New Dog Breeding Licensing Guidelines in 2018

As of 1st October 2018, changes to the Animal Welfare Act (2006) will come into force, tightening up the law around dog breeding.

These new enforcements will address a number of loopholes in the current law and will mean tighter restrictions about breeding licences and the local authorities that supply them. The legislation will change what is defined as someone selling dogs as a business and improve transparency about said sellers.

Anyone who sells three or more litters within a 12-month period (previously 5) or anyone who breeds and sells dogs for commercial gain will be classified as a business and require a licence.

Who will be classified as selling dogs as a business?

The 2018 changes to the Animal Welfare Act (2006) will change who is classified as selling dogs as a business in order to tighten up on breeding licences. You will be classed as selling dogs as a business if you

• Breed puppies to make a commercial gain; if you breed from a dog to make a profit, even if the dog is your pet
• If you sell three or more litters within a 12-month period

What is required if you are classified as selling dogs as a business?

If you are classified as selling dogs as a business, you will need a breeding licence. These will be supplied by your local council and will last between 1 and 3 years.

You will also need to supply the below information in any of your adverts for any dog or puppy:

• Your breeder licence number.
• Name of the local authority that issued you with the licence.
• A clear, recognisable photo of the specific dog you are selling.
• The age of the dog offered for sale.
• The dog’s country of origin
• The dog's country of residence

What does this mean for selling on Preloved?

Preloved already classified someone selling three or more litters of puppies in a 12 month period as a business and therefore already requires a business licence.

This law will mean that anyone selling dogs as a business will need to supply us with a dog breeding licence as supplied by their local authority, as well as the name of the council that supplied the licence.

As of the 1st of October, Preloved is adding a number of fields in the listings process to ensure that you are able to display the information required:

• Your breeder licence number.
• Name of the local authority that issued you with the licence.
• A clear, recognisable photo of the specific dog you are selling.
• The age of the dog offered for sale.
• The dog’s country of origin
• The dog's country of residence

If you fall under the above classifications, you must fill out these fields.

If you are unsure about placing your ad and what information you need to include, be sure to get in touch with any questions you might have

Preloved's Pet Pledge

Every animal deserves a forever home. We care about animal welfare and are proud to meet the minimum standards set by PAAG. To find out more about what we are doing to combat poor animal welfare, please visit our Pet Pledge page.