Sponsor a Dog FAQs
About the Sponsorship Scheme
Setting Up a Sponsorship
General Questions
What is my sponsorship money used for?
Your sponsorship contributions are used to help your sponsor dog and all the dogs in our care. The money is used to cover the costs of running the Rehoming Centre, costs such as heating the kennels and washing the dogs' bedding. The money also goes towards food for the dogs, training and medical care - all with the ultimate goal of finding each dog a loving home.
Back to the top
Why can't all the dogs be visited?
Some of the dogs in our care become very stressed by unfamiliar people and situations. To give these dogs the happy life they deserve, we have to ensure they have a comfortable and familiar routine.
With some of the dogs listed as visitable, the visits do not involve interaction with the dog but sponsors are able to view the dog in its kennel.
Back to the top
Will I be my dog's only sponsor?
Dogs Trust Sponsor a Dog is a co-sponsorship scheme with a number of people sponsoring each dog. Your money will go towards helping all the dogs in our care, including the dog you have chosen to sponsor.
Back to the top
How often will I hear from my sponsor dog?
Your sponsor dog will send you updates three times a year; at Christmas, Valentines day, and again in the summertime.
Back to the top
Will my dog send me a birthday card?
No, sponsor dogs don't send birthday cards but you will receive a Valentines card and a card at Christmas.
Back to the top
Can I sponsor a dog as a gift for someone else?
Yes. If signing up online, please register using your details first and then tick the 'Gift’ box on the 'Selected Dogs' screen. The gift recipient will then receive all of the sponsorship details in their name.
If completing the paper form, please put your details at the top of the form, and the gift recipient's details in box number 3.
Back to the top
I want to sponsor a dog but I don't have a bank account. How can I pay?
While Direct Debit is the cheapest and easiest way of making your contributions, you can also pay by cheque, postal order, CAF or online by credit card. If you choose to pay by any of these methods we would be grateful if you paid the sponsorship annually to keep our administration costs down.
If you cannot send a cheque, please send your contributions by postal order (available at the Post Office) rather than cash as cash can be lost or stolen in the post. Please be sure to write your name, address and supporter number (if known) on the back of every payment that you send to us so we know that it is from you.
Back to the top
Can I sign up to sponsor a dog online and then send you my cheque or postal order?
Signing up for sponsorship online will require direct debit or credit card details. If you want to send your contribution by cheque or postal order, please click the following link to download an application form that you can print and send to us with your payment. Click here to download a form (PDF file). You may need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view this. (This link opens in a new browser window)
Back to the top
Do I need to fill out the payment frequency section on the paper application form even if I do not want to pay by Direct Debit?
Yes. This section tells us how much you wish to pay, and how often we can expect to receive these payments from you.
Back to the top
Do you send out donation reminders?
We try to contact sponsors we have not heard from but it costs us less in administration costs if you sponsor by direct debit - this also helps us to plan our funds for the future.
Back to the top
Do I send the details of my Direct Debit to the bank?
No. If you are completing the Direct Debit form online, please press the ‘proceed’ button, and we will instruct your bank for you.
If you are completing the paper form, please post it directly to us and we will pass it to your bank.
Back to the top
Do I need to give you my telephone number?
You do not have to supply us with your telephone number but by doing so it will allow us to contact you quickly should we have a query about your sponsorship.
Back to the top
Why do I need to give my date of birth?
This will help us to know more about you and send you news from Dogs Trust that will be relevant to you (e.g. we try to exclude children from our appeal mailings).
Back to the top
I am having difficulties setting up my sponsorship.
Please contact the Sponsor A Dog team on 020 7837 0006 and we'll be happy to help you set up your dog sponsorship.
Back to the top
I'd like to find out the address of a Rehoming Centre.
Simply click on the following link and you will be taken to a page displaying a map of all our UK centres. Select from the dropdown box the Rehoming Centre you would like details about and it will display all the address and contact details.
Click here for the page of rehoming centres.
Alternatively get in touch with Dogs Trust on 020 7837 0006 and we will be able to help you with any of your enquiries.
Back to the top
Why does the Dogs Trust web site use cookies?
Dogs Trust use cookies to follow your journey within our site. We will not track you once you have left our site.
When visiting our site through clicking online advertisements a temporary cookie is placed on your PC and will remain for 30 days. This cookie does not contain any personal information and is only to allow us to monitor our advertising campaigns and invest funds with a greater knowledge of the likely outcome.
Back to the top
Do you use professional fundraisers?
Yes, we do. With our funding coming from voluntary donations it is vital that we continue to attract new supporters if we are to give more and more lost and abandoned dogs the second chance they deserve.
We have found that speaking to people about the work that we do is a great way for us to not only raise funds but to also raise awareness. For this reason we have dedicated teams of fundraisers who speak to supporters either by going door to door, in venues such as shopping centres and supermarkets, or over the phone. Dogs Trust is working towards the day when all dogs can enjoy a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction, and the work of these fundraisers is vital in bringing us closer to this day. Find out more about fundraising and meet our fundraisers.
Back to the top