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Is it legal to sell dogs in Colombia? What the law says about breeders
By Casa Trufa ·
Yes. We found no national ban in force on breeding or selling dogs in Colombia. There are limits: no selling in the street, some cities prohibit it in public market squares, breeding kennels must be outside the urban perimeter, and the animal carries a legal guarantee. A Senate bill would tighten all this; we could not confirm its status.
What is allowed today, and what is not?
| Topic | What the rule says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Breeding and selling dogs | We found no national ban in force | No rule prohibits it |
| Selling in the street | Selling animals in the street is not allowed | Decree 780 of 2016, art. 2.8.5.2.20 |
| Public market squares (plazas de mercado) | Prohibited in Bogotá and in Bucaramanga | Acuerdo 801 of 2021 (Bogotá); Acuerdo 012 of 2021 (Bucaramanga) |
| Location of the kennel | Outside the urban perimeter | Decree 780 of 2016, art. 2.8.5.2.37 |
| Other services on the same premises | Breeding cannot be combined with daycare, boarding or grooming | Law 2480 of 2025, art. 17 |
| Cruelty and cosmetic mutilations | Animals are sentient beings; cruelty is penalized | Law 1774 of 2016 |
We cite the articles of Decree 780 and the municipal acuerdos (city council ordinances) through the Senate report and official press sources; we did not read every text in full.
Several cities also have rules of their own. Cúcuta, for example, has municipal decrees that reach selling through online platforms and social media, and Medellín has an ordinance from 2015. If you are receiving a puppy in one of them, it is worth asking what the municipality requires.
Is there an official registry of dog breeders?
No. The committee report on Bill 002 of 2025, which proposes creating one, says so itself. Nor did we find a mandatory registration for dog breeding kennels with ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, Colombia’s agricultural and animal-health authority).
The closest thing is the ACCC (Asociación Club Canino Colombiano, Colombia’s FCI member kennel club), private and affiliated with the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), which registers kennel names (afijos) and purebred litters. That is why “certified breeder” or “registered breeder,” without saying by whom and under what number, is an empty phrase. We do not use it.
Does a puppy come with a guarantee?
Yes. Colombia’s Consumer Statute (Law 1480 of 2011) gives every good that is sold a legal guarantee of quality and fitness, and the Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) has treated pets as goods covered by it, as far as their health and their matching the stated breed are concerned.
The same law requires whoever sells to identify themselves — name or registered company name, NIT (tax ID), address and contact details — and to give truthful information. Three practical consequences follow: ask for a written contract, be wary of “guaranteed” sizes, and remember that a cross such as the Maltipoo cannot be presented as a breed with a pedigree.
We cite the articles of Law 1480 from secondary sources. For a specific case, the competent authority is the SIC.
At what age can a puppy be handed over?
We found no national rule setting a minimum age, which does not prove that none exists. There are two reference points: the ACCC regulations register puppies from two months old, and Aerocivil (Colombia’s civil aviation authority), according to the press, allows flying from eight weeks.
At Casa Trufa the rule is fixed and does not depend on the law: never before eight weeks.
Are any breeds banned or classed as “special handling”?
Banned, no. There is a list of breeds classed as “special handling” (manejo especial) in article 126 of Law 1801 of 2016: American Staffordshire Terrier, Bullmastiff, Doberman, Dogo Argentino, Dogue de Bordeaux, Fila Brasileiro, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bull Terrier, Pit Bull Terrier, American Pit Bull Terrier, Presa Canario, Rottweiler, Staffordshire Terrier and Japanese Tosa.
None of the seven breeds we raise is on it: not the Border Collie, not the Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler), not the Bernese Mountain Dog, and none of the companion breeds.
What would Bill 002 of 2025 change?
It is the so-called “Breeders Law” (Ley de Criaderos), filed in the Senate. In the text of the committee report for its first debate, dated August 2025, it proposes:
- Prohibiting the commercial transfer of animals under four months old.
- Handing them over sterilized.
- Breeding females only between 24 months and 4 years of age.
- A mandatory national registry of breeders, with advertising on websites and social media only for those registered.
- An identified veterinarian in charge.
- Prohibiting selling to minors and to people penalized for animal cruelty.
It is a bill, not a law. We found no record of it having been passed or shelved, and it is not the first: for several years Congress has been processing similar initiatives that ended up shelved. If it passes, this page and the way we hand over our puppies will change with it.
There is another bill, on air transport of pets, that would raise the minimum age for flying to five months. We explain it in flying with a puppy in Colombia.
What about your personal data?
When you write to a breeder you hand over your name, your phone number and sometimes details about your home. Colombia’s Law 1581 of 2012 requires your prior, express and informed authorization, that you be told what the data is used for, and a channel to consult it or ask for it to be deleted. Ours is set out in the privacy policy.
This guide is general information dated October 7, 2026. It is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to sell dogs in Colombia?
Yes. We found no national ban in force. There are limits: not in the street, not in the public market squares of Bogotá or Bucaramanga, and breeding kennels must be outside the urban perimeter.
How can you tell if a dog breeder in Colombia is legal?
There is no official registry to check. What you can verify is that they identify themselves with a name or registered company name and a NIT (tax ID), that they sign a contract, that they do not hand over puppies in the street and, for purebred dogs, their kennel name with the ACCC.
What guarantee does a puppy have in Colombia?
The legal guarantee of the Consumer Statute, Law 1480 of 2011. The SIC has held that it covers the animal’s health and its matching the stated breed. Ask for the terms in writing.
Is Colombia going to ban selling puppies?
There is a bill in the Senate, Bill 002 of 2025, that does not ban it but restricts it: a minimum age of four months, handover sterilized and mandatory registration. It is a bill, and we could not confirm its status.
Sources
- Senado de la República: ponencia para primer debate del Proyecto de Ley 002 de 2025 (Colombian Senate, committee report for the first debate on Bill 002 of 2025). A bill, not a law; we could not confirm its current status. The citations of Decree 780 of 2016 also come from this text
- Ley 1480 de 2011, Estatuto del Consumidor (Law 1480 of 2011, Consumer Statute). Legal guarantee and the information owed to consumers
- Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio: garantías y fallas en un producto (Colombia’s consumer protection authority, on guarantees and defects)
- Ley 1774 de 2016, protección animal (Law 1774 of 2016, animal protection)
- Ley 2480 de 2025 (Law 2480 of 2025). Article 17: daycare, boarding and grooming cannot be offered on the same premises where dogs are bred
- Ley 1801 de 2016, Código Nacional de Seguridad y Convivencia, artículo 126 (Law 1801 of 2016, National Police Code, article 126). List of breeds classed as “special handling”
- Decreto 780 de 2016, sector salud (Decree 780 of 2016, health sector; text). Articles 2.8.5.2.20 (public streets) and 2.8.5.2.37 (urban perimeter), cited through the Senate report
- Asociación Club Canino Colombiano: Reglamento de crianza 2024 (ACCC breeding regulations, 2024)
- Ley 1581 de 2012, protección de datos personales (Law 1581 of 2012, personal data protection)
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