Registered Sellers of Pets - Ireland

If you sell or supply† 6 or more dogs in a calendar year, you are required by law to register with the Department of Agriculture for a Registered Seller of Pets ID. This law is outlined in the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations 2019 Act. See gov.ie/registered-pet-sellers . You are required to have your home / place of business inspected by your vet on a yearly basis.

A vet or vet nurse will need to sign a declaration about the cleanliness / disease control of where you keep your pet animals and to check if all dogs are microchipped.

Steps to become a Registered Seller of Pets

Here are the steps you need to do:

  1. 🖨️ Download & print off the registration for on gov.ie/registered-pet-sellers   (direct download here ) 
  2. 📝 Complete your parts the form, sign and date
  3. 🏠 Have your vet inspect your premises and complete their parts the form, sign and date
  4. 📷 Take photos of the 8 pages of the form
  5. ✉️ Send a photograph of 8 pages of the form to the Department by emailing petsalesregister@agriculture.gov.ie
  6. 🕐 Wait approximately 3 working days to get your Registered Sellers ID back by email.
  7. ⏩ Share the cert with the dogs.ie (support@dogs.ie) team to have it added to your profile.

If you have any questions about registering you can contact petsalesregister@agriculture.gov.ie, or call the Department directly on 01 607 2862.

This Regisetered Seller of Pets ID needs to be present in your ads.

FAQ - Registered Sellers

  • Question: Why do I have to register? I'm not a breeder.
    • Simply put, it's the law, everyone who sells or supplies 6 or more dogs in a year now needs to register.
  • Question: I've given some puppies to a family member, do I still need to register?
    • Yes, giving dogs to family members, even if for free, counts as supply.
  • Question: Why does my vet have to inspect my property?
    • Since 2023, this is a new requirement from the Department of Agriculture. The Department wants to be assured that the place your puppies are kept is safe, warm and disease free (e.g. cleaned regularly).
  • Question: How much does a vet home inspection cost?
    • This will vary depending from vet to vet, where you are in the country, etc. We've seen costs between €100 - €250, for a vet to come to your house, inspect the premises, whelping area, check microchips of the other dogs and to sign the form. A typical inspection would take 30-60 minutes.
  • Question: I need to sell my dogs ASAP, they are getting old and I need to find homes for them, can I register next time?
    • I'm afraid if you sell or supply 6 or more dogs in a year you will need to register before dogs.ie can publish your ad.
  • Question: My vet doesn't do house calls, what can I do?
    • You may need to find another vet / vet nurse to do the inspection. You can contact the Department to see if they can assist petsalesregister@agriculture.gov.ie / 01 607 2862
  • Question: Can I use a herd number?
    • A herd number is for cattle (bovine) & sheep (caprine) purposes.
  • Question: Can I just sell 5 ?
    • Yes, you can sell as many as you want / have, once we see that you have attemtped to sell 6 or there are more than 6 puppies in a photo, we are going to still instruct you to register.
  • Question: How do I renew my Registered Seller of Pets ID?
    • You will need to download the latest version of the form, fill it in, with the details of your current license and have the rest of the form completed by your vet once again, and then re-submit the form. Failure to renew will mean your name is automatically removed from the published list.

Responsibilities of a Registered Seller of Pets

As a Registered Seller of Pets you are required to maintain certain records, for at least 3 years these include:

  • The name, address of a person from whom an animal is obtained from, and the date.
  • The name, address of a person to whom an animal is supplied to or sold to, and the date.
  • Description of the animal (sex, colour, markings, breed, etc.)
  • Details of disposal of any animal not sold nor supplied. This should include where applicable
    • cause of death
    • method of, and reason for, euthanasia
    • circumstances of escape
    • date of death or escape
  • For each animal receiving medical care, clinical signs, diagnosis, the type of service rendered, date and veterinary practitioner’s name.
  • Have a vet inspect your premises each year.

All Registered Seller of Pets are required to sign a declaration that they are aware of the voluntary Code of Practice set out by the Department of Agriculture. This document can also be found on the Department's website.

Registered Seller of Pets Unique ID

Here is an example of what the Registered Seller of Pets certificate of registration looks like.

Registered Seller of Pets certificate of registration

This certificate should displayed prominently in your premises.

Dog Breeding Establishments - Ireland

In the case that you have 6 or more female dogs of breeding age‡ on your premises, you may need to be registered with your local authority as a Dog Breeding Establishment (DBE).

Further reading:

Terms used

  • † - supply is counted as giving away for free, donation based, or fee based giving of a dog to another person, including family.
  • ‡ - breeding age is defined as any dog over 6 months of age and is not spayed.
Updated - 08.02.2024- updated article.