Sale and Supply of Dogs

Sale and Supply of Dogs in the Republic of Ireland

The Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Regulations) 2019 is the main piece of legislation which covers animal welfare and dog trading in Ireland. This means that if that if you sell or supply or intend to sell or supply six or more pets in a year, you must be a registered Seller of Pet animals with the Department of Agriculture. This is different to the Dog Breeding Act 2010. You are allowed to sell five or less pet animals in a year without having to register

To become a registered seller of dogs, download and complete the Pet Sales Application for Registration form.

A vet will need to inspect your home on a yearly basis for you to retain your Registered Seller of Pets ID.

Further rules and guidelines on how to become a Registered seller of dogs are available here.

All queries should be directed to petsalesregister@agriculture.gov.ie

Sale and Supply of Dogs in the Northern Ireland

The Welfare of Animals (Dog Breeding Establishments and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 require that anyone wishing to operate a dog breeding establishment must first obtain a licence from the district council in which the establishment is located.

Definition of a dog breeding establishment

A dog breeding establishment is one or more premises, within the same district council area, operated by the same person from which that person keeps 3 or more breeding bitches; and also either

breeds three or more litters of puppies in any 12 month period; or
advertises three or more litters of puppies for sale in any 12 month period; or
supplies three or more litters of puppies in any 12 month period; or
advertises a business of breeding or selling of puppies.

Establishments that do not require a licence

Hobby breeders (that is, people who keep only 1 or 2 breeding bitches) do not require a licence to keep a dog breeding establishment. Hunt clubs and charities are also not required to obtain a licence to keep a breeding establishment.

Applications and evaluation

When an application is submitted to a Council, it must be accompanied by the relevant fee. The Council carry out an inspection, and will only grant a licence if it is satisfied that the licence conditions are met. Licence conditions relate to matters such as accommodation and environment; whelping facilities; diet; normal behaviour; socialisation; enrichment and enhancement; health; mating; change of ownership of a puppy; identification of breeding bitches and other dogs; identification of puppies; and record keeping requirements.

Fees

Fees are dependent on the number of bitches kept:

where 10 or less bitches are kept, £150
where 11 to 25 bitches are kept, £200
where 26 to 50 bitches are kept, £250
where 51 to 100 bitches are kept, £300
where 101 to 200 bitches are kept, £350
where more than 200 bitches are kept, £350 plus an amount of £50 for every additional 100 bitches.

Offences

It is an offence to operate a dog breeding establishment without a licence. It is also an offence to contravene any condition of a licence to keep a dog breeding establishment. The penalty for these offences is a fine not exceeding level £5,000, and/or, imprisonment for a period of up to 6 months.