Although our centres are closed, a lot of our work is carrying on behind the scenes. We’re working closely with DEFRA and other animal organisations on Covid-19 animal welfare guidance. Dogs in our centres are still being cared for. And we’re keeping our staff safe by working in new and different ways. 

We’re committed to making sure our workplaces and venues open to customers are Covid-secure. Here's how

Some of our usual services have been affected by Coronavirus lockdown restrictions. But we’re still here for you and your dog. If you need urgent support, contact us on 0303 003 0000 or at [email protected]. We’ll do everything we can to help. 

Check this page for updates, as the situation changes.  

Rehoming

Our rehoming centres are closed to the public. We’re running a reduced rehoming service that includes virtual matching, contact-free dog drop off to new homes, and some appointments at our centres. Find out more.

Thinking about getting a dog? Our guide will help you decide if you're 'dog ready.'

Giving up your dog

We know that life rarely goes according to plan, and things don’t always work out, including owning a dog. If you’re thinking you may need to give your dog up for adoption, then please call us on 0300 303 2188 or contact us via our form. We’re here to help you make the right decision for your dog. More information about giving up your dog

Dog School

All Dog School classes are currently suspended. Take a look at our online training tips and videos.

Events

Any public events we had planned have been postponed.

Charity Shops

Six of our charity shops have reopened, with new safety measures in place to keep our staff and supporters safe. Safety measures include: limiting the number of customers in our shops at one time, in-store hand sanitising stations, face masks and gloves provided for our staff; and 72-hour quarantine on donated goods. More info on how we’re making our shops COVID-secure.

The six shops now open for shopping and to accept donations are: Rayleigh, Colchester, Stratford upon Avon, Bingham, Portchester (donation centre), Marlborough. More info and opening times. Reopening these few shops will help us understand when it’s the right time to reopen more of our charity shops.

The rest of our shops remain closed for the time being, and for the moment we can’t accept pre-loved donations at these locations. We’re also not able to restart our ‘collect at home’ service yet. We’ll update this page as soon as that changes, or if you’d like to be notified when your local shop is ready for donations, , email [email protected].

Shared Adoption Scheme

Due to Coronavirus we have had to change the way we run our shared adoption support scheme. If you are part of the scheme, read more about how these changes could affect you.

Fostering

We’ve been overwhelmed by offers to foster our dogs during this crisis! If you have provided a foster home - thank you. We’re also grateful to everyone who’s applied to become a foster carer, and we’ll be in touch if we match you with a suitable dog. 

Interested in fostering but haven’t applied yet? Right now, we’re only accepting new applications from experienced dog owners, who don’t have other pets or children in their home. We’ll update this page as soon as that changes.

We are recruiting foster carers for our Freedom Project, which fosters dogs whose owners are seeking refuge from domestic abuse. New applicants must have a garden, as well as no other pets in the home, and be able to commit to fostering for at least 6-9 months. For more information and to apply, visit www.dogstrustfreedomproject.org.uk.

Volunteering

We’ve been overwhelmed with offers of help from the dog-loving public. Thank you! 

The current Government advice means we’re not able to accept any new volunteers at the moment. We are asking our existing volunteers to stay at home and keep safe. 

Hope & Freedom Project

Our community outreach projects are more important than ever during this crisis. We’re still running vital services but with restricted resources, and extra safety measures in place.

If you, or someone you are supporting, needs help - please get in touch for urgent, confidential advice: 

• The Hope Project provides support for dog owners who are homeless or in housing crisis.
• The Freedom Project provides a pet fostering service for dog owners fleeing domestic abuse.