2. Giving up your dog – our process

What to expect if you give up your dog

We know that life can change and that might mean you can no longer care for your dog.

This is a tough decision – and we won’t judge you for needing to find your dog a new home. Asking us for help, as soon as you need it, is the most responsible thing you can do for them.

We have different options depending on what suits your circumstances.  

  • Continue caring for your dog while we find them a home. With our Homestay service, your dog stays with you in your home while we look for their new home, meaning we don’t need to wait for a kennel or foster home to become available. When you get in touch with us, we’ll discuss this option with you.
  • Alternatively you may prefer your dog to come into our care, staying in kennels or temporary foster care, until we can match them with a new family.

Please contact our team using the form below, letting us know which option you prefer, and we will take you through the next steps.   

Giving up your dog – what happens when I get in touch?

What happens once you've decided to give up your dog to Dogs Trust? We'll take you through the process from your first contact to finding your dog a new home.

  1. 1

    Contact us

    We understand what a difficult call this might be. Our staff will listen without judgment and help you make the right decision for your dog. We may be able to give you advice on managing the issue that has led to you considering rehoming. 

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    We understand what a difficult call this might be. Our staff will listen without judgment and help you make the right decision for your dog. We may be able to give you advice on managing the issue that has led to you considering rehoming. 

    Whatever the situation, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. The earlier you contact us, the more support options we have available.

    If we decide together that rehoming your dog is the best thing to do, we’ll take your details to pass to your local rehoming team and they’ll contact you as soon as they can to discuss your situation in more detail. We aim to get in touch within 72 hours. 

    If you could continue caring for your dog while we find them a home, we may be able to help more quickly. With our Homestay service, your dog stays with you in your home while we look for their new home, meaning we don’t need to wait for a kennel or foster home to become available. If you would like to consider Homestay, please let a member of our team know, or select this option on the form. 

    Call us on 0300 303 2188 or complete our form

  2. 2

    Your assessment call

    Someone from your nearest rehoming team will call you to talk through the options available to you. We'll listen without judgment and help you make the right decision for your dog. 

    If we agree that rehoming your dog is the right thing to do, we’ll ask you to fill...

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    Someone from your nearest rehoming team will call you to talk through the options available to you. We'll listen without judgment and help you make the right decision for your dog. 

    If we agree that rehoming your dog is the right thing to do, we’ll ask you to fill in our handover form. Once this is done, we’ll book an appointment for you to bring your dog to us for further assessment. 

  3. 3

    Your assessment meeting

    If we decide together that giving up your dog is best for both of you, we’ll arrange a meeting.  

    When you meet the rehoming team, we’ll ask you more about your dog’s likes and dislikes. We’ll usually take them for a short walk to see how they react around other...

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    If we decide together that giving up your dog is best for both of you, we’ll arrange a meeting.  

    When you meet the rehoming team, we’ll ask you more about your dog’s likes and dislikes. We’ll usually take them for a short walk to see how they react around other dogs and people. All this information helps us to see if your dog is going to be happy in kennels, and what they need in a new home. If you have chosen Homestay, this will help us understand more about the type of home your dog needs.  

    You’ll need to show us any veterinary records you have, including vaccination certificates and microchip details. We’ll let you know straight away if we can take your dog. If we can, you may have to wait until we have a kennel available, which could take a few weeks depending on the centre.  

    If your dog is coming into kennels, we recommend bringing their favourite bedding and a few of their toys to the Rehoming Centre, to help them feel more comfortable.  

    If you have chosen Homestay, you’ll take your dog home and continue to care for them whilst we get to work finding them a new home.

    Whatever option you choose, we’ll do everything we can to help you and your dog as quickly as possible.  

    If we can’t take your dog, we’ll advise you on other options. There’s more information in our questions and answers section below about why we wouldn’t be able to take a dog.

  4. 4

    Bring your dog to us

    We’ll organise a time for you to bring your dog into our care.

    You’ll need to sign some paperwork to officially transfer the dog across to us. We’ll take good care of them from there.

    If you choose Homestay, you will remain legally responsible for your dog until...

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    We’ll organise a time for you to bring your dog into our care.

    You’ll need to sign some paperwork to officially transfer the dog across to us. We’ll take good care of them from there.

    If you choose Homestay, you will remain legally responsible for your dog until we call you to let you know we have found them a new home. You’ll need to bring your dog to the Rehoming Centre to transfer ownership to us, but, they dog will not spend any time in kennels as we will arrange the transfer from your home to their new one.

Dog advice

Talk to our team for friendly advice.

If you are struggling and need to give up your dog, or if you want to speak to someone for advice, we are just a phone call away. We’ll listen without judgment and talk you through the next steps.  

If you need to return a dog you've adopted from us, we'll do everything to help you and your new dog stay together. But if there's an issue that can't be overcome, we’ll always take back a dog adopted from us. 

Call us on 0300 303 2188 or

Complete our form

Have you explored the alternative options available before giving up your dog?

How much does it cost to give up a dog?

Giving up your dog to Dogs Trust is free. It won't cost you a penny. If you'd like to donate to support our work, we'd be grateful, but it's not required. 

Will you definitely take my dog?

Our aim is to find a new home for every dog that needs one. But in some situations, we may not be able to take your dog.  

Our kennels are often full, and many dogs need special support and training from our staff to help them overcome their fears and worries. This limits the number of dogs we’re able to help at one time, so you may have to wait a while for a space to be available. If your dog is aggressive towards people, it’s very unlikely that a rehoming centre is the right place for them.

If we think your dog will be unhappy in kennels, then we’ll talk to you about what options there are. We have a limited number of spaces in our foster scheme, where foster carers look after dogs at home, so this might be an option. Or, if you could continue caring for your dog while we find them a home, we may be able to help more quickly. With our Homestay service, your dog stays with you in your home while we look for their new home, meaning we don’t need to wait for a kennel or foster home to become available. 

I want to give up an aggressive dog. Can you help?

Our aim is to find a new home for every dog that needs one, and we take in all kinds of dogs. As we have an experienced behavioural team, we can support dogs with specific needs. However, there is a limit to the number of dogs with behavioural issues that we can take at any one time. 

In our centres, dogs often share kennels. If your dog is aggressive towards other dogs, you may need to wait until a kennel is free just for them. If your dog reacts aggressively, then a rehoming centre may not be the best place for them. If we think your dog will be unhappy in kennels, then we’ll talk to you about what options there are. We have a limited number of spaces in foster homes, through our Home from Home scheme, so this might be an option.  

If your dog is aggressive towards people, it is very unlikely that a rehoming centre is the right place for them. We have a duty of care towards our staff, volunteers and adopters, so we may not be able to take them at all. In these situations, we can offer advice on how you can manage your dog’s behaviour. We may recommend that you speak to your vet for referral to a behaviour expert. 

Would you take back a dog adopted from Dogs Trust?

We’ll always take back a dog adopted from us, whatever the reason and however long it is since you first adopted from us. If you’re experiencing problems with your dog’s behaviour, we’d first recommend that you contact us for support on 0300 303 3738.   

If the problem isn’t behavioural, or if that doesn’t resolve the issue, then please get in contact with us. We’ll listen without judgment and at the end of the call, if you’d still like us to take your dog, we’ll talk you through the next steps.