Adoption guide · 6 short guides
Adopting a dog
Everything worth knowing before, during and after adopting a dog.
Before you adopt · 3 min read
Adopting a dog
Every rescue does things a little differently, but most dog adoptions follow the same shape. Knowing it in advance makes the wait easier, and helps you ask the right questions.
Finding a dog
Start with the dogs near you, and read each listing properly. A rescue’s description is usually written by someone who has walked, fed and handled the dog. It may say a dog needs to be the only pet, needs a home without young children, pulls on the lead, or can’t be left for long. Those notes are there to help the dog stay in their next home, so take them at their word. If something isn’t clear, ask the rescue before you apply.
A listing may say
- Needs to be the only pet
- No young children
- Pulls on the lead
- Can’t be left for long
Some rescues keep their dogs in kennels you can visit by appointment; many keep them in foster homes. Either way, you usually meet a dog after applying, not by dropping in.
Applying
Most rescues ask about your home and your days: who lives with you, other pets, whether you rent (and whether your landlord agrees), your garden and fencing, and how long a dog would be left alone. None of this is a test you pass with the “right” answers. It’s how the rescue matches a dog to a home where they’ll stay.
What the rescue asks about
- Who lives with you
- Other pets
- Renting and your landlord
- Garden and fencing
- Time left alone
A home check usually follows, in person or by video. It’s a friendly visit, and a good time to ask your own questions.
Meeting the dog
Expect at least one meeting, often more for a nervous dog. If you have a dog already, the rescue will usually want them to meet on neutral ground first. Ask the people caring for the dog what they’re like at home, on walks and when left.
Bringing them home
When everyone is happy, you’ll agree a date, sign an adoption agreement and pay the adoption fee. Some rescues start with a short trial or a foster-to-adopt period. Our guide to the first weeks at home covers getting ready.
The legal basics
In the UK a dog must be microchipped, with the chip registered to the keeper, so update the details when you adopt; the rescue will tell you how. In a public place a dog must wear a collar with a tag giving the owner’s name and address. In Northern Ireland you also need a dog licence from your council.
Before you adopt · 2 min read
A puppy or an adult dog?
Puppies are hard to resist, and rescues do have them. But an adult dog is often the easier match, and the safer bet if you want to know what you’re getting.
What a puppy asks of you
A puppy needs someone at home for most of the day for the first months: house training, frequent meals, short bursts of play and a lot of sleep. They chew everything, and they need to meet people, dogs, traffic and ordinary household noise calmly while they’re young, which takes planning. Until their vaccinations are finished, they can’t walk where other dogs have been.
You won’t know a puppy’s adult size or temperament for certain, especially if the parents are unknown.
What an adult dog offers
With an adult, what you see is largely what you get. The rescue can usually tell you their size, energy, how they are with other dogs, cats and children, how long they can be left, and how they walk on a lead. Many are already house trained.
Adult dogs still need time to settle, and some come with habits to work on. But the rescue will usually know about them, and tell you.
What the rescue can usually tell you
- Size
- Energy
- With other dogs, cats and children
- How long they can be left
- How they walk on a lead
Somewhere in between
Adolescent dogs, roughly six months to two years old, are the most common age in many rescues. They have a puppy’s energy and a teenager’s attention span, and they’re often given up for it. With patience, training and enough exercise, most grow out of it.
How to choose
Think about your days, not just your heart. Ask yourself:
- Is someone at home most of the day, every day, for the next six months?
- Do you want to train from scratch, or would you rather start with a dog who knows the basics?
- How much exercise can you give, every day, in all weathers?
If the honest answer points to an adult, that’s a good thing: adult dogs wait longer for homes than puppies do.
Tip: ask the rescue what they know about the puppy’s parents: size and temperament are hard to guess otherwise.
Before you adopt · 1 min read
Adopting an older dog
Older dogs wait longest in rescue. Many are there through no fault of their own: an owner who died, went into care, or could no longer cope. They often make the easiest companions of all.
Who counts as older
It depends on size. A small dog may be considered older from about ten, a large dog from seven or eight. Rescues often call them “golden oldies” or “seniors”.
What they’re like
Most older dogs are calm, house trained, and happy with a couple of shorter walks a day and a comfortable bed. They tend to settle quickly and fit into a household without fuss. Many are fine left for a few hours, and many are good with grandchildren and visitors.
Their health
Older dogs are more likely to need some care: stiff joints, dental work, a heart murmur or a thyroid condition that needs daily tablets. The rescue will usually have had them checked by a vet, and will tell you what they know. Ask for the vet records.
Some rescues help with the cost of a known condition, or place older dogs as “forever fosters”, where the rescue keeps paying vet bills and you give the home.
The costs to plan for
Insurance costs more for an older dog, and an existing condition is usually excluded. Some people put money aside each month instead. Ask the rescue whether the dog’s condition is covered by any support they offer.
“Giving a dog a warm, settled end to their life, whatever happened before.”
Time together
You may have fewer years together than with a young dog, and some people find that hard to face. Others find it the most rewarding adoption they’ve made: giving a dog a warm, settled end to their life, whatever happened before.
Before you adopt · 2 min read
Adopting a greyhound or lurcher
Greyhounds and lurchers are among the most common dogs in UK rescue. Many greyhounds retire from racing at three to five years old, and lurchers (sighthound crosses) are often given up when they don’t suit the work they were bred for. Several rescues specialise in them.
What they’re like at home
Despite their speed, most are gentle, quiet and lazy indoors, often called “40 mph couch potatoes”. Two walks a day and a soft bed suit most of them. They’re usually calm with people and other dogs.
They have thin coats and little body fat, so many need a coat in cold weather and a padded bed. Some ex-racers have never lived in a house before, so stairs, glass doors and household noise can be new to them.
“40 mph couch potatoes.”
Cats and small animals
Sighthounds are bred to chase. Some live happily with cats, many can’t. Rescues often “cat test” their dogs, and the listing may say “cat safe”, “cat trainable” or “not suitable with cats”. Take that seriously, and ask what the test involved.
What the listing may say
- Cat safe
- Cat trainable
- Not suitable with cats
Off the lead
A greyhound or lurcher can be out of earshot in seconds, and may not come back once they’re chasing. Many rescues ask that they’re kept on a lead, or let off only in an enclosed field. A martingale collar, which tightens a little, stops them slipping out of it: their heads are narrower than their necks.
Ex-racing greyhounds
A retired racer usually comes with a known age and an ear tattoo. They may not have met children, other breeds or the inside of a home, so the first weeks are about small, calm introductions. Our guide to settling in applies doubly.
Before you apply
Ask the rescue:
- How is the dog with cats, small dogs and children?
- How do they walk on a lead, and how is their recall?
- How long can they be left?
- Do they need a coat, and is one included?
Before you adopt · 2 min read
Adopting a dog rescued from abroad
Some UK rescues bring dogs from other countries, often Romania, Cyprus, Greece and Spain, where many street and shelter dogs need homes. Rescue Pet Finder only lists dogs that are already in the UK, but many of those came from abroad, and it’s worth knowing what that means.
Where the dog is now
A dog already in the UK will usually be in a foster home or kennels here, so you can meet them before you commit. A dog still abroad is adopted from photos and videos, and arrives after transport, which some rescues offer. We recommend you meet the dog in person before adoption.
Good to know
Rescue Pet Finder only lists dogs that are already in the UK.
Health checks and tests
Dogs from abroad can carry diseases that are rare in the UK. Ask the rescue:
Insect- and tick-borne diseases
Which tests the dog has had, and when: for example for leishmaniasis, heartworm, ehrlichia and babesia, which are spread by insects or ticks in southern Europe.
Brucella canis
Whether the dog has been tested for Brucella canis, a bacterial infection found in dogs from Eastern Europe. The UK government advises testing imported dogs, because it can pass to people and other dogs.
Vaccinations, treatments and papers
What vaccinations, worming and tick treatment they’ve had, and whether they have a pet passport or health certificate.
A responsible rescue will answer these without fuss and show you the results.
Behaviour
Street dogs are often good with other dogs and wary of new things: traffic, stairs, being handled, or men in hats. Some have never worn a collar or been inside a house. Most adapt well with time and patience, but the first weeks are about building trust, not training.
Support after adoption
Ask what happens if it doesn’t work out. A good rescue will take the dog back, and help you with behaviour or health problems for the life of the dog. Be wary of anyone who won’t.
Tip: always ask if the dog is already in the UK.
Bringing them home · 2 min read
Settling in a dog
How to give a dog a calm start: a quiet base, a simple routine, short walks, and time before anything new.
A new home is a big change for any dog, and most dogs in rescue have had several changes already. The first weeks set the tone. Go slowly and keep things dull: a dog who is given time usually settles faster than one who is shown everything at once.
Before day one
Before they arrive
Choose a quiet corner as their base, away from the front door and the busiest part of the house. Put a bed there, and water nearby. If the rescue has used a crate, set one up with the door open and a blanket over it.
Check your garden for gaps under fences and gates, and decide
- where the dog will sleep
- where they’ll eat
- who will walk them when
Ask the rescue what food the dog is used to, and keep to it at first. If you change food later, do it over a week or so.
Day one
The first days
Bring the dog home on a day when you can stay in. Let them sniff around on a lead or a long line first, then let them choose where to settle. Many dogs sleep a great deal in the first few days; some can’t settle at all. Both are normal.
Keep visitors away for now, and keep the routine simple: the same times for meals, walks and bed. Short, quiet walks on familiar routes are better than long outings to busy places.
From a few minutes
Being left alone
Even a dog who was fine on their own before may worry in a new home. Build up from a few minutes, coming and going calmly, before you leave them for longer. If they bark, howl or chew at the door, shorten the time and ask the rescue for help.
Step by step
Other pets and children
Introduce a resident dog on neutral ground, then at home with both on leads, then supervised time together. Keep cats and dogs apart at first, with a gate between them, and only let them share a room when both are calm. Teach children to leave the dog alone when they’re eating, sleeping or in their bed.
- On neutral ground
- At home, both on leads
- Supervised time together
Practical first steps
- Update the microchip registration with your details, and put an ID tag on their collar.
- Register with a vet, and book a check-up if the rescue recommends one.
- Arrange insurance from day one if you’re going to have it.
- Hold off on off-lead walks until the dog reliably comes back to you, and until you know how they react to other dogs.
When to ask for help
Most dogs show their real character after a few weeks, and some take months. If a dog stops eating for more than a day, or seems unwell, call a vet. For behaviour worries, your rescue is a good first call: they want this to work as much as you do, and many offer help for the life of the dog.