By law, anyone in NSW selling or giving away a cat or dog needs to use an identification number in any advertisement. This number will be either:
- a microchip number
- a rehoming organisation number OR
- a breeder identification number
Identification numbers are issued by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and can be verified at www.petregistry.nsw.gov.au. Please do this BEFORE reporting a breach to us.
What your check should find
A microchip number search will provide you with information about what the owner has recorded as the breed, ***, and age of the cat or dog, whether it is desexed and whether or not it is registered with council. The NSW Pet Registry will also let you know if an annual permit is needed to keep the animal.
A rehoming organisation number will display the name and address of the relevant rehoming organisation. A breeder identification number search will display any recorded business names so that you can do further research, make informed purchasing decisions and help support good animal welfare outcomes. If the advertisement relates to a greyhound being sold or rehomed by a greyhound racing industry participant, you should contact the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission prior to reporting a breach.
Before reporting a breach of an advertisement, please do the following:
- Contact the seller to ensure they have not accidentally made an error with their advertisement (such as a spelling mistake, or left off a number).
- Check that you have accurately input the number into the Pet Registry search and that the search function is working.
If you believe that a breach has been made intentionally, you can report the breach to Animal Welfare League NSW.