Buying, selling or giving away pets
From 1 July 2019, any person or business advertising, to sell or give away, a dog or cat will need to be ‘enrolled’ on the Victorian Government's Pet Exchange Register. There is no requirement to enter details of cats or dogs that have been sold or given away prior to 1 July 2019.
Once registered, each seller will have a unique ‘source number’ generated to identify them, this will improve the traceability of the kittens, puppies, cats and dogs they sell or give-away. Having sellers register on the Pet Exchange Register this will enable councils across the state to track the selling patterns of breeders and better detect illegal animal farming (such as puppy farming. It will also help us monitor restricted animal breeds living in the Shire and continue Council's commitment to animal welfare.
From 1 July 2019, it will be an offence to advertise a dog or cat unless the advertisement includes the animal’s microchip number and the seller’s source number. Both the person selling, or giving-away, the pet and the publisher of the advertisement will face penalties if they fail to comply with the new regulations.
The Pet Exchange Register also allows you to check the validity of a source number and report a non-compliant advertisement.