What Documents Should You Keep for Your Dog?

1. Microchip registration — proves the chip is registered to you, and tells you which database to update when you move.

2. Vaccination record — required by kennels, groomers, trainers, sitters and many insurers.

3. Rabies certificate — required for international travel and frequently requested separately from the general vaccination card.

4. Insurance policy documents — the policy number, what is covered, and the claim process. Needed under pressure, not at leisure.

5. Purchase or adoption contract — establishes where the dog came from and what was agreed, including any return conditions.

6. Veterinary history — consultation notes, test results, surgical notes and allergies. The document a second-opinion vet will ask for first.

• Training and behaviour certificates
• Licence or registration, where your country requires one
• Boarding kennel records
• Grooming notes, particularly for coats with specific requirements
• Receipts for significant veterinary spend, for insurance and tax where relevant

The test is simple: could someone else find the right document without you?

That points to one physical place — a folder or binder that lives somewhere fixed — plus scanned copies you can reach from a phone. Splitting documents between a drawer, an inbox and a photo roll is how the rabies certificate goes missing the week before a flight.

Label the outside. In an emergency, someone who is not you will be looking for it.

• Are your details in the microchip registry still correct?
• When does the rabies vaccination expire?
• Has the insurance policy renewed, and did the terms change?
• Is the vaccination card up to date after this year's booster?

Fifteen minutes annually keeps the whole file trustworthy.