Establishment Standards
Record-keeping
The Breeding of Dogs (Licensing Records) Regulations 1999
prescribe the form of records to be kept by licensed breeding
establishments. Click here to download
a copy of the form.
These records must be kept up to date and available for
inspection by the local authority inspector or any veterinary
surgeon authorised by the local authority.
A record must be kept by every licensed dog breeder for each
breeding bitch providing:
- the name of the bitch
- date of birth
- address where the bitch is kept
- breed
- description
- date of mating
- details of sire
Details of stud dogs and of vaccination and worming regimes must
also be kept. Licensed dog breeders must also keep a record of any
litters, including:
- the sex of the puppies
- date of birth(s)
- weight
- description
- total number in the litter
The record must also show the details of a sale:
- date of sale
- name and address of who was supplied
- status of the purchaser (i.e private owner or pet shop)
Sale of dogs
New restrictions have also been placed on the sale of dogs born
at licensed breeding establishments and there are now only two
methods of sale available:
1. Directly to its final home
Dogs cannot then be sold on and must be not less than eight
weeks old.
2. To a licensed pet shop
Dogs must wear a collar with an identifying tag or badge
indicating the licensed breeding establishment at which it was
born. The Sale of Dogs (Identification Tag) Regulations 1999
require additional information to be shown on the identifying tag:
date of birth of the dog and any identifying number allocated to
the dog by the licensed breeding establishment where it was
born.
Insurance
Insurance should be considered when operating a breeding
establishment. There may be dogs housed on the premises which are
"on loan" for which the breeding establishment proprietor may be
liable. Veterinary fees may be insured against, as well as
liability for straying dogs.
For further guidance please see Accommodation and Health &
Welfare.
This webpage was updated on
11/28/2008