Breeding Licence - Dogs/Cats/Rabbits

Who should apply?

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 you must be licensed:

Dogs - Any person breeding 3 or more litters of puppies in any 12 month period must be licensed by the Local Authority The requirement to be licensed applies whether the breeder sells or otherwise supplies a puppy as a pet to another person.

The requirement to be licensed does not apply however to the breeding of dogs where the offspring are intended to be trained and used as assistance dogs.

Cats - Any person breeding 3 or more litters of kittens in any 12 month period must be licensed by the Local Authority. The requirement to be licensed applies whether the breeder sells or otherwise supplies a kitten as a pet to another person.

Rabbits - Any person breeding 6 or more litters of kits in any 12 month period must be licensed by the Local Authority. The requirement to be licensed applies whether the breeder sells or otherwise supplies a kit to be kept as a pet to another person.

The requirement to be licensed as a rabbit breeder does not apply where a person is breeding rabbits for the purposes of personal consumption or in the course of commercial meat production.

How do I apply?

Please complete the application form on the licensing webpage. This should be completed and emailed to LicensingEnquiries@glasgow.gov.uk Once this has been done, the licensing section will advise you of the bank account details to which the application fee must be paid. Please note your application will not be considered under the application fee has been paid.

The licence may be granted for a period of up to three years.

Is there any Guidance?

Yes. The Scottish Government produced guidance:

Breeding Dogs - https://www.gov.scot/publications/animal-welfare-licensing-activities-involving-animals-scotland-regulations-2021-guidance-dog-breeders/

Breeding Cats - https://www.gov.scot/publications/animal-welfare-licensing-activities-involving-animals-scotland-regulations-2021-guidance-cat-breeders/

Breeding rabbits - https://www.gov.scot/publications/animal-welfare-licensing-activities-involving-animals-scotland-regulations-2021-guidance-rabbit-breeders/

The guidance notes should be read before applying for a licence.

Will there be conditions attached to the licence?

Yes. Under the 2021 Regulations there are general conditions attached to the licence regardless of whether you are breeding dogs, cats or rabbits. There will also be specific conditions attached to the licence depending on what you are breeding, whether it is dogs, cats or rabbits. The general conditions are within schedule 2 of the 2021 Regulations and the specific conditions are within schedule 6 for dogs, schedule 7 for cats and schedule 8 for rabbits of the 2021 Regulations. All can be viewed below. The licensing section can also add additional conditions where necessary.

General Conditions

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/84/schedule/2

Specific Conditions

Dogs: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/84/schedule/6

Cats: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/84/schedule/7

Rabbits: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/84/schedule/8