dog/rabbit breeding

[tamirra]

is it illegal to breed dogs or rabbits in a private residential area, like a quiet village?

[Illyria54]

If you have 2 or more breeding bitches then you need to apply for a license and you will be open for inspection by environmental health, you also have to take your neighbours feelings into consideration regarding barking/smell etc, if you are only thinking about breding one bitch once then you don't need to ask permission as you are not considered to be a breeder, I'm not sure about the law regarding rabbits.

[tamirra]

all i can say is that she breeds labradors and at the moment there is 9 dogs next door, and 12 rabbits, not sure how many breeding bitches there are though, she keeps the noise to a minimum but shes only just moved in so we havent had a summer yet with the smell, so thats something we will have to wait and see and maybe act on later in the year. Thankyou

[Illyria54]

Why don't you phone the local council and ask if your neighbour is a registered breeder.

[lankeela]

It is not dependent on the number of breeding bitches, it is the number of litters in a twelve month period. If they have more than four litters within a twelve month period, then they need a breeders licence from the local authority. It can be less than that if it can be proved that they are a commercial breeding establishment, i.e. selling all the puppies they produce for profit, rather than for keeping some themselves for showing or working.

Your local environmental health department will be able to tell you if the breeder is licensed.

[Illyria54]

Thanks for the correction lankeela, I was still with the old law and didn't realise it had been changed, I must get out of this cave and move on, Ha Ha!

[tamirra]

Thankyou to all that have advised. x