Prince Edward Island Dog Breeder Licensing Requirements

The Animal Welfare Act creates one licence: no person may operate a companion animal retail store without a licence issued by the Director (s. 9). A companion animal retail store is "commercial premises where companion animals are kept and offered for sale to the public" (s. 1(1)(k)). There is no separate breeder or kennel licence. Instead, the Animal Welfare Regulations define a boarding facility as "a cattery, kennel or other premises where companion animals are kept, bred, boarded or trained" (s. 1(1)(b)), treat keeping and breeding companion animals at a boarding facility as an accepted activity only when done in accordance with the Act and regulations (s. 2), and require every owner and operator of a boarding facility for dogs to operate it in compliance with the CVMA Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations, Third Edition (2018) (ss. 20, 21 and 24). Breeders who sell from commercial premises open to the public should confirm with the Department of Agriculture whether their operation counts as a companion animal retail store. Separately, the Dog Owners Act, in force since November 1, 2025, requires the owner of every dog six months of age or older to hold a provincial dog licence, unless the owner lives in a municipality (where local by-laws apply) or lives in the province for less than 60 days a year (ss. 4 and 5); it has no kennel licence.

Breeders have no provincial licence to apply for. For a companion animal retail store, the applicant applies to the Director with a completed application, a statement of the types and breeds of animals to be housed or bred and the number of breeding and non-breeding adult animals, a scale drawing or blueprint of the premises, and the $250 fee (Animal Welfare Regulations, s. 15). The Director may require more information and an inspection by an animal protection officer or veterinarian before deciding (Act, s. 10), and may attach terms and conditions, including limits on the number and type of animals kept (s. 11(3)). The licence must be posted in a clearly visible place, is not transferable, and expires on June 30 after it is issued (s. 11(6) to (8)). Renewal applications, with a current inventory of the species, breeds and number of animals and the $250 fee, are due at least 30 days before expiry (Regulations, s. 17), and the premises or operation may not be altered without the Director's written approval (s. 16). A dog licence under the Dog Owners Act is applied for through the Minister within 10 days after taking ownership of the dog or the dog turning six months old, whichever is later (Dog Owners Act, s. 5(2)).

There is no breeder or kennel licence fee. A companion animal retail store licence costs $250 to apply and $250 to renew (Animal Welfare Regulations, ss. 15 and 17), paid by cheque or money order to the Minister of Finance (s. 7). Under the Dog Owners Regulations, an annual dog licence or renewal is $10 for a sterilized dog and $20 for an unsterilized dog, and a lifetime licence is $0. If animals are seized, the owner can be charged costs of care, including $22 per companion animal per day for food and shelter, plus transport, seizure, treatment and veterinary costs (Animal Welfare Regulations, s. 8).

The Minister appoints animal protection officers, who may be Department of Agriculture employees, veterinarians, or members or employees of the PEI Humane Society nominated by the Society; police officers, conservation officers and the Chief Veterinary Officer have the same powers (Animal Welfare Act, s. 17). The PEI Humane Society describes its animal protection officers as the only group on the Island designated to enforce the Act. An officer may, at any reasonable time, enter and inspect any premises believed to be used in connection with an animal or a licence, require production of any animal, record, document or data, and take samples, but may enter a dwelling only with consent, a warrant, or where the Act allows entry without a warrant (s. 31). Officers may order an owner to take action, including veterinary treatment at the owner's expense (s. 19), and may seize or take custody of animals in distress (ss. 18 and 20). Veterinarians must report suspected contraventions to the Director without delay (s. 8). For boarding facilities, the regulations require that dog areas be built to Kennel Code standards (s. 20(2)), that bedding be kept dry and clean, enclosures cleaned and disinfected between occupants, clean water supplied and no animal go without food for longer than 24 hours or the period the applicable code recommends, that dogs be cared for in accordance with the Kennel Code, and that any ill animal be presented to a veterinarian for timely diagnosis and treatment (s. 21). Dogs may be tethered outdoors only in compliance with the Kennel Code and for no more than 30 minutes between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. (s. 5(3)), and tail docking and ear cropping of dogs are banned as cosmetic surgery (Act, s. 6). The Kennel Code's requirements include that a female is not bred before her second estrous cycle or 18 months of age, whichever comes first, unless a veterinarian recommends otherwise, and that puppies are fully weaned and at least eight weeks old before going to a new owner unless a veterinarian directs otherwise.

A companion animal retail store licence holder must keep records of each supplier's name, address and contact information and of the species, breeds and number of animals obtained from each supplier, keep each record for at least two years, and produce them to the Director or an animal protection officer on request (Animal Welfare Regulations, s. 19; Animal Welfare Act, s. 12). When a store sells an animal, the buyer must be given a document naming the animal, certifying that it is healthy and giving care and training advice (Regulations, s. 18). There is no breeder-specific record rule in the Act, but the Kennel Code that boarding facilities must follow requires individual identification, health and whelping records, kept for at least two years after the animal leaves the premises or dies, and officers may require production of any record during an inspection (Act, s. 31(3)(d)).

Contravening the Act, the regulations or an order is an offence (s. 38). An individual faces a fine of $500 to $10,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, and a corporation a fine of $1,000 to $20,000; on a second or subsequent conviction an individual faces a fine of at least $10,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both, and a corporation a fine of at least $20,000 (s. 39(1) and (2)). Each day an offence continues is a separate offence, and the court may add a fine equal to any monetary benefit gained (s. 39(3) and (4)). Officers may issue tickets under the Summary Proceedings Act (s. 40). On conviction the court may prohibit the person from owning or having animals of a type or number and for a period it sets, transfer ownership of the animals, and order costs, community service and other conditions (s. 42). The court may also limit how many animals an owner keeps, for up to three years, where seized animals were more than the owner could care for (s. 37). The Director may suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a retail store licence (s. 36).