Every dog kennel in France must be able to say, at any time, which animals it keeps, where they came from and where they went. That's the job of the register of entries and exits (registre des entrées et sorties). Since 3 July 2025, its rules are set by the order of 19 June 2025 (arrêté du 19 juin 2025, article 8), which replaced the order of 3 April 2014. Here's what you need to know to keep it properly.
Who must keep a register of entries and exits?
The register covers the pet activities regulated by the French Rural Code (Code rural): breeding dogs and cats, keeping, boarding, training or selling them. If you're registered as a breeder, it applies to you. If your situation is unusual (an occasional litter, for instance), your local veterinary services (DDPP) will tell you exactly what applies.
Which animals go in?
The 2025 text covers every animal held at the kennel, not just the ones you own:
- your breeding dogs and pets living at the kennel, with their arrival date;
- puppies born at your kennel, which "enter" at birth;
- visiting animals: a stud come for a mating, a dog boarding with you, with their owner's details;
- your own animals away for a while (lent for a mating, at a show or at the vet's), which go out and come back.
What to record
For each animal, the register states in particular:
| Heading | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Number | Animals are numbered in their order of arrival |
| Identification | Species, breed, sex, date of birth, microchip or tattoo number |
| Entry | The date and the reason: birth, purchase, gift, return, stay |
| Origin | The name and address of the breeder or previous owner; for a birth, the mother's identification |
| Exit | The date and the reason: sale, gift, exchange, death, temporary absence |
| Destination | The new owner's name and address, or the cause of death |
| Sterilisation | Whether the animal is sterilised, and when |
Puppies must be identified before leaving the kennel: their microchip number then joins their line in the register.
On paper or online?
The text doesn't impose a format. A notebook kept up to date is fine, so is a digital register, as long as it's complete, readable and available during an inspection. What matters is forgetting nothing: every birth, every sale, every boarder.
That's exactly where paper becomes a chore: the same information gets copied in several places (the register, the contract, the transfer of ownership, the website), and an omission easily goes unnoticed.
With AffixeKennel registersThe register fills itself from your animals, litters, sales and stays. Export it as a PDF anytime.
What changes in 2029: the national file's register
For dogs, cats and ferrets, the official register will become the one provided by the national identification file (I-CAD) from 1 January 2029, updated within 72 hours of each movement. Until then, you keep your register yourself.
So it's worth getting into the habit now of recording each entry and exit as it happens: when the day comes, the switch will be easy.
In short
- The register of entries and exits follows article 8 of the order of 19 June 2025.
- It lists every animal held, visitors included, numbered in order of arrival.
- Each line says who the animal is, where it came from, when and why it left, and where it went.
- It goes with the health register and the self-check plan, which an inspection will also ask for.
This guide informs; it isn't legal or veterinary advice. Texts change: check with the authorities or your vet.