If you bred a litter or sold a single dog, your file does not end on collection day. You need a retained copy that shows this dog's identity, her early care, and the terms on which she left you, so you can answer for her start in life long after she has settled elsewhere.
Identity and litter records to retain
Start with the facts only you can supply. Note the dam and sire, the whelping date and litter size, this puppy's birth order or identifying marks, and her weight progression through those first weeks. Record her microchip number exactly as implanted, the date it was placed, and the database where it was first registered in your name before transfer. Keep any registration or parentage paperwork you issued, and a copy of the paperwork you received for the parents if you relied on it when describing the litter. If a puppy was held back, returned, or sold later than her littermates, note that separately rather than letting one litter sheet blur different journeys.
Health care you provided before the sale
Keep the full early health trail: dates of each worming, the product type noted in general terms from the vet or your own log, first vaccination details with the clinic stamp or label information, and any vet checks carried out before sale. If either parent had health screening, file the result copies you showed the buyer, not just a summary you wrote from memory. Note anything specific to this puppy — a hernia check, a heart murmur that was monitored, a slow feeder in the litter — and what the vet advised at the time. That specificity protects the buyer, the puppy, and you if a later vet asks what was known at handover.
The sale itself, documented clearly
File a signed copy of the sale or rehoming agreement showing the buyer's full name and contact details, the date of transfer, the agreed terms noted in your private copy, and any conditions you settled on, such as neutering discussion or a return-to-breeder clause. Keep receipts or messages that confirm which food the puppy left on, what familiar bedding or toy went with her, and the feeding schedule you handed over in writing. If you gave a health guarantee or a window for a buyer vet check, keep the exact wording you issued, not a paraphrase, so there is no dispute about what was promised.
What to copy for the buyer and what stays with you
The buyer should leave with copies of vaccination history, chip transfer instructions, screening results you cited, diet and routine notes, and your contact details for follow-up. You should retain duplicates of all of it. Store your set in two places — a paper folder for the litter and a scanned set named by chip number — because a single lost folder leaves the earliest weeks of that dog's life unrecoverable. Review the file once after the last puppy leaves and fill gaps while the details are still fresh, rather than reconstructing weights and dates months later from messages.
A tidy retained file turns follow-up questions into quick answers instead of guesswork for everyone involved. When the dog changes homes, KinsLe Transferrable Profiles move her profile to the new owner with history, records and routines intact, so nothing from her start with you is lost in the move.