Notifications relating to professional or large-scale keeping of animals
If you are keeping pet and hobby animals in a professional or otherwise large-scale manner, submit a written notification on such activities to us. You will also need to keep an up-to-date list of the animal species and the animals. The requirements set forth in the Animal Welfare Act and the decrees enacted based on it must be observed when keeping animals.
Information on notifications
You need to submit a notification in the following situations:
- You are regularly selling dogs, cats or other pet and hobby animals (for example, pet stores or other regular sales of animals, and animal importers).
- You are breeding dogs or cats, and you have a minimum of six breeding females that have given birth at least once (for example, kennels).
- You are keeping a minimum of six dogs or cats older than five months of age in your care, possession or in training (for example, dog and cat hotels).
- You have at least six full-grown horses (for example, trotting-horse stables, trotting-horse coaches, riding schools and professional breeders).
- You are keeping pet or hobby animals in another professional or large-scale manner (for example, large-scale breeding of rabbits, rodents or reptiles).
If you are about to start keeping pet or hobby animals in a professional or other large-scale manner, proceed as described below:
- Find out what requirements the animal welfare regulations pose on keeping different species of animals. If required, contact the municipal veterinarian in your region.
- Complete the form. A link to the form is provided at the bottom of this page.
- Send the form to the registry of the Regional State Administrative Agency of the region where your activities are located. A link to the contact information of our registries is provided at the bottom of this page.
- Maintain an up-to-date list of animals involved in your activities.
Submit a notification at the latest 30 days before starting your operations.
We maintain a record of persons who keep animals and have submitted notifications to us. When we have inspected the notification, we can issue necessary regulations for the prevention of animal welfare hazards. If your activities do not meet the animal welfare requirements, we can ban you from exercising such activities. The municipal veterinarian supervises the adherence to animal welfare legislation.
Submitting a notification is free of charge.
If there are changes in your activities, please notify us 14 days before the change or termination of activities.