Merlin

In our form you can tell us all about your home, your lifestyle and the kind of dogs you’re interested in. You won’t be applying for a specific dog, but you can add favourites to give us an idea of the dogs you like. We’ll use this information to find a great match for you.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.