Can an individual give or sell dogs and cats?

Verified 24 January 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

As an individual, you can donate a cat or a dog. And you can only occasionally sell a cat or dog and only an adult animal.

Yes, you can donate a cat or a dog without any financial consideration.

FYI

A minor may acquire (for payment or free of charge) a cat or dog only with the consent of his parents or persons practicing parental authority.

What information should your donation offer include?

Your offer to donate a dog or cat must include the following information:

Scientific and vernacular names of the species, breed and variety to which the animal belongs
Sex of animal
Place of birth
Animal identification number
Age of the animal
Entry or absence of entry of the animal in a herd book (LOOF or LOF), and possibly: identification number of the female which gave birth to the proposed animal and number of animals in the litter

The offer must specify that it is a free donation without any financial consideration.

Minimum age of the animal

If the proposed animal is a puppy or a kitten, it must be at least 8 weeks old (2 months).

A younger animal is separated from its mother too soon.

They may have health problems and/or behavioral problems due to early withdrawal.

Identification of the animal

The cat or dog, whether a puppy or kitten or an adult animal, must must be identified by electronic chip (or tattoo) to the national identification file for domestic carnivores (Icad).

A dog or cat cannot be given away (for free or for a fee) without being identified.

The identification must be made at your expense before the transfer of the animal.

Identification shall be carried out by a veterinarian.

The identification allows the animal to be assigned a unique number and the name and address of its owner to be recorded in the national file for the identification of domestic carnivores (Icad).

Animal identification allows identification and contact with the owner if the animal is found after being lost or stolen. It is also a means of combating trafficking.

The veterinarian who carries out the identification shall immediately issue you with a provisional certificate of identification.

It shall also inform the national file for the identification of domestic carnivores (Icad) of this identification within 8 days.

The national file for the identification of domestic carnivores (Icad) establishes and transmits to you the definitive identification card of your animal.

At the time of transfer, you must provide the new owner of the animal with a document certifying identification.

And you must send within 8 days the document certifying the change of ownership to the national domestic carnivore identification file (Icad).

Certificate of Commitment and Knowledge

You have to get the adoptive parent to sign and then keep a certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species.

You have to wait at least 7 days after the signing of the commitment certificate by the adopting potential to transfer the cat or dog.

The certificate of commitment shall specify the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal.

It recalls the obligations relating to the identification of the animal.

It shall specify the financial and logistical implications of meeting the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal throughout its life.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge must contain a handwritten indication of the purchaser by which he expressly undertakes to respect the needs of the animal.

Veterinary certificate

You must give the adopter a veterinary certificate issued by a veterinarian in view of the information brought to his knowledge and an examination of the dog or cat.

The veterinary certificate must have been drawn up not more than 3 months before the transfer of the animal.

It shall contain the following information:

Your name and address
Document justifying the identification of the animal in the national domestic carnivore identification register (Icad)
If the animal has a European pet passport, the passport number
If the animal is sterilized, veterinary certificate of sterilization
If the animal is vaccinated, vaccinations carried out
In the case of a purebred dog or cat, a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book (LOF - Book of Origins French - or LOOF - Official Book of Cat Origins)
In the case of a dog, the date and result of the last behavioral assessment if it was performed
If it is a 2nd category dog, the category to which the dog belongs

In order to draw up this certificate, the veterinarian shall examine the apparent state of health of the dog or cat.

It shall verify the consistency between the morphology and the breed indicated in the animal identification document.

If you do not have a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd book, the veterinarian states on the certificate that the dog or cat does not belong to a breed.

The mention appearance followed by a race name can be registered on the basis of your information.

The veterinarian shall enter this information on the veterinary certificate.

It may specify the breed of the dog or cat on the basis of the copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book.

He shall state the date of the examination and shall stamp and sign it.

If the breed is not consistent with the breed specified on the identification document, the veterinarian shall indicate this on the certificate.

As an individual, you cannot sell only occasionally a dog or cat and only one animal adult.

If you sell a puppy or kitten whose mother you own, you are automatically considered to be breeder and therefore subject to a set of reporting, health and training obligations.

A breeder is a person who has at least 1 female breeder and sells at least 1 puppy or 1 kitten born from that female.

Selling a puppy or kitten whose mother you do not own is forbidden.

You can only give it away for free.

The sale of a dog or cat by a person who does not own the mother is reserved for professional sellers declared in the register Sirene: titleContent and consequently having a Siren number and a Siret number.

FYI

As of 1 January 2024, the sale of cats and dogs in pet shops will be prohibited.

What information should your sales offer contain?

As an individual, it is forbidden to make an offer for sale online a pet.

Your offer to sell a dog or cat must include the following information:

Scientific and vernacular names of the species, breed and variety to which the animal belongs
Sex of animal
Place of birth
Animal identification number
Age of the animal
Entry or absence of entry of the animal in a herd book (LOOF or LOF), and possibly: identification number of the female which gave birth to the proposed animal and number of animals in the litter
Price of animal

FYI

A minor may acquire (for payment or free of charge) a cat or dog only with the consent of his parents or persons exercising the right toParental authority.

Identification of the animal

The cat or dog must must be identified by electronic chip (or tattoo) to the national identification file for domestic carnivores (Icad).

A dog or cat cannot be given away (for free or for a fee) without being identified.

Identification must be done at your expense.

The identification allows the animal to be assigned a unique number and the name and address of its owner to be recorded in the national domestic carnivore identification file (Icad).

Animal identification allows identification and contact with the owner if the animal is found after being lost or stolen. It is also a means of combating trafficking.

You must immediately issue the new owner of the animal with a document certifying the identification.

And you must send within 8 days the document certifying the change of keeper to the national domestic carnivore identification file (Icad).

Certificate of Commitment and Knowledge

You must have the buyer sign and keep a certificate of commitment and knowledge of the specific needs of the species.

You have to wait at least 7 days after the signing of the commitment certificate by the adopting potential to transfer the cat or dog.

The certificate of commitment shall specify the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal.

It recalls the obligations relating to the identification of the animal.

It shall specify the financial and logistical implications of meeting the physiological, behavioral and medical needs of the animal throughout its life.

The certificate of commitment and knowledge must contain a handwritten indication of the purchaser by which he expressly undertakes to respect the needs of the animal.

What documents do you have to give to the buyer?

You must provide the buyer with the following documents:

Certificate of Assignment
Veterinary certificate of less than 3 months issued by a veterinarian in the light of the information brought to his knowledge and an examination of the dog or cat

The veterinary certificate shall contain the following information:

Your name and address
Document justifying the identification of the animal in the national domestic carnivore identification register (Icad)
If the animal has a European pet passport, the passport number
If the animal is sterilized, veterinary certificate of sterilization
If the animal is vaccinated, vaccinations carried out
In the case of a purebred dog or cat, a copy of the birth declaration entered in the herd-book (LOF - Book of Origins French - or LOOF - Official Book of Cat Origins)
In the case of a dog, the date and result of the last behavioral assessment if it was performed
If it is a 2nd category dog, the category to which the dog belongs