What Is An LOF Dog?
The LOF dog is a concept that has been spreading since January 2016. This concept includes the laws and requirements that have come into force regarding the identification of pedigree dog breeds.
So if you are buying a puppy, what do you need to know? Here you will find details related to pedigree puppy sales. Then you will find more details about the purchase of LOF dogs.
Pedigree puppies
A puppy is considered pedigree if four rules are met. You need to know these rules if you are looking to buy one. The first thing to verify is that both parents are ‘LOF confirmed ‘. LOF stands for Livre des origines françaises . This is essentially the French Kennel Club papers. Only dogs with LOF papers have the right to be called LOF breed or dog.
However, the pedigree is not automatically granted. All puppies that are born to LOF parents are LOF themselves. But, they are not ‘LOF confirmed ‘. To be confirmed, the dog needs to have seen a pedigree judge. This happens at different times in a dog’s life depending on its breed.
A dog can be confirmed between 10 and 15 months of age. This means that a judge has accepted that that dog meets the standards of the breed. There are specialist meetings for confirmation and breeders must pay to have their animal checked.
This means that you cannot pass off just any dog as an LOF Labrador retriever, for example, and breed from it. A judge will know right away that you are not an LOF dog and will ensure that breed standards are met. There are fees to make it effective.
The breeder declares the mating
In French this is called the Saillie Declaration. Within eight weeks of mating, the female owner must notify the Sociéte Centrale Canine (SCC) to receive a mating certificate.
This is the first step in the process of ensuring that breed standards are met. There are filing fees to pay to obtain this document. If you try to do this after four months of mating, the SCC will pay you a short visit. After eight months this procedure is impossible.
The breeder records the birth of the puppies
This should be done in the first two weeks after birth. The breeder asks that the litter be registered. This can only be done once the puppies have had the identifying chip or tattoo placed on them .
Puppies without pedigree
This case is only a problem if you are asked to pay prices for an LOF dog and expect a pedigree puppy. If you don’t mind having a poodle, but it doesn’t have a pedigree, then go for it. There are many people who have great dogs that are mixed breeds or who actually prefer a mixed breed.
If your dog has no LOF confirmed parents, it is just a ‘dog’. You may have the best and most beautiful parents in the canine kingdom, but if they haven’t been confirmed your puppies are ‘breedless dogs’.
It must be said that many puppies slip through the net, because their breeders have missed a vital part of the process, usually the declaration of mating or a mating with a dog that is LOF, but it is not confirmed.
Selling an LOF dog: the law since January 2016
In January 2016 the law on the sale of animals changed in France. This was to close the door on backyard breeders who were making 1000 euros from a litter of non-pedigree Yorkshires and who had sold on the internet for 200 euros each.
For the government it is a financial decision. This is a black market and therefore there are taxes that can be obtained from it. By closing the door on backyard breeders they make sure no one is making money on the sly (a couple thousand crafty people a year or more). From an animal welfare point of view, this allows pedigree dogs to be tracked more efficiently.
What the new law says about the sale of animals
Anyone who sells a dog or cat is considered a breeder. To be a breeder you must register with the Chamber of Agriculture. You can get a waiver from the Chamber of Agriculture if you only want to sell one litter per year.
If you sell more than one litter per year – and are therefore not a ‘hobby’ breeder – you must also register with departmental health authorities in order to receive mandatory training, pay taxes, and be subject to site visits. You must have a training test to be a breeder.
All dogs or cats – and their puppies – must be microchipped or tattooed before being sold. Normally, the law says that all dogs older than four months and all cats older than seven months must be identified.
