Where’s the best place to buy a puppy?

There’s no single best place, and no place is safe by default. A breeder you can visit, or a rescue or shelter, is a good start. An owner rehoming their dog can be a good choice too. Whoever you buy from, meet the puppy and its mother where the puppy was raised, look up the seller’s number where their state has a register, and see the vet records before you pay anything, including a deposit. A seller who won’t let you visit is a red flag, wherever you found them.

Can you buy puppies from pet shops in Australia?

It depends on the state. In Victoria, pet shops can sell only dogs and cats from council-registered pounds, shelters and foster carers. In Western Australia, a pet shop needs approval from its local government to sell dogs, and the dogs must come from an approved refuge or dog management facility. In NSW, pet shops must follow the state’s pet shop code (PDF): no puppy on display or for sale before 8 weeks old, and every dog microchipped and vaccinated, with a current vaccination certificate. We’ve checked the pet shop rules in those three states only so far. Elsewhere, ask the shop where the puppy came from. Pet Sales Australia doesn’t take pet shop listings.

How do I know a puppy isn’t from a backyard breeder?

An ad can’t tell you, and nor can a number on it. Visit: meet the puppy and its mother where they live, see the vet records, and ask which health tests the parents have had. A good breeder will ask you questions too. Our puppy farms guide lists the warning signs.

What should a breeder show me before I buy?

The puppy and its mother, where the puppy was raised. The number the seller’s state requires on the ad, and each puppy’s microchip number. The vaccination, worming and vet records, any health tests on the parents, and the microchip change of ownership form when you take the puppy home.

Can I buy a puppy from another state?

Yes, but meet the puppy and its mother in person first, and book any transport yourself. Never pay the seller for transport. Start with the rules for the seller’s state. If you live in Victoria, Animal Welfare Victoria says ads aimed at Victorians need a Victorian source number too, even when the seller lives interstate.

Do I need to see the puppy’s mother?

You should. The RSPCA (PDF) says to meet the mother where the puppies were born and raised. Animal Welfare Victoria says to meet the puppy, and its parents if you can, before you agree to buy or pay a deposit. It shows you how the litter was kept and helps you avoid puppy farms. A seller who can’t show you the mother, or wants to meet somewhere else, is a red flag. For a rescue puppy, ask what the rescue knows about its mother.

Where can I buy a puppy in Perth?

From a breeder you can visit, or a refuge or shelter. Since 26 May 2025, WA pet shops need their local government’s approval to sell dogs, and can sell only dogs from approved refuges and dog management facilities. Those refuges and facilities can still rehome dogs straight to you. WA dog ads don’t currently have to show a number, so meet the puppy and its mother, and ask for the microchip number.

Where can I buy a puppy in Sydney?

From a breeder you can visit, or a rescue or shelter. NSW dog ads must show each dog’s microchip number. Puppies born on or after 1 December 2025 also need the breeder identification number (BIN), and a breed club membership number doesn’t count. Look the BIN up on the NSW Pet Registry Buyer Search, and meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. NSW pet shops (PDF) can’t put a puppy on display or sell it before it’s 8 weeks old.

Where can I buy a puppy in Brisbane?

From a breeder you can visit, or a rescue or shelter. Queensland dog ads must show the dog’s supply number, usually the breeder’s. Look it up with the Queensland Dog Breeder Register’s “Look up a Supply Number” search, and meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. When you take the puppy, the seller must give you a notice with their name and the supply number, and a signed change of ownership form.

Where to buy a puppy or dog | Pet Sales Australia

Q: Is it safe to buy a puppy online?

An ad proves nothing on its own, wherever it’s posted. Treat it as where you start. Look up the seller’s number, and meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. Never pay a seller for transport, crates or insurance. These are common scam fees.

Buy your puppy from a breeder you can visit, or adopt one from a rescue or shelter. Whoever you buy from, meet them and the puppy in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. From a breeder, meet its mother too, where the puppy was raised. An online ad is where you start looking. On its own, it proves nothing.

The aim is to find an excellent breeder or rescue, not just an adorable puppy. Pet shops are another option, but Victoria and Western Australia limit where they get their dogs (pet shop rules).

Five steps, wherever you buy

Meet the puppy and its mother where the puppy was raised. Do it before you agree to buy. A video call doesn’t count as meeting.
Check the number the seller’s state requires on the ad. See how to look it up in each state and what the ad must show.
Meet before you pay anything, including a deposit. Animal Welfare Victoria advises meeting the puppy before you leave a deposit. Meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person first. Read how deposit scams work.
Pay only the seller’s own name. Pay into an account in the seller’s own name, and only if your bank says the name matches. A match doesn’t make a payment safe. If your bank can’t check names, pay in person, once you’ve met the seller and the puppy.
Think about adopting. Rescues and shelters rehome puppies too. See rescue and adoption.

When listings open, start with puppies for sale. Until then, try a rescue or shelter near you, or the breed club for the breed you want, and see how to check the number on any ad.

Where you can buy a puppy

A breeder

Buying straight from the breeder means you can visit, meet the mother and ask about the parents’ health. To find one, ask the breed club for the breed you want, and visit more than one breeder. The RSPCA (PDF) says being “registered”, with a breed club or a council, doesn’t on its own mean a breeder is responsible. In NSW, a club membership number can’t replace the breeder identification number on the ad.

Expect: a visit to where the puppies live, and questions about your home.
Check: the number the seller’s state requires, each puppy’s microchip number and the vet records.

A rescue or shelter

Shelters and rescue groups rehome puppies as well as adult dogs, and some rescue groups focus on one breed. Many pounds don’t sell dogs directly, but may run a shelter or work with a rescue group. The RSPCA (PDF) suggests checking shelters and rescue groups first, and says its dogs and puppies are vaccinated, desexed and microchipped before adoption.

Expect: questions about your home, and sometimes a wait for the right match.
Check: the group’s ABN on ABN Lookup, its charity registration on the ACNC Charity Register or its state rehoming registration, and the dog’s vet and microchip records. In Victoria, rescue ads need a source number too.

When listings open, rescues and shelters can list their dogs on Pet Sales Australia too. See rescue and adoption.

An owner rehoming their dog

Owners sometimes rehome their own dog when their circumstances change.

Ask: why they’re rehoming it, and about its health and behaviour.
Check: the dog’s microchip number and vet records. In Victoria (Animal Welfare Victoria), the ad needs a source number even when the dog is free.

An online classifieds site

Online ads show you puppies from many breeders, owners and rescues at once. You deal with the seller directly, and every site checks different things. Scammers post fake puppy ads too, often with stolen photos.

Expect: to do your own checks, whatever the site says it checks.
Check: the number on the ad, on the state’s register where there is one (how to look it up), then meet before you pay.

A pet shop

Pet shop rules depend on the state. See can pet shops sell puppies?

Check: where the puppy came from, and its vaccination certificate signed by a vet.

Can pet shops sell puppies?

It depends on the state. Victoria and Western Australia limit where pet shops get their dogs. NSW sets rules for how pet shops sell them.

Victoria. Pet shops can sell only dogs and cats from approved sources: pounds and shelters registered with their council, and foster carers registered with their council. Breeders can’t sell or give dogs or cats to pet shops. A dog from a foster carer must be at least 6 months old. Before you buy, check the shop is registered with its local council. The shop must display its guarantee on a wall. Under it, if within 7 days of buying a vet’s statement shows the animal isn’t acceptable (accidents aside), the shop must take it back and refund you in full, or offer a replacement (Animal Welfare Victoria).

Western Australia. Since 26 May 2025, a pet shop needs a pet shop approval from its local government to sell puppies or dogs. The dogs must come from a refuge or dog management facility with a dog supply approval. Refuges and dog management facilities can still rehome dogs straight to the public (WA Government).

New South Wales. Pet shops must follow the state’s code of practice for animals in pet shops (PDF), under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulation 2025. A puppy can’t be put on display or sold before it’s 8 weeks old. A dog can’t be sold unless it’s microchipped and vaccinated against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus, with a current vaccination certificate, and it can’t be sold to anyone under 18. The shop must display its guarantee on a wall. Under it, if within 3 days the animal isn’t acceptable to you for any reason, the shop must take it back and refund half the price. If the animal dies or is put down because of a disease traced back to the shop, and a vet or other appropriate authority confirms it, the shop must refund the price or offer a replacement. Like any NSW seller, the shop must also give you the dog’s microchip number and, for a puppy born on or after 1 December 2025, its breeder’s BIN, on the ad or by the time of the sale.

If you buy from a business, the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law also apply. The NSW Government’s buying a pet page and Western Australia’s Consumer Protection both say the guarantees don’t cover a one-off sale by a private seller. In each of these states, you can also adopt from shelters and rescue groups directly. See rescue and adoption.

Other states and territories. We’ve checked the pet shop rules in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia only so far. Elsewhere, ask the shop where the puppy came from, and check its paperwork carries the numbers that state requires.

From each state’s law or regulator, checked 10 October 2026. Not legal advice.

On Pet Sales Australia. We don’t take listings from pet shops. That’s our rule, not a law. See our listing rules.

Buying a puppy online safely

Stop and check if you see any of these:

The price is far below what others ask for the same breed. See what people pay for a puppy.
The seller only texts or messages, and won’t call or let you visit.
They want a deposit before you’ve met the puppy and its mother.
They offer to deliver the puppy, or to meet somewhere other than where it was raised.
They ask for transport, crate or insurance fees, or want you to pay an account in someone else’s name.
The ad leaves out a number the seller’s state requires. See what each state requires.

Our pet scams guide covers each sign, and what to do if you’ve already paid.

What the ad must show in each state

Each state and territory sets its own rules for dog ads. Start with the seller’s state below: its rules apply to their ad. Then look the number up before you pay. If you live in Victoria, Victoria’s rules can apply too: see buying from another state.

Victoria, including Melbourne: the seller’s source number and each dog’s microchip number, whether it’s sold or given away.
NSW, including Sydney: each dog’s microchip number (an unchipped puppy 8 weeks or younger can show its mother’s, labelled as hers). The ad also needs the breeder identification number (BIN) for a dog born on or after 1 December 2025. A rehoming organisation that doesn’t know the breeder shows its rehoming organisation number (RON) instead, whenever the dog was born. From 6 months old, the chip number alone will do if the BIN or RON is already recorded against the chip on the NSW Pet Registry.
Queensland, including Brisbane: the dog’s supply number (usually the breeder’s).
South Australia, including Adelaide: the seller’s name and phone number, and each breeder’s name and phone number, plus a registered breeder’s Dogs and Cats Online number.
Western Australia, including Perth: WA law doesn’t currently say what number a dog ad must show. Ask for the microchip number, and visit before you pay.
Tasmania, including Hobart: puppies under 12 months, sold or rehomed: the puppy’s or its mother’s microchip number. If neither is chipped, the mother’s registration number and council.
ACT, including Canberra: a licensed breeder’s breeding licence number. Anyone else: the dog’s microchip number, or their rehoming identifier (a state rehoming number, or else their ABN, or else their name).
Northern Territory, including Darwin: we haven’t found an NT rule for dog ads. Ask the seller for each puppy’s microchip number.

From each state’s law or regulator, checked 10 October 2026. Not legal advice.

If an ad leaves out a number the seller’s state requires, ask the seller why before you go any further. In Victoria, you can report the ad to Animal Welfare Victoria through the Pet Exchange Register.

Restricted breeds

Selling an American pit bull terrier (or, outside South Australia, a pit bull terrier), Japanese tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro or Perro de Presa Canario is an offence in Victoria (Domestic Animals Act 1994), NSW (Office of Local Government), Queensland (Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008), South Australia (Dog and Cat Management Act 1995) and Western Australia (Dog Act 1976). NSW, South Australia and Western Australia also ban advertising them, and in Western Australia, buying one is an offence too. In Tasmania (Dog Control Act 2000), a dog declared a restricted breed can’t be sold without the council’s written approval.

Our listing rules don’t allow these breeds, or crosses of them, anywhere in Australia. If you see one on Pet Sales Australia, tell us at info@petsales.net.au.

Buying from another state

Meet in person first, even if it means travelling.
Book transport yourself. If the puppy has to travel, find and pay the transport company yourself, not one the seller names or links to. Never pay a seller for transport, crates or insurance. Fake pet transport companies are a known scam (WA ScamNet).
Buying from interstate as a Victorian? Animal Welfare Victoria’s guidance says an ad aimed at Victorians needs a Victorian source number and each animal’s microchip number, even when the seller lives in another state. When listings open, our listing rules say a seller outside Victoria who’ll sell to Victorian buyers must give a Victorian source number on Pet Sales Australia. We check it on the register before the listing goes live.

Questions to ask before you buy

A good breeder will happily answer these, and ask you questions too.

Can I visit, and meet the puppy’s mother where the litter was raised?
What’s the number your state requires on your ad?
What’s this puppy’s microchip number, and will you give me the change of ownership form?
When can the puppy come home? It should be at least 8 weeks old.
Which health tests have the parents had?

More questions, and what good answers sound like: questions to ask a breeder. The RSPCA also suggests talking to your vet before you choose a breed.

For more, read the RSPCA’s Smart Puppy and Dog Buyer’s Guide (PDF) and our guide to spotting a puppy farm.

What the seller must hand over

Some states say what the seller must give you:

Victoria: Animal Welfare Victoria says the seller must give the microchip certificate, with a signed change of ownership form.
Queensland (Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008): a notice with the seller’s name and the supply number, and a signed change of ownership form.
South Australia (Dog and Cat Management Regulations 2017): written details of the seller and each breeder, the vaccinations, any desexing and other vet treatment, the microchip, and any illness or condition the seller knows of.
Tasmania (Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2026): a vaccination certificate signed by a vet, the date of the dog’s last vet health check, and anything the seller knows or suspects about injury, illness, pregnancy, aggression or behaviour problems. For a puppy, also its own or its mother’s microchip number (or, if neither is chipped, the mother’s registration number and council).
ACT (Domestic Animals Act 2000): a licensed breeder’s breeding licence number or, from anyone else, their rehoming identifier and the dog’s microchip number.

Once the puppy is home, make sure the microchip details are changed to you, and register the puppy as your state or territory requires. In most places, that’s with your local council.

Buying on Pet Sales Australia

Listings on Pet Sales Australia open soon. Until then, there are no listings or check stamps here. From then, a listing can’t go live without the numbers we know its state requires, in the right format. Each listing will show what we checked, and when.

ID Checked. Every seller must pass an ID check before their first listing goes live. The stamp shows how their government photo ID was checked, and the date.
Source Number Checked. On Victorian dog listings, and dog listings from sellers elsewhere who’ll sell to Victorians. Victoria’s Pet Exchange Register said the source number on the listing was active on the date shown. It doesn’t show whose number it is, and a number can lapse between our checks, so look it up yourself before you pay.
Other states’ numbers. Look them up yourself on the state’s register. The listing links its search where there is one.
Microchip numbers. You can search a chip at Pet Address, though it may miss chips on NSW and SA registries. See checking a microchip.

No check proves a puppy exists or is healthy, that the seller owns it or is honest, or that the person you’re talking to is the person we checked. We don’t hold or handle payments between buyers and sellers, so meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit.