Dog Breeding and Selling
Anyone who breeds dogs or cats for sale, barter or exchange (receiving some other benefit for puppies or kittens) must register as a Breeder on Dogs and Cats Online. 
This isn’t limited to pedigree breeds, and includes people whose dogs or cats have accidental litters. If you sell, barter or exchange puppies and/or kittens you have bred, you must have a Breeder Registration Number (BRN). Your BRN must be listed in any advertisement you post, when selling a dog or cat and certain information must be supplied to the potential buyer.
A person will be taken to have bred a dog or a cat in any of the following circumstances:
- Provides semen or ova used to breed the dog or cat
- Provides any assistance (however described) in the course of breeding the dog or cat
- Provides facilities used in the course of breeding the dog or cat
- Fails to take reasonable steps to prevent the impregnation of another dog or cat
- Fails to take reasonable steps to prevent the impregnation of their dog or cat.
So some scenarios could be:
- Dog has had a litter, puppies are given away to a rescue/shelter who onsell puppies once microchipped, etc – No need to register as a breeder but the rescue/shelter must give potential buyers your details
- Dog has had a litter, puppies are given away to a rescue/shelter who onsell puppies once microchipped, etc but you receive a service in exchange eg Assist with Desexing of your dog – you must register as a Breeder and the rescue/shelter must provide your BRN to potential buyer
- Dog / Cat is pregnant and given to rescue/shelter and puppies/kittens are born whilst in the care of the rescue / shelter – they must register as a Breeder and then supply potential buyers with a BRN.
To avoid accidental litters, please talk to your vet about desexing your dog or cat.
Sale or sell is defined in the Act and it includes possessing a dog or cat for the purpose of sale, auction, barter or exchange. Sellers of dogs or cats are also required to comply with the South Australian Standards and Guidelines for the Breeding and Trading Companion Animals which sets out welfare standards and guidelines for dogs and cats.
Upon the sale of any dog or cat the buyer must be provided with a statement setting out: name/address of the seller; name/ address of each breeder and the breeder registration number (if known)/ details of the date and who carried out microchipping and/or desexing procedures; details of any exemptions granted and details of any medical conditions known.
A dog or a cat must be microchipped before it is sold. If it is has not been sold, dogs and cats older than 12 weeks of age must be microchipped, or microchipped within 28 days of taking possession, or before an extension has expired. A dog or cat must be desexed by 6 months of age, or within 28 days of taking possession, or before an extension has expired. Desexing only applies to dogs and cat born after 1 July 2018.
Breeder registration on Dogs and Cats Online provides owners with a historical record and link to the breeder of the dogs and/or cats they have purchased. This allows for consumer rights to be exercised if required. Breeder registration, and the linking to lifetime dog and cat microchip registration, also allows authorities to understand where dogs and cats are being bred and that welfare standards and breeding practices are being upheld, including the breeding from temperamentally sounds dogs and cats.
For more information go to http://www.dogandcatboard.com.au/breeders/