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Choosing a dog or a puppy from a rehoming centre

Dogs and puppies find themselves in a Rehoming Centre for all sorts of reasons and often through no fault of their own. It may be because their owners have passed away, gone into sheltered accommodation or divorced. Often people choose the wrong type of dog for their lifestyle and find that they cannot cope. Whole litters of unplanned puppies arrive when their owner cannot find new homes for them. 

Rehoming an unwanted dog gives you a great sense of pride; you will not only have a pet that is a joy to own, but you will have helped by freeing up kennel space so that many other dogs can find new homes as well.

The adoption procedure at Dogs Trust

• You will need to fill in a questionnaire, so that the Rehoming Centre staff can find out more about you and help you to decide what kind of dog will suit you best. They know the dogs in their care very well and will be able to recommend likely individuals for your lifestyle.

• Keep an open mind. There may be a dog that you wouldn’t normally consider that would be the perfect match for you.

• Have a look around at all of the different dogs available. Don’t worry if you can’t find one you like on your first visit. It is worth waiting to make sure you make the right decision. Remember that if you find a dog you like, you won’t be able to take him home straight away.

• Your home will be visited by a member of the Rehoming Centre’s staff. If there are any concerns (about the height of your fence for example) they will let you know so that you can fix it.

• You may need to attend a pre-adoption talk (especially if you’ve never had a dog before) just so that you can be prepared for anything in the coming months.

Visit the Rehoming section of our website for more information.