How to adopt a dog

Everything you need to know about adopting a dog from us, including how we go the extra mile to find you a match.

We want to find all our dogs a loving forever family. If you’re ready to welcome a dog into your home, we’d love to hear from you.

Are you ready to adopt?

Every adoption is different – some take longer, while others happen in as little as a week. So, now is a great time to make sure your household is ready.

Once we have your application, we’ll get to work looking for the right dog for you. You won’t be applying for a specific dog. Instead, we’ll carefully review your application and match you with a dog we feel is the right fit for you, your lifestyle and your circumstances.

You’ll need to be able to visit a rehoming centre and have the time your dog needs to settle in. If you don’t have that right now, it might be better to wait. But don’t worry, we’ll be here when you’re ready.

Apply once and we'll find you a match

You can submit your adoption application online, or at your local centre. Most of our centres are open to visitors, and you don’t need an appointment to meet dogs looking for homes. However, our centres in Bridgend, Cumbria, Ilfracombe and Newbury accept online applications only.

You only need to apply once. Please give us as much detail as possible – everything you tell us brings us one step closer to finding the right dog for you. If there’s a dog you’re interested in, please add them as a ‘favourite’ to your application. Our rehoming team will use this as a guide to understand more about the type of dog you may be interested in.

Don’t be put off if there’s not a pooch who’s caught your eye. Not all available dogs are featured on our website, and dogs come into our care all the time. So please apply or visit us anyway.

What if we don’t find a suitable dog for you?

We get thousands of applications every month, and we’re thrilled that so many people want to adopt. But unfortunately, that means we’re only able to contact you when we have a suitable dog for you. Don’t worry – we’ll keep your application open for three months and keep you in mind as new dogs arrive.

If you see another dog you’re interested in during this time, you won’t need to apply again. You can amend your application at any time by giving us a call on 0303 003 0000 or visiting your local rehoming centre. If we don’t find the right dog for you within three months, we’ll let you know and invite you to reapply.

How our rehoming process works

1
Create an account and fill out our application form
If you’re ready to adopt, please complete our form to tell us all about your home, lifestyle and the kind of dogs you’re interested in. You won’t be applying for a specific dog, but we’ll use this information to find a great match for you.
Apply to adopt
2
Choose a rehoming centre
We’ll also ask you to select a rehoming centre. The team at this centre will look after your application and assess you against all suitable dogs in their care. This doesn’t have to be your nearest centre, but you will need to travel there within a few days once we’ve found...
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We’ll also ask you to select a rehoming centre. The team at this centre will look after your application and assess you against all suitable dogs in their care. This doesn’t have to be your nearest centre, but you will need to travel there within a few days once we’ve found you a match.
3
We’ll review your application
We’ll review your application against the dogs in our care at your chosen centre. If we think we have the right dog for you, we’ll be in touch as soon as possible. If we don’t hear back from you, we will close your application for now, and you can reapply when you’re ready.
4
We’ll keep your application open for three months and keep looking for a match
If we don’t have a dog for you right now, we’ll keep your application open for three months and keep you in mind for any new dogs that arrive. If within this time you see another dog you are interested in, you won't need to apply again but you can amend your application by...
Show details
If we don’t have a dog for you right now, we’ll keep your application open for three months and keep you in mind for any new dogs that arrive. If within this time you see another dog you are interested in, you won't need to apply again but you can amend your application by calling us on 0303 003 0000 or visiting your local rehoming centre.
5
When we find a match, we’ll invite you to meet them
If we’ve found a dog who seems right for you, we’ll invite you to come and meet them at the rehoming centre.
Some of the dogs in our care will need to meet potential owners several times to get to know one another. This lets us see you’re compatible and gives you...
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If we’ve found a dog who seems right for you, we’ll invite you to come and meet them at the rehoming centre.
Some of the dogs in our care will need to meet potential owners several times to get to know one another. This lets us see you’re compatible and gives you the chance to build a bond before making a commitment to give them a new home. By taking some time at the beginning to make sure everyone’s comfortable, an adoption is more likely to be successful.
We may also arrange a home visit with you, to see how your house will be set up and check that the garden (if you have one) is secure. This may not be necessary, though, especially if you’ve adopted from us before. Where you already have dogs, we may accept a reference from your vet as an alternative.
6
If we haven’t found the right match, we’ll continue the search together
If we haven’t found the right dog for you within three months, we’ll let you know your application is closed. We’ll invite you to apply again so we have up-to-date information about you, and we’ll keep looking.
7
We’ll support you to embark on a new life with your dog
When we’ve matched you with a dog, we’ll help you welcome them to your home. After adoption we’ll keep in touch to see how you and the dog are doing. If you need any advice or support, we’re just a phone call away.
With our free behaviour support, our Canine Care...
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When we’ve matched you with a dog, we’ll help you welcome them to your home. After adoption we’ll keep in touch to see how you and the dog are doing. If you need any advice or support, we’re just a phone call away.
With our free behaviour support, our Canine Care Card and more, we’re here to support you and your dog for as long as you need us.

Apply to adopt

Come and visit us

To see available dogs or speak to a member of our team before you apply, visit your local rehoming centre. You can find opening times on each rehoming centre page.

Our rehoming centres

What we ask of you

We rehome based on the needs of the dog, but there are some basic things that we ask of you.

to get your landlord’s permission before reserving a dog, if applicable
to be age 18 years or over
to ensure that the adopter chooses the dog themselves – we won’t agree to someone adopting a dog as a gift
to agree to continue with any behavioural rehabilitation or training we recommend 
not to leave your dog alone for longer than they can cope with. See our advice - preparing your dog to be left alone
to ensure that your dog has access to a suitable outside space for exercise and toilet breaks.

There are also some hard and fast rules that we stick to, find out more about our rehoming policy.

Taking your dog home

If we decide together that you and the dog are well suited, then we’ll arrange for you to take them home. We'll give you lots of advice to help make your adoption a success, and your dog will go home with:

their Dogs Trust collar and lead
four weeks of free pet insurance thanks to our partners Petplan and information about continuing your insurance cover
a dog care handbook
microchipping information
several days' worth of the dog's current food.

Before you pick up your new dog, they will be:

fully health checked
up-to-date with their vaccinations and treatments, like worming
neutered (or if we haven't neutered them for some reason we'll give you a neutering voucher)
microchipped.

We'll check in with you by phone a couple of days after you adopt, and we're always on hand for advice an guidance. Find out more about how we support you and your dog after adoption.

Apply to adopt

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to adopt?

Our fee for adopting a puppy / adult dog is £300 in England, Wales and Scotland, and £287.50 in Northern Ireland. If you are adopting in Northern Ireland, you will also need to get a dog license.

Can I apply to adopt a particular dog?

No. We’ve changed our rehoming process to give all dogs an equal chance to find a family and more dog lovers the opportunity to welcome to a Dogs Trust dog into their home.

Now when you apply to adopt from us, we’ll use the information you give us to look at all available dogs at your local centres and try to find a great match for you.

You can still tell us what kind of dog you’re looking for, including age, breed and size preferences as part of your application. And you can add up to four of your ‘favourite’ dogs into your application on our website to let us know the dogs you like. We’ll take all of this into account as part of the matching process.

Can I get help with my application?

If you have any questions, you can call our Customer Support Centre on 0303 003 0000 (open seven days a week 8.30am-5pm), or visit your local rehoming centre to speak to the team in person. Find out the opening times for your local rehoming centre.

How long will it take to find a match?

We hope to be able to match as many suitable applicants as possible with a dog within three months. But if after three months we haven’t found a match, we’ll ask you to re-apply so that we can get an up-to-date picture on your adoption plans, and how a dog will fit into your life.

How do favourites work?

You can add up to four ‘favourite’ dogs to your application before you submit it. This is not an application for those dogs, but is a really helpful guide for us to understand the types of dogs you’re interested in. Once you’ve submitted your application, if you see another dog you are interested in, you won't need to apply again but you can amend your application by calling us on 0303 003 0000 or visiting your local rehoming centre.

Why aren’t all dogs featured on your website?

As soon as a dog comes into our care, we will review applications we have first. If we can match them with a suitable home out of these applications quickly, they won’t appear on our website. However, we strongly recommend you send in an application, even if there isn’t a dog on our website that immediately catches your eye, as new dogs of all shapes and sizes regularly come into our care, and your application will always be considered.

What if there’s a problem after I adopt?

Please get back in touch with us if you start to struggle with your dog. We offer behaviour advice and support for the whole of your dog’s life, and you can contact us on 0300 303 3738.

Would you take back a dog adopted from you?

We’ll always take back a dog adopted from us, whatever the reason and however long it is since you first adopted from us. If you’re experiencing problems with your dog’s behaviour, we’d first recommend that you contact us for support on 0300 303 3738.

If the problem isn’t behavioural, or if that doesn’t resolve the issue, then please get in contact with us. We’ll listen without judgment and at the end of the call, if you’d still like us to take your dog, we’ll talk you through the next steps. 

How do you match dogs and people?

We want every dog in our care to find the best possible forever home and live a happy life. We get to know each dog in our care and pride ourselves on our thorough behavioural and veterinary assessments which help us match them to the right home. We rehome to all kinds of people and families living in different types of home – it just depends on the needs of the dog.

When we’re reviewing applications, we need to know that you’ll be a responsible owner and that now is the right time for you to adopt. We also need to see that your home set up is suitable for a dog and you’ll be able to meet their exercise, diet and training needs.

We will be honest if we don't feel your circumstances are right to adopt a dog. Otherwise, we’d be doing a disservice to ourselves, our dogs and to you. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to adopt from us in the future if your situation changes.