How to adopt a dog
Everything you need to know about adopting a dog from us.
Is there an empty space on your sofa where a dog should be? This could be the time to look for a new faithful friend.
Adopt a dog from us, and you’ll be doing three brilliant things in one:
- making your life more fun and fulfilling
- giving a loving home to a deserving dog
- helping us to care for even more dogs
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the journey of adopting from us and explain how we match dogs and people.
How our adoption process works
Are you ready?
If you are hoping to welcome a dog into your life, please plan ahead and ensure that a dog will fit into your lifestyle long-term. The first step is to ask yourself if you are ready for a …
Meet our dogs
Now you've decided that you're ready to welcome a new furry friend in your life, it's time to meet the dogs available for adoption.
You can search for a dog based on your location and lifestyle. We have dogs available for adoption across …
Fill out an application
We want to find all our dogs a loving forever family. If you're ready to adopt from us, fill in our application form to tell us …
We'll get in touch with you
Please bear in mind, if you are looking for a very specific breed, size or temperament, or have a very busy household, it may take longer for us to find your perfect match.
Many of the dogs in our care may have had a difficult start in life, or have specific …
Ready to apply?
We want to find all our dogs a loving forever family. If you want to adopt from us, fill in our application form to tell us about you, your lifestyle and your home so we can find you a great match.
Welcoming your dog home
If we mutually decide you and the dog are well suited, then we’ll arrange for you to welcome them into your home.
Your dog will go home with:
- Their Dogs Trust collar and lead
- A dog care handbook
- Microchipping information
- Several days' worth of the dog's current food.
Before your new dog goes to their home, they will be:
- fully health checked
- up-to-date with their vaccinations and treatments, like worming
- neutered (or we’ll give you a voucher towards the cost of neutering to use with your local vet)
- microchipped
How we match dogs and people
We want every dog in our care to find the best possible forever home and live a happy life. We rehome to all kinds of people and families living in different types of home – it just depends on the needs of the dog.
When we’re reviewing applications, we need to know that you’ll be a responsible owner and that now is the right time for you to adopt. We also need to see that your home set up is suitable for a dog and you’ll be able to meet their exercise, diet and training needs.
We will be honest if we don't feel your circumstances are right to adopt a dog. Otherwise, we’d be doing a disservice to ourselves, our dogs and to you. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to adopt from us in the future if your situation changes.
What we ask of you
We rehome based on the needs of the dog, but there are some rules that we always stick to.
We:
- will only rehome to primary adopters who are 18 years of age and over
- ask that everyone in your household agrees to the adoption
- don’t use any aversive training methods – such as anti-bark or shock collars. We won’t rehome to families who wish to use them once they have a dog. (If you’d like to train your dog using positive reinforcement, check out our Dog School classes)
- won’t rehome to a person, or household containing a person, who has an unspent conviction for offences relating to animals.
We also ask you:
- to check with your landlord before reserving a dog, if applicable
- to ensure that the adopter chooses the dog themselves – we won’t agree to someone adopting a dog as a gift
- to agree to continue with any behavioural rehabilitation or training we recommend
- to ensure that your dog has access to a suitable outside space for exercise and toilet breaks.
Ongoing support
Find out more about the support available for you and your dog after adoption.
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Our support doesn't end the day you take your dog home. Find out how we can help you and your pooch post-adoption.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the rehoming process take?
Every adoption is treated as an individual case, so the length of the process can vary depending on a number of factors.
What if there’s a problem after I adopt?
Please get back in touch with us if you start to struggle with your dog. We can offer behaviour advice and support, …
How much does it cost to adopt a dog?
Our adoption fee is €220 for adult dogs and this fee helps us to cover the costs of caring for over 1,500 dogs every …
Can I adopt a puppy?
Yes! However we don’t usually add their rehoming profiles to our website as they change in appearance so quickly. Find …
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