Rehoming a dog or cat privately

For a dog: four mandatory details in the listing

The Animal Protection Ordinance (AniPO) requires every listing offering a dog to state:

1. the keeper's first name and surname;
2. their address;
3. the country where the animal is located;
4. the country where it was bred.

This is not a site formality: it is the law, and a listing that leaves them out is not compliant. On okazio, these four fields are mandatory in the “Dogs & puppies” category — not to make posting more complicated, but because a form that didn't ask for them would make every listing non-compliant by design.

The country of breeding is not an administrative curiosity: it tells the buyer whether they are dealing with a local breeder or an import, with everything that implies for health and socialisation.

What to hand over with the animal

• The vaccination record, up to date.
• The microchip number, and the transfer of its registration in the database.
• The pedigree, if there is one.
• What you know about its health: treatments, allergies, operations.

The change of keeper must be reported to the national database. That is the responsibility of both the person giving up the animal and the person taking it on.

The age of separation

A puppy should not be separated from its mother too early: the time spent with the litter shapes a large part of its adult behaviour. A seller in a hurry to part with very young puppies is a warning sign.

Warning signs when buying

• A seller who refuses to show you the mother and where the animals live.
• A meeting proposed in a car park or at a border.
• Several litters of different breeds available at the same time.
• A price well below the market for a sought-after breed.
• A vaccination record that is missing, incomplete or foreign, with no explanation.
• Pressure to close the deal quickly, or a deposit requested before any meeting.

Together, these signs describe puppy trafficking. It exists, it often comes from abroad, and the animals arrive sick.

For a cat and other animals

The four details are only required for dogs. The rest still applies: identification, health record, honesty about condition and temperament, and a meeting where the animal lives.

What cannot be sold

Protected species, ivory, trophies and products covered by CITES are prohibited, without exception.

One last thing

A rehomed animal sometimes comes back. Plan for it: tell the new keeper they can get back in touch with you, and give them a way to do so. That is what stops an animal ending up in a shelter three months later.