Quebec Dog Breeder Licensing Requirements

Quebec licenses the keeping of large numbers of cats and dogs rather than breeding as such. Under the Animal Welfare and Safety Act (Loi sur le bien-être et la sécurité de l'animal), no one may own or keep 15 or more cats or dogs without a permit from the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (s. 16). Cats and dogs are counted together, kittens or pups under six months old born to a dam kept on the same premises are not counted, and the permit is required whether or not the animals are for sale. One permit covers an address where several people together keep 15 or more animals, or an owner whose animals are spread over several sites. There are two classes, 15 to 49 cats or dogs and 50 or more (Regulation respecting the welfare and safety of domestic companion animals and equines, s. 58). Veterinarians acting in their profession, transporters during transport, holders of a Canadian Council on Animal Care Certificate of Good Animal Practice, and people with temporary custody of animals at a show or competition are exempt (s. 59). Anyone breeding cats or dogs commercially may keep no more than 50 cats and dogs over six months old, per site and across all sites (s. 48), unless they already bred commercially under a permit for 50 or more before 25 August 2022, in which case they may keep the number they had on that date (s. 70). A separate pet shop permit in section 20 of the Act is not in force.

Breeders below the threshold must still follow the regulation, in force since 10 February 2024. Along with housing, exercise and socialization standards for all cats and dogs, it bans matings between parents and offspring or between siblings (s. 31); bars breeding a female dog before 18 months of age or her second heat, whichever comes first (s. 32); allows a female dog at most three litters in any two-year period, no more than two from consecutive heats (s. 33); and keeps puppies with their mother until eight weeks of age (s. 36). Tail docking, ear cropping, devocalization and declawing are banned unless a veterinarian recommends them for therapeutic reasons (s. 16). MAPAQ treats breeding or raising animals for sale, or paid stud service, as commercial breeding whatever the number of animals. Commercial breeders must have each cat or dog examined by a veterinarian before its first mating and yearly from age seven if it is still bred (s. 49), even when an owner breeds a female once to sell the litter. Pet shops and commercial breeders may not sell an animal that is poorly socialized, cannot feed itself, or shows signs of illness, injury or a limiting congenital malformation unless the buyer is told in writing first and accepts in writing (s. 50), and may not sell or give a pet to anyone under 16 who is not with a parent or guardian (s. 51).

Municipal rules add to these. In Montreal, a dwelling may house at most three dogs and four cats and dogs combined, and cats and dogs over six months must be sterilized and microchipped, although breeding animals registered with a recognized breed association such as the Canadian Kennel Club are exempt from sterilization. Montreal's By-law concerning domestic animals (21-012) also lets pet shops sell or give away dogs, cats and rabbits only if the animal came from a shelter or a veterinary establishment (s. 27), a rule in place since 1 July 2019. Quebec City's Règlement sur les animaux domestiques (R.V.Q. 2698) does not license breeders, but an owner of more than three dogs, or more than four cats and dogs combined, at one dwelling must have them sterilized and microchipped; registered breeding animals are exempt from sterilization, and dogs under 15 months from both rules (ss. 5 to 7). Dogs must be registered with Quebec City every year, except a breeder's puppies under six months (ss. 36, 46).

Apply to the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation (MAPAQ) before acquiring the cat or dog that would bring the total to 15. MAPAQ's process is to read the instructions in the application form for owners or custodians, complete it with the permit class sought, and mail it with a cheque for the fee to MAPAQ, Direction du service à la clientèle, 200, chemin Sainte-Foy, 10e étage, Québec (Québec) G1R 4X6. The application must give the applicant's contact details and any Quebec enterprise number, the address of each place where animals are kept, the activities carried on there, the number of people and the daily time assigned to animal care, the number of cats and dogs by species and site, and a statement that the applicant has not been convicted of a criminal or penal offence involving the treatment or illegal possession of animals in the past five years (Regulation, s. 60). An application counts as received only once it is complete and the fees are paid (s. 61). MAPAQ inspects the premises before it issues the permit. The Minister may attach conditions, such as a limit on the number of animals (Act, s. 29), and may refuse a permit to an applicant convicted of an animal-related offence in the past five years (s. 31). The permit lasts 12 months (s. 26), cannot be transferred (s. 27) and must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises (s. 30). Changes to the information given must be reported in writing within 15 days (Regulation, s. 62), and moving from the 15 to 49 class to 50 or more requires a new application. MAPAQ advises checking municipal by-laws before applying, since some municipalities restrict the number of animals.

Fees are set by the regulation (s. 64) and indexed every 1 April (s. 65). From 1 April 2026, a new permit for 15 to 49 cats or dogs costs $272 CAD (a $140 file-opening fee plus a $132 permit fee), and a new permit for 50 or more costs $434 CAD ($140 plus $294). Renewing before the permit expires costs only the permit fee ($132 or $294); once a permit has expired, the holder must apply again and pay the file-opening fee as well. Fees are not refundable (s. 64).

The Act is enforced by inspectors appointed by the Minister, who may be veterinarians, agrologists, analysts or other qualified people (s. 35). MAPAQ inspects permit holders before the permit is issued and then regularly, without advance notice, and it follows up on complaints; the inspector who responds to a report may be employed by the Quebec government, an SPA or an SPCA. Inspectors may enter and inspect premises at any reasonable time, examine animals, take samples and photographs, and require books, registers and records to be produced (s. 39). A dwelling house may be entered only with the occupant's consent or a warrant, but an inspector who believes an animal inside is in distress can require the owner or occupant to show it immediately (ss. 39, 40). Inspectors may seize animals involved in an offence (s. 43) and may confiscate a severely suffering animal so that it can be euthanized, with the owner's consent or otherwise after a veterinarian's opinion, unless no veterinarian is readily available in an emergency (s. 42). The owner pays the cost of caring for seized animals unless no proceedings are brought (s. 49). The Minister may order an owner to stop keeping animals, or to keep them only on set conditions, for up to 60 days when an animal is in distress or in immediate danger (ss. 58, 59). Problems found on inspection can lead to a notice of non-compliance, conditions on the permit, suspension, cancellation or non-renewal of the permit (s. 32), or an offence report to the Ministère de la Justice, which may prosecute.

Pet shop operators, anyone who owns or keeps a cat or dog as part of commercial breeding, and every permit holder must enter each cat or dog in a register without delay (Regulation, s. 66). Each entry records the animal's species, breed, colour, sex and date of birth; whether it is sterilized; its microchip or tattoo number and municipal tag number, or a distinctive feature; where it came from, including the previous owner's permit number; for each female, the sire, the whelping dates and the number of live and stillborn offspring in each litter; the parents of animals born on site; the dates of the required veterinary examinations; and the date of death or departure, with the new owner's name, contact details and any permit number. MAPAQ's guide to the regulation says the register applies to anyone breeding even one cat or dog commercially. The register must be kept for as long as the animal is owned or kept and for 24 months after, and must be available at the place of custody at all times for the Minister or an inspector (s. 68). Separately, every dog must be registered with the local municipality within 30 days of acquisition, and dogs owned by a breeder must be registered from six months of age (Regulation respecting the application of the Act to promote the protection of persons by establishing a framework with regard to dogs, s. 16).

Owning or keeping 15 or more cats or dogs without a permit, failing to meet the basic duties of care in section 5, or causing an animal to be in distress (s. 6) is an offence carrying a fine of $2,500 to $62,500 for an individual and $5,000 to $125,000 for a corporation or other entity (s. 68); the same applies to hindering or misleading an inspector. Breaching an order of the Minister carries $5,000 to $125,000 for an individual and $10,000 to $250,000 for others (s. 69). Breaching rules made by regulation on care standards, conditions on activities, the number of animals, registers, preventive care, surgical procedures and other welfare measures carries $1,000 to $25,000 for an individual and $2,000 to $50,000 for others (s. 67), and failing to display a permit carries $250 to $6,250 for an individual (s. 65). Minimum and maximum fines double for a second offence and triple for later ones, and a judge may add up to 6 months in jail for a second offence under section 68 and up to 12 months for a further one, or 12 and 18 months for breaching a ministerial order (s. 70). After a conviction for offences such as neglect or causing distress, a judge may prohibit the person from owning or keeping animals, or a set number or type of animals, for any period, including for life (s. 76). The Minister may also suspend, cancel or refuse to renew a permit (s. 32).