The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI),  is a statutory advisory body advising the Government of India's Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying). Speaking specifically of their work concerning dogs, the most relevant piece of legislation passed was the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017. This enactment declares a number of rules that must be followed by breeders across the country, in order to maintain a certain level of ethicality and care behind their operations. Since this act was passed, all breeders in India have required an AWBI license, in order to legally breed dogs. Without one they aren’t just unethical breeders, but more specifically are considered to be illegitimate or illegal dog breeders.

AWBI Guidelines for pets

To be a registered breeder, it is imperative that any individual looking to take the responsibility of a bunch of dogs for breeding purposes be knowledgeable about all aspects of dog breeding, including reproduction, diet, wellness, and care. There are specific guidelines to be followed with regards to the space beiing utilized, the objective of these being to ensure that the dogs are kept in a manner that they are healthy, happy, and taken care of. Some of the rules relating to the health of the dogs, and the space being utilized, is as follows:

With regards to female dogs

• Only healthy female canines, with no deformities who are at least 18 months old may be impregnated for the purposes of breeding. A licenced veterinarian must certify her health at least 10 days before breeding. 

• A female dog cannot be expected to carry puppies in back-to-back breeding seasons. She may only have a litter only once in a year, with absolutely no excpetions. 

• Throughout her lifetime, she must not be made to have more than five litters.

• After reaching 8 years of age, she can no longer be mated.

Related to male dogs

• There are far less regulations for male dogs, compared to females (since the male doesn't need to carry the puppies in their womb). To breed a male dog, the breeder must ensure that is he biologically capable and mature. 

• The dog must be at least 18 months of age.

• A licensed vet must inspect the dog at least 10 days before the mating and certify that the dog is fit. 

Typical Breeding Methods 

Out of the 4 kinds of breeding strategies commonly employed - ourbreeding, line breeding, incestuous breeding, inbreeding; AWBI guidelines permit only two of them. 

The reason that incestuous breeding and inbreeding is not allowed by AWBI, is due to the severe health impediments faced by the offsprings. These are commonly caused due to the shared DNA between the parents, resulting in inbred puppies. AWBI permits only outbreeding and line breeding - outbreeding is the mating of dogs who are not biologically related, while line breeding is the mating of dogs who are distantly related. In this instance, specific types of canines are picked based on their unique characteristics. Some important things to keep in mind when buying a puppy yourself:

• Every breeder must keep a complete record of every puppy that either the male or female dog has produced, along with complete information regarding their vaccinations. 

• Any modification to the puppy, including clipping its ears or docking its tail, is strictly prohibited. 

• Pups must be at least 8 weeks of age, before being sold. (you may cross-check this information through KCI papers)

• The breeder shall furnish to the purchaser in writing, details of feeding, dates of vaccinations and de-worming of the pup and the name and address of the veterinary practitioner who was attending to it

What are the requirements for obtaining a breeding licence?

Some of the important requirements for anybody looking to obtain an AWBI license for the purpose of breeding and selling dogs are as follows:

• The individual must be at least 18 years old. Before granting the licence, the team will inspect their breeding area with a certified veterinary. This inspection is mandatory.

• This veterinarian should submit a report of the premises to the local municipal authorities. Before making a decision on whether or not to issue a licence, local authorities will take the report into account. 

• AWBI will be notified by the local authorities to issue a licence after which the authorities are required to provide AWBI with an unaltered copy of the report. 

• The individual looking to register as a breeder must provide all necessary information on the application form, along with a legitimate mailing address and a legitimate address for the establishment's premises. This is needed for the establishment's records, facilities, equipment, and animals to be checked for conformity. 

• All locations of the applicant's business locations, properties in which they have an interest, or locations where they keep animals must be listed on the application form or on a separate document that is attached. The municipal administration awards licences which are valid only for a year. After inspection, the licence must be renewed.

Obtaining an AWBI license to breed and sell dogs is not as easy as it may sound. Due to the numerous rules and regulations imposed by the body, many breeders have decided to stray away from registering their dogs with this body and sell dogs illegally (due to the lack of enforcement from the side of AWBI, breeders are generally able to get away with this quite easily). In other states, such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, there is a stay put in place by the High Court preventing the AWBI bodies in those states from enforcing the rules laid out in the legislative act. At FluffPup, we try to work only with AWBI registered breeders in those states where there is no High Court order. You may peruse our list of breeders here.