Puppy sale contract, Marrowfield Kelpies

Puppy sale contract template with a health guarantee and a return term

A puppy contract has two jobs: to record what the buyer is getting on the day, and to say what happens years later when life changes. This one puts the microchip, the source number and the vaccination dates in a table, gives 72 hours for a vet to look, and commits the breeder to take the dog back at any age rather than see it advertised online.

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MK
Marrowfield Kelpies
Source number BR102334 · Bellbrook VIC 3660 · marrowfieldkelpies@example.com
Puppy sale contract · Marrowfield Kelpies · Litter M7, pup 3Page 1 of 3
Puppy sale contract · Marrowfield Kelpies · Litter M7, pup 3Page 2 of 3
Puppy sale contract · Marrowfield Kelpies · Litter M7, pup 3Page 3 of 3
Puppy sale contract

This contract is made on 12 October 2027 between Dana Marrowfield of 88 Hollins Lane, Bellbrook VIC 3660, called the breeder, and Ellis Fontaine of 14 Verdon Street, Kyneton VIC 3444, called the buyer, for the sale of one working kelpie puppy from litter M7, whelped on 2 August 2027, going home on 14 October 2027 at 10 weeks of age.

$3,200
Price
$500
Deposit paid
72 hours
Vet check
14 Oct 2027
Go home
1. The puppy
Detail
Recorded at handover
Breed and sex
Australian kelpie, female, black and tan, litter M7, pup 3
Date of birth
2 August 2027
Microchip
956000098877102, implanted 6 September 2027, registry record transferred to the buyer on handover
Source number
BR102334, shown with the microchip number on every advertisement for this litter
Vaccination
First C3 given 13 September 2027 by Bellbrook Veterinary Clinic, second due 11 October, third due 8 December
Worming
At 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks, last dose 11 October 2027
Parents
Sire hip and elbow scored 2025, dam scored 2024, both clear by parentage for collie eye anomaly, certificates attached
1.1
Microchip and source number
Every puppy is microchipped before it is advertised or sold, as the Domestic Animals Act 1994 requires in Victoria, and the breeder holds a source number from the Pet Exchange Register that appears with each puppy microchip number on every advertisement. The breeder lodges the change of ownership with the registry on the day the puppy goes home. The buyer registers the puppy with its council by three months of age and tells the registry within seven days of any change of address, because a microchip only works if the number behind it is answered.
2. Price and payment
2.1
Deposit and balance
The price is $3,200. A deposit of $500 was paid on 6 September 2027 and comes off the price. The balance of $2,700 is paid by bank transfer before the puppy leaves the property. The deposit is refunded in full if the chosen puppy is not available, and is not refunded if the buyer changes its mind.
3. Health
3.1
The 72 hour vet check
The buyer has the puppy examined by a veterinarian of its choice within 72 hours of going home, at its own cost. Where the vet finds a serious health problem that was present before handover, the buyer may return the puppy within seven days with the written report and be repaid the whole price, or keep it and agree a contribution to treatment in writing. A written report is the only way this clause is used.
3.2
What the breeder does and does not promise
The breeder warrants that the puppy is in good health at handover, is eating and toileting normally, and has been treated as the table records. It does not guarantee adult size, coat, working ability, temperament or show quality, and does not guarantee the dog will never develop a hereditary condition, because no breeder honestly can.
Two weeks of settling in
The puppy has had no contact with unvaccinated dogs. Keep it off dog parks and footpaths until a week after the third vaccination, keep the same food for two weeks, and expect loose stools in the first days from the move alone.
4. Desexing and breeding
4.1
Desexed between six and twelve months
The puppy is sold as a companion and working dog and is not sold for breeding. The buyer has the puppy desexed between six and twelve months of age on the advice of its veterinarian, and sends the breeder the desexing certificate within 14 days. The buyer does not breed from the dog and does not sell, lease or lend it for breeding.
5. If the dog cannot stay
5.1
It comes back here, it is not rehomed or surrendered
If at any time the buyer cannot keep the dog, the buyer tells the breeder first and returns it, and the breeder takes it back. The buyer does not sell it, give it away, advertise it, surrender it to a pound or shelter, or have it put down other than on veterinary advice. No money is refunded after the seven days in clause 3.1, and the breeder pays the cost of collection where the buyer cannot deliver.
5.2
Care while the dog is with the buyer
The buyer keeps the dog vaccinated, wormed and treated for parasites, feeds it properly, gives it the exercise and work a kelpie needs, keeps it contained, and does not keep it permanently tethered or crated. The buyer may ask the breeder for advice at any time for the life of the dog.
6. General
6.1
What goes home with the puppy, and the rest
Going home with the puppy are the vaccination card, the microchip paperwork, the parent test certificates, a feeding plan, two weeks of its food and a blanket from the whelping box. Notices are given by email or message, a change takes effect only in writing, and this contract is governed by the law of Victoria.
Dana Marrowfield, breeder
Name
:
Date
:
Ellis Fontaine, buyer
Name
:
Date
:

Section by section

What each section is for, so you can keep the ones you need and drop the rest.

Parties and key facts
The breeder with its source number, the buyer, the litter, and the price, deposit, vet window and go home date.
1. The puppy
The details table with microchip, source number, vaccination, worming and parent testing, plus registration duties.
2. Price and payment
The deposit paid in September, the balance before the puppy leaves, and when the deposit is refunded.
3. Health
The 72 hour veterinary check and return right, and exactly what the breeder does and does not promise.
4. Desexing and breeding
Desexed between six and twelve months, the certificate, and no breeding from the dog.
5. If the dog cannot stay
The return to the breeder term, and how the dog is cared for while it is with the buyer.
6. General
What goes home with the puppy, notices, variations and the governing law.
Signatures
A block for the breeder and one for the buyer.

Clauses in this document

How to adapt this agreement

For a show or breeding prospect, replace clause 4.1 with a breeding terms clause covering registration papers, whether the dog is registered on a limited or main register, any stud or puppy back arrangement and who pays for health testing, because the desexing clause and a breeding sale cannot both be true. For a kitten, keep the structure and change the health rows to the vaccinations and tests that matter for cats, and check the microchipping and source number rules that apply in your state. For a rescue or foster placement, delete the price and warranty sections and replace them with an adoption fee, a trial period and a return clause, since the organisation is placing an animal rather than selling one and the promises it can make are different.

Which law the terms follow

In Victoria the Domestic Animals Act 1994 requires a dog or cat to be microchipped before it is sold or given away, and requires every advertisement to carry the seller source number from the Pet Exchange Register together with the microchip number of the individual animal. Council registration is a separate obligation that falls on the new owner, usually by three months of age. The Australian Consumer Law applies where the breeder is carrying on a business, which brings guarantees of acceptable quality and fitness for a disclosed purpose, and those sit above anything the contract says, which is why clause 3.2 limits itself to what a breeder can honestly promise rather than attempting to exclude the guarantees. The contract is governed by the law of Victoria.

What makes this document work

The microchip and the source number are both recorded

In Victoria a puppy must be microchipped before it is advertised, and the advertisement must carry the breeder source number and the individual microchip number. Clause 1.1 puts both in the contract, adds the registry transfer on the day the puppy goes home, and pushes council registration by three months onto the buyer.

The health guarantee has a mechanism, not a sentiment

Seventy two hours for a vet of the buyer choosing, a written report, then either a full refund on return within seven days or an agreed contribution to treatment. Clause 3.1 also says a report is the only way the clause is used, because a puppy that is unsettled for a week is not a sick puppy.

The dog comes back here, whatever the reason

Clause 5.1 requires the buyer to tell the breeder first and return the dog rather than selling, giving away, advertising or surrendering it, with the breeder taking it back at any age and paying for collection. That is the term a responsible breeder is judged by, and it costs the buyer nothing to sign.

Questions people ask

What should a puppy sale contract include?

The puppy identified by microchip and date of birth, the breeder source number, the vaccination and worming record, the parent health testing, the price and deposit, a veterinary check window, what the breeder does and does not guarantee, a desexing term, and what happens if the buyer cannot keep the dog.

What is a source number and why is it on the contract?

In Victoria a breeder must hold a source number from the Pet Exchange Register and display it, with the individual microchip number, on every advertisement for a puppy or kitten. Putting it in the contract lets the buyer match the advertisement, the microchip and the dog in front of them.

Is a 72 hour vet check normal in a puppy contract?

It is common and it is sensible for both sides. It gives the buyer a fast, independent look at the puppy and it gives the breeder a short, defined window rather than an open ended complaint. This one requires a written report and allows a return with a full refund within seven days.

Can a breeder require a puppy to be desexed?

By contract, yes. Clause 4.1 sells the puppy as a companion and working dog rather than for breeding, requires desexing between six and twelve months on veterinary advice, and asks for the certificate within 14 days. It also stops the dog being sold, leased or lent for breeding.

What health guarantee can a breeder honestly give?

That the puppy is in good health at handover, is eating and toileting normally, has been treated as recorded, and comes from parents scored for hips and elbows. Clause 3.2 refuses to guarantee adult size, coat, working ability, temperament or freedom from every hereditary condition, because no breeder can.

What does return rather than rehome mean?

That if the buyer cannot keep the dog at any point in its life, it goes back to the breeder instead of being advertised, given away or surrendered to a pound. The RSPCA treats a lifetime take back offer as a marker of a responsible breeder, and clause 5.1 writes it into the contract.

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