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England, Wales, and Scotland. Not legal advice.

What this board will and will not list

My Friend’s Hairy is classifieds. People list animals. The board does not sell them, hold them, or send them. The checks below run when an advert is submitted. They follow PAAG’s advertising standards and the rules in England, Wales, and Scotland. Those three nations license animal activities separately. Do not treat a licence from one country as a UK licence. Northern Ireland is separate again.

England, Wales, and Scotland

The same advert is checked against the nation where the animal lives. Pick that country when you list, and these rules are shown again next to the form. What is refused everywhere — banned dogs, posting a live animal, swaps — sits underneath.

England

  • Selling animals as a business, and breeding dogs, needs a licence under the 2018 regulations. Three or more litters in 12 months is one sign a council treats the seller as a business.
  • Lucy’s Law has been in force since April 2020. A puppy or kitten under 6 months is advertised by the breeder, with the mother, at the premises where it was born — or by a rescue. A licence does not replace that.
  • Dogs are microchipped by 8 weeks. Cats are microchipped by 20 weeks. That cat rule has been in force since June 2024.
  • A docked tail is only accepted for a listed working breed, including some terriers, and only if a vet did the dock.
  • The licence has to be issued by an English council. A Welsh or Scottish licence does not cover an animal living in England.

Wales

  • Breeding 3 or more litters of puppies in a calendar year needs a licence under the Animal Welfare (Breeding of Dogs) (Wales) Regulations 2014. Selling animals as a business needs a licence under the 2021 Welsh regulations, in force from 10 September 2021.
  • Those 2021 regulations also ban the third-party sale of puppies and kittens under 6 months. The advert has to be from the breeder, with the mother, at the birth premises — or from a rescue.
  • Dogs are microchipped by 8 weeks under the Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015. Cat microchipping is not compulsory in Wales. The Welsh Government still recommends it.
  • A docked tail follows the Welsh working-dog list, which includes spaniels, terriers, and hunt-point-retrieve breeds, and only if a vet did the dock.
  • The licence has to be issued in Wales. An English or Scottish licence does not cover Wales.

Scotland

  • The 2021 Scottish regulations, in force from 1 September 2021, licence selling animals as pets, dog breeding at 3 or more litters in 12 months, cat breeding at 3 or more litters, and rabbit breeding at 6 or more litters. Animal welfare establishments and other rehoming activities are licensed too, once they meet the threshold.
  • Third-party sales of puppies and kittens are banned. The advert has to be from the breeder, with the mother, at the birth premises — or from a rescue.
  • Dogs are microchipped by 8 weeks. It is an offence not to. Cat microchipping is not compulsory in Scotland.
  • A docked tail is only accepted for spaniels and hunt-point-retrieve breeds that a vet docked because the dog was likely to work. Terriers are not exempt in Scotland.
  • A licensed dog or cat advert needs a recognisable photo of that animal. The licence has to be issued in Scotland. An English or Welsh licence does not cover Scotland.

Private

An occasional family pet. No licence is required for that. The same private seller listing a third different animal in 12 months, other than fish, is treated as commercial until they show a licence from the nation where the animal lives.

Licensed

A commercial seller or breeder. The advert must show the licence number and the council that issued it, plus a recognisable photo, age (not for fish), country of birth, and country of residence.

Rescue or rehoming centre

The other lawful route, besides the breeder, for a puppy or kitten under six months. In Scotland, rehoming itself can need a licence.

Refused at submit

Too young to collect

An advert can go up from the animal’s date of birth. The animal cannot be collected until the age allowed in the country of birth. In Great Britain that is 8 weeks for a puppy, kitten, rabbit, or ferret. Ireland sets its own ages, including 6 weeks for a rabbit. France sets 8 weeks for a dog or a cat. Where no statutory age is on file, this board does not invent one. An unweaned animal still cannot be taken home. Saying it can leave today, while it is waiting or unweaned, is refused. A visit can happen earlier.

Lucy’s Law, in all three nations

A puppy or kitten under 6 months, listed by anyone who did not breed it, is refused. England, Wales, and Scotland each ban that third-party sale. The advert has to be from the breeder, with the mother, at the birth premises. Rescue is the other lawful route. A licence does not replace that.

Banned dogs

Pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and XL Bully. Sale, gift, rehome, and advertising are illegal in England, Wales, and Scotland. Ear-cropped dogs. Illegally docked tails. In England and Wales a dock is only accepted for a listed working breed, done by a vet. Scotland’s list is shorter and does not include terriers.

Species and morphs

Primates. Dangerous Wild Animals Act species. Invasive alien species, including the grey squirrel and the red-eared slider. Birds of prey that are not legal to keep. Anacondas. Burmese and African rock pythons. Spider morph royal pythons. Jaguar morph carpet pythons. Enigma morph leopard geckos. Annex A species unless an Article 10 certificate number is entered.

The wrong kind of advert

Pregnant animals. Stud, in-season, or rent in the pet section. Swaps for pets, goods, or services. Farmed animals and live vertebrates as food. Working, hunting, or guarding. A horse or donkey loan can stay. Stud has its own section.

How the animal moves

Post or courier of any live animal, including fish. Seller delivery of dogs, cats, rabbits, or small furries. Equines and some exotics may be collected in person or moved by an APHA transporter. The animal should be seen where it is kept before any payment.

On every advert

Species, breed, sex for mammals, a recent photo of that animal, date of birth (not fish), country of birth, country of residence, reason, and a return policy. Dogs over 8 weeks must be microchipped before sale in England, Wales, and Scotland. Cats must be microchipped by 20 weeks in England only. Equines need a passport, a chip, and photos from the front and both sides. Breeders of young dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and chinchillas add a photo with the mother. Every seller signs the board agreement before the advert is paid for.

For dogs and cats, PAAG also asks — it does not require — neutered status, vaccines, flea and worm product and date, health of the animal and the parents, socialisation, children, insurance, and a puppy contract. Dog adverts link to the Kennel Club breed pages.

After it is up

Every advert can be reported. An illegal or welfare-concern advert is taken off the board, with a decision aimed at within 12 working hours. Three prohibited adverts permanently close the account. A private account that uses more than one phone or email is flagged. Free to a good home gets rehoming guidance, not a sale.

Listing is not charged at the moment. The board does not take a cut of the animal’s price, and it does not hold a deposit. A species boost is the same kind of payment. The amounts are on the fees page. Money from the sale itself can still make the activity licensable. That is a question for a solicitor, not a checkout.

Fees and boosts

Sources

PAAG advertising standardsPAAG: how to buy a petPAAG on free to a good homeEngland: 2018 licensing regulationsEngland: Lucy’s Law, 2019Wales: dog breeding regulations, 2014Wales: 2021 licensing regulationsScotland: 2021 licensing regulationsDangerous Dogs Act 1991

This page is a plain-language summary for the board. It is not legal advice.

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