WhelpkeepSires & Dams reference
Every field on a breeding animal in Whelpkeep — name, role, species, breed, date of birth, microchip number, desexed, and the prior-litters and prior-caesareans baseline.
Sires & Dams holds your breeding animals. Each one can be used as the dam or sire of a litter, and carries its own records. Add one with Add animal; open one to edit it or see its lifetime counter.
Name
The animal's name or kennel name. Required. Used throughout Whelpkeep and on contracts and listings.
Role
Whether this animal is a dam (female) or sire (male). Required. Only dams can be the mother of a litter and carry the lifetime litter counter.
Species
Dog or cat. Required. Species affects which state rules apply (for example, some states have no cat scheme).
Breed
The animal's breed. Optional, but recommended — it appears on listings and contracts.
Date of birth
The animal's date of birth. Optional. Used to work out age, which matters for some state rules (for example, counting breeding-age females toward a cap).
Microchip number
The animal's microchip number. Optional, but strongly recommended. When provided it must be a valid microchip number (a 15-digit ISO number, or a legacy 9–10 digit number). It appears on records and helps Whelpkeep match uploaded documents to the right animal.
Desexed
Tick if the animal is desexed. Optional. Desexed animals aren't counted toward breeding-female caps.
Prior litters
For a dam, the number of litters she had before you started using Whelpkeep. Optional. This is a starting baseline: Whelpkeep adds the litters you record in-app to give a lifetime total, which it checks against state caps (for example, NSW's five-litter limit).
Prior caesareans
For a dam, the number of caesareans she had before Whelpkeep. Optional. Added to caesareans recorded in-app for a lifetime total, used to warn near state limits (for example, the rule requiring a vet certificate after two caesareans).
Notes
Free text for anything else worth keeping. Optional, private to you.
The lifetime counter
On a dam's page, Whelpkeep shows a lifetime litter and caesarean counter — your pre-Whelpkeep baseline plus everything recorded in-app. It warns as you approach a state cap but never blocks you. See How compliance works.
Related pages
- Litters referenceEvery field on a litter in Whelpkeep — state, species, dam, sire, mating dates, expected date, whelp date, caesarean details and the accidental-litter flag.
- Create a litterRecord a litter in Whelpkeep — choose the state, pick the dam and sire, enter the mating and whelp dates, and start the per-litter checklist.
- How compliance worksHow Whelpkeep tracks your state breeder ID, ticks off a per-litter checklist from your records, and stamps the right legal wording onto contracts.