Built by a breeder. For breeders.
The Breeder’s Contract Kit
Free PDF contract templates built specifically for animal breeders. Animal sales, deposits, stud service, live arrival, co-ownership, guardian home, and breeding rights. No lawyer required to get started.
Built by a working breeder. Used by real programs.
Seven free contract templates for animal breeders
Whether you call it a puppy sales contract, a litter deposit form, a stud service agreement, a live arrival guarantee, a dog co-ownership agreement, a guardian home contract, or a breeding rights contract, these are the documents every working breeder needs in writing. Each PDF includes bracketed fill-in fields and prints cleanly for hand-signing.
Core contracts · Every breeder needs these
Animal Sales Contract
A puppy sales contract that also works for cats, livestock, horses, and reptiles. Sets the terms of sale, health guarantee, registration transfer, and return policy so every placement is on paper.
Deposit and Waitlist Agreement
A litter deposit form that defines what the deposit secures, when it is refundable, and what happens if a buyer disappears or a litter does not produce.
Stud Service Agreement
Covers live cover and chilled or frozen semen, missed breedings, re-breed terms, and the puppy back option in place of a cash stud fee.
Live Arrival Guarantee
Spells out shipping responsibilities, the live arrival window, buyer obligations, and what voids the guarantee. Includes a flagged section with reptile-specific provisions.
Co-ownership & breeding rights · For show, performance, and preservation programs
Co-Ownership Agreement
Defines custody, breeding decisions, litter division, and a clear buy-out path. Designed to keep show-dog and working-dog co-ownerships out of court when the parties disagree.
Guardian Home Agreement
Places a dog with a family while the breeder retains breeding rights. Covers health testing, retrieval terms, breeding scope, and clean title transfer once the breeding obligations are completed.
Breeding Rights Contract
Used alongside the Animal Sales Contract when a buyer pays a premium for full breeding rights. Sets health testing, quality standards, breeding limits, and forfeiture conditions.
Who needs a breeder contract
Dog breeders, cat breeders, reptile breeders, and anyone selling animals with a health guarantee or breeding rights attached. If you have ever shipped a buyer a puppy, taken a deposit on an unborn litter, or sent a stud out for service, you need these on paper.
The templates work whether you need a dog breeder contract, a reptile sales contract, or any animal sales contract PDF that holds up under scrutiny. They are written in plain English so a buyer can actually read them and cover the moments where breeder programs lose money and time: a buyer who backs out, a missed breeding, a sick puppy at week one, a reptile that arrives in bad shape.
Common questions about breeder contracts
Are these breeder contracts legally binding?
Yes, when both parties fill them in and sign them, these contracts establish enforceable terms in the same way any written agreement would. Animal sales laws vary by state, so the language you use in the governing law clause and any state-specific lemon law disclosures matter. For real-world use, have a local attorney review the template before you put it in front of a buyer.
Do I need a lawyer to use these templates?
You can fill them in and use them as starting points without one. For production use, a 30-minute review with an attorney in your state is worth the cost. The templates get you most of the way there, which means a much shorter and cheaper conversation with a lawyer than starting from a blank page.
Do these contracts work for all species and breeds?
The Animal Sales Contract is structured to work for any species: dogs, cats, reptiles, horses, livestock, and exotics. The Live Arrival Guarantee includes a flagged section with reptile-specific provisions you can keep or remove. The Stud Service Agreement is written for dog breeders but is straightforward to adapt for other species with similar reproductive arrangements.
What states do these contracts work in?
The templates are drafted as general agreements rather than tied to any specific state. The governing law clause lets you specify the state whose laws control the contract. States like California, New York, and Florida have specific puppy lemon laws or animal sales statutes that you should layer in. A local attorney can flag the state-specific language you need.
Can I customize the templates?
Yes. Every key term has a bracketed fill-in field you replace with your own values. You can also remove or modify clauses that do not apply to your program. The PDFs print cleanly for hand-signing, and you can also import the source HTML into a word processor if you want to make structural changes.
What is the difference between a sales contract and a deposit agreement?
A deposit agreement covers the period before the sale: the buyer puts money down to reserve a spot on your waitlist, you both agree on pick order, refund terms, and what happens if the litter does not produce. A sales contract covers the actual sale at the time of transfer: payment, health guarantee, registration, return policy. Working breeders use both. The deposit agreement at the time the deposit is paid, the sales contract on the day the animal goes home.
When would I use a co-ownership or guardian home agreement?
Co-ownership is for show, performance, and preservation breeders who share a high-value animal with another breeder, often to split costs of campaigning or to access a bloodline. Guardian home agreements place a dog with a family as a pet while the breeder retains breeding rights, common in preservation programs and small kennels who do not want to maintain a full kennel of breeding dogs. Both contracts cover relationships that run for years and frequently end up in conflict without clear terms in writing.
How are breeding rights different from a regular sales contract?
A standard sales contract typically places an animal on a limited or pet-only registration with a spay or neuter requirement. A breeding rights contract is used when the buyer pays a premium for full registration and the right to use the animal in their own breeding program. The breeding rights contract layers on top of the sales contract and adds health testing requirements, quality standards, breeding limits, and forfeiture conditions if the buyer breaks the rules.
Why are these contracts free?
Because no good free version existed when I needed one for my own program, so I built it. If you ever decide you need a real website, a records and genetics app, or a sales platform for your breeding business, you will know who to call. Until then, use these and have a better paper trail than 99% of breeders out there.
Built by a working breeder
Built By Dusty is run by Dusty Mumphrey. He is a breeder first and a senior software engineer second. He grew up in dogs, breeds crested geckos, and helped establish the American Bully breed club within UKC.
He built these contracts because no good free version existed. The kit is the same set he uses in his own program and recommends to the breeders he works with.
These templates are provided as starting points. They are not legal advice. Have a local attorney review for state-specific requirements before use.