The zoological centre register: breeders, boarding kennels and pet shops

A zoological centre is any establishment that houses animals temporarily or permanently and, therefore, requires authorisation and registration in an official register. Ley 7/2023, de 28 de marzo, de protección de los derechos y el bienestar de los animales (the Spanish Animal Welfare Act), defines it in its article 3.aa) for companion animals and expressly excludes veterinary centres. The concept comes from Decreto 1119/1975 and the Orden de 28 de julio de 1980, which remain the reference regulations in several communities.

In practice, the following must register: breeders (of dogs, cats or other species), pet shops and bird shops, animal boarding kennels and daycares, training centres, shelters, sanctuaries and collection centres, private zoological collections, sporting or hunting kennels and equestrian establishments. Some communities also consider private ownership as a zoological centre above a certain number of animals, so it is advisable to check your community's threshold before ruling out the procedure.

Competence is transferred: each autonomous community keeps its own register (in Catalonia, for example, the Registre de Nuclis Zoològics regulated in articles 24 and following of Decreto Legislativo 2/2008), sets its own tasa (official fee) and application forms. Ley 7/2023 also provides for a state Register of Zoological Centres for Companion Animals that will be fed by the regional registers, within the Central System of Registers for Animal Protection.

Ley 7/2023, in force since 29 September 2023, makes the registered breeder the only legal channel for selling dogs, cats and ferrets: its article 55.1 establishes that these species can only be sold directly by the registered breeder, without intermediaries. Breeding, whether commercial or occasional, can only be carried out by someone registered in the Register of Companion Animal Breeders (article 53), and breeding spaces must respect the conditions of the zoological centre regulations.

Article 27.l) prohibits the commercialisation of dogs, cats and ferrets in pet shops, as well as exhibiting them to the public for commercial purposes. The fourth transitional provision gave shops 12 months to wind down this activity, so the prohibition is fully enforceable since 29 September 2024. Shops can continue selling other companion species; however, it is forbidden to sell animals that, having to be identified according to current regulations, are not (article 55.4), and the establishment must have physical separations that prevent free contact of the public with the animals (article 56).

Every sale requires a written contract, delivery in good health, a minimum age of 2 months for dogs and cats if they leave the centre where they were born (4 months if sold from another centre) and communication to the Companion Animal Register within the following 3 working days (article 55). Direct online sales are prohibited and any advertisement must include the registration number of the breeder or the zoological centre of the establishment (article 57).

Although each community has its own rule, the substantive requirements are very similar. Firstly, adequate facilities: sufficient surface area and accommodation for the planned species, separation between areas, isolation for sick animals and correct hygienic and sanitary conditions, with a system for the disposal of carcasses and waste.

Secondly, a hygienic and sanitary programme or hygiene and prophylaxis plan signed by a registered veterinarian. In some communities, such as Madrid (Ley 4/2016), shops, breeders and boarding kennels must also have an advisory veterinarian linked to the establishment.

Thirdly, a register book of animal entries and exits, available to the administration, and the obligation to display the zoological centre number once granted, including in advertisements. Added to this is the municipal activity licence or the prior environmental communication from the town hall, which several communities request as a requirement for the regional application.

The application is submitted to the competent regional ministry (usually agriculture and livestock, or territory and sustainability depending on the community) with the descriptive report of the activity, the plans or sketches of the facilities and their location, the veterinary health programme, the list of species and proof of payment of the tasa when applicable. In the Canary Islands no tasa is required; in Catalonia and Murcia the amount is obtained when starting the procedure itself at the electronic headquarters (in Murcia, by self-assessment of the tasa T710).

Before issuing a decision, the official veterinary services may carry out an inspection visit to the facilities to verify that what is declared in the report is real. Once registered, the control does not end: Ley 7/2023 (articles 66 and 67) orders inspection plans with both random and unannounced visits as well as targeted and systematic ones, and the inspection report can lead to disciplinary proceedings.

The usual resolution periods range from 3 to 6 months depending on the community, and the meaning of administrative silence changes: in the Canary Islands it is positive, in Catalonia and Murcia it is negative. Do not start the activity without the resolution: opening without a zoological centre number is punishable even if the application has been submitted.

Operating a breeder, a boarding kennel or a pet shop without registration as a zoological centre is an infringement both under Ley 7/2023 and the regional animal protection laws, which have their own penalty scales. Under the state regime (articles 73 to 76), minor infringements are punished with a warning or a fine of €500 to €10,000, serious ones with a fine of €10,001 to €50,000 and very serious ones with a fine of €50,001 to €200,000.

Accessory measures can be added to the fine (article 77): closure of the premises for up to 6 months for serious infringements and from 6 months and 1 day to 2 years for very serious ones (with recidivism, up to 6 years or permanent closure), suspension of licences and authorisations, disqualification from activities with animals for up to 10 years, confiscation and intervention of the animals.

Selling dogs, cats or ferrets without being a registered breeder, or advertising them without a registration number, exposes you to the same consequences. Prior regularisation is always cheaper than the penalty: if you are already operating without registration, it is advisable to start the registration as soon as possible.

Managora identifies the register and the rule of your autonomous community, prepares the descriptive report of the activity, coordinates with your registered veterinarian the hygienic and sanitary programme that they must draft and sign, calculates the corresponding regional tasa (and communicates it to you in writing before you pay anything) and submits the application for you, with follow-up until the resolution and the assignment of your zoological centre number.

If the administration requires amendments or announces an inspection visit, we tell you exactly what you must have ready. You can see the updated cost of the service on the Registration in the Zoological Centres Register procedure page and start today: you answer a few questions, sign the mandate and Managora prepares and submits it for you.