Draft workable animal sale agreements and assess claims concerning health, agreed characteristics, non-payment or a failed transaction.
The contract defines the starting point
Animals are not things under section 90a BGB, although rules applicable to things generally apply correspondingly unless otherwise provided. A sale should identify the animal, parties, price, agreed characteristics, purpose, disclosures, documents and delivery arrangements.
Defects and possible remedies
A later illness is not automatically proof of a defect at handover. The assessment compares the contractual and statutory standard with the animal’s condition at the relevant time. Depending on the facts, remedies may include supplementary performance, price reduction, rescission and damages; their prerequisites differ.
Consumer and business transactions
Consumer purchases from a trader have special rules. For a living animal, the evidential presumption in section 477 BGB is six months, subject to its conditions and exceptions. That period is not the limitation period. Private sales and transactions between businesses require a separate review of exclusions and notice obligations.
Example: an imported breeding animal
The dispute may involve a promised breeding characteristic, health certification and a choice-of-law clause. We review the entire transaction rather than assuming German law applies merely because the buyer lives in Germany. Veterinary evidence and the original communications are particularly useful.
Preparing for advice
Please provide the relevant contracts or official correspondence, a dated account of events and any technical or veterinary reports. Identify the parties, the country or German state involved, and every known deadline. We will agree the appropriate next step after reviewing the documents.
Detailed guides
Related services
Legal framework & further reading
Reviewed 8 November 2026. Examples are illustrative and do not describe reported client matters.
Discuss your matter
Send a short description, the parties involved and any deadline. We check conflicts and agree the scope and fees before starting work. For urgent matters, telephone our office as well.