Saskatchewan Dog Breeder Licensing Requirements

Saskatchewan has no provincial licence, permit or registration for dog breeders, kennels or pet sellers. Instead, The Animal Protection Act, 2018 applies to every person responsible for an animal, which includes anyone who owns an animal or has custody or control of it (s. 2(4)). A person responsible for an animal must provide food and water sufficient to keep it in good health, adequate veterinary care or medical attention when it is wounded or ill, and adequate shelter and reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold, and must not significantly impair its health or well-being by confining it in an area with inadequate space, unsanitary conditions, inadequate ventilation or lighting, or no opportunity for exercise (s. 3(1)). No person may cause an animal to be in distress, and a person responsible for an animal may not cause or permit it to be or continue to be in distress (s. 4). The Animal Protection Regulations, 2018 prescribe the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association's A Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations (third edition, 2018) as an acceptable standard: a person who complies with it is deemed to meet the care duties in section 3, and an animal handled consistently with it is not considered to be in distress (Act, ss. 2(3)(a), 3(2); Regulations, s. 3 and Appendix, Part 2). The Act allows the province to set design, construction and care standards for facilities where animals are kept for sale (s. 36(j)), but the current regulations contain no such standards, and provincial law sets no limit on how often a dog may be bred and no minimum age for selling puppies. At the municipal level, Saskatoon's Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 7860) and The Regina Animal Bylaw, 2009 (Bylaw No. 2009-44) require licences for individual dogs and cats but do not license breeders or kennels or restrict pet store sales of dogs; Saskatoon's bylaw restricts pet stores only in relation to the exotic animals listed in its Schedule No. 5.

There is no provincial breeder or kennel licence to apply for in Saskatchewan. Breeders who want a recognized benchmark for housing, health care and daily management can follow the CVMA's A Code of Practice for Canadian Kennel Operations, which the regulations prescribe as acceptable (Regulations, Appendix, Part 2, item 3). Anyone planning a kennel should check local zoning and business rules with their city, town or rural municipality office. To report a welfare concern about a companion animal, the province directs the public to the Saskatchewan Animal Enforcement Agency (306-382-0002) or, in Regina, the Regina Humane Society (306-777-7700); local police can also be contacted.

There are no provincial licence fees for dog breeders, kennels or pet sellers in Saskatchewan. Cities such as Saskatoon and Regina charge ordinary dog and cat licence fees under their animal bylaws, but these are pet licences, not breeder licences. If animals are taken into custody under the Act, the person responsible for them is liable for the reasonable expenses of their care (s. 19).

Animal protection officers include members of the RCMP and municipal police services and people appointed by the minister (the Minister of Agriculture) (Act, ss. 2(1), 9). An officer may, without a warrant and during ordinary business hours, enter and inspect any vehicle, place or premises where animals are kept for sale, adoption, slaughter, hire or exhibition, other than a private dwelling, and the person in charge may not refuse entry (s. 12). This covers breeders who keep dogs for sale, although an officer may not enter a private dwelling without a warrant unless the occupant consents (s. 14(4)). When an animal is in distress, an officer can take custody of it, arrange food, shelter and veterinary care, or issue a written corrective action order, which can be appealed to the Court of King's Bench within five business days (ss. 13, 21). A justice of the peace or judge can issue a warrant to enter and search where an animal is likely to be in distress or evidence of an offence is likely to be found, and an officer can act without a warrant if the delay would result in an animal's death or the loss of evidence (s. 14). Veterinarians must report suspected contraventions of the care duties to an animal protection officer or agency without delay (s. 7). Since April 2026, following the end of services by Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan on March 31, 2026, the Saskatchewan Animal Enforcement Agency has enforced the Act throughout the province except the City of Regina, where the Regina Humane Society provides animal welfare services. The Animal Protection Amendment Act, 2026 (S.S. 2026, c. 4) received royal assent on May 14, 2026 but takes effect only when brought into force by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council. When in force, it will add animal welfare inspectors, telewarrants, a chief officer and a code of conduct for officers, and allow an appeals board for decisions on the sale or disposal of seized animals and owners' liability for care costs; the Minister of Agriculture told a legislative committee that the amendments and new regulations could come into force as early as January 1, 2027. It does not create a breeder licence.

Saskatchewan law does not require dog breeders to keep records. The record-keeping rules in The Animal Protection Regulations, 2018 apply to animal protection agencies and officers, which must keep written records of complaints received and the steps taken on each (Regulations, s. 11).

Failing to comply with a corrective action order or a court compliance order, or contravening any other provision of Part 2 of the Act or the regulations (including the care duties and the ban on causing distress), is an offence (s. 23(1)). On summary conviction, an individual faces a fine of up to $25,000, up to two years in jail, or both for a first offence; for a second or subsequent offence, the fine is up to $25,000 plus $1,000 for each further day a continuing offence goes on, with up to two years in jail, or both. A corporation faces a fine of up to $25,000, plus $1,000 a day for a continuing second or subsequent offence, and its officers and directors who directed, authorized or took part in the offence are also guilty (s. 23(2), (3)). A person convicted of causing or permitting distress (s. 4) can also be prohibited by the court from owning or having custody or control of any animal for a set period, on conditions that can include inspections by an animal protection officer without a warrant (s. 23(4), (5)). An animal protection agency or the minister can ask the Court of King's Bench for an order compelling compliance with the Act or stopping a contravention (s. 25). The person responsible for an animal taken into custody is liable for the reasonable costs of its care, and the agency holds a lien on the animal for those costs (ss. 19, 20). A prosecution must begin within one year after the facts first came to the minister's knowledge (s. 35).