility policy, not a state one.
Where the exposure actually happens
Kennels take the blame for respiratory bugs, but the department's "high social situations" phrase covers a lot of Colorado weekends. The Chatfield and Cherry Creek off-leash areas each see hundreds of dogs a day in summer, and the Mount Sanitas loop in Boulder is one of the most dog-dense trails in the state. If your dog does those regularly, the same yearly respiratory vaccines the kennel wants are already a reasonable conversation to have with your vet.
What we are not telling you
We are a directory, not a clinic. Nothing here is a dosing schedule or a substitute for your veterinarian's judgment about your dog's age, health and exposure. Use this page to understand what a kennel will ask for and how long it takes to get there; use your vet for everything else.
When you request boarding or daycare quotes, ask each provider for its written vaccine list and record deadline so you can compare. Browse facilities by city under dog boarding, and see what boarding costs in Denver before you book.