Thank you for your interest in rehoming a Battersea dog. Rescue dogs have so much love to give and deserve a second chance of a happy home.
Answers to the most frequently asked questions that we receive about our dog rehoming process can be found below.
Registering to rehome
You can start the process by registering online. We’ll ask you questions to find out more about your life and household, and to help us determine the sort of dog you’re looking for. This information will help us match you up with the right dog for you.
We have a simple four-step rehoming process that explains every stage in the journey to finding a pet – learn more about our rehoming process.
Firstly, we’re so pleased you’ve seen a dog you like on our website!
We would be delighted to register you and see if you match up with this dog. Here at Battersea, we assess all of our dogs individually and create a rehoming profile for them. We’ll then use this profile and the information you give us during your registration to match you up with a dog that we think would be best for you.
This may not always be the dog you thought it would be, which is why we ask that you see the registration form as a way of registering your interest in rehoming, not an application for a specific animal. We’re experts in making sure we find the right home for our dogs and the right dog for your home.
We’re always happy to talk about our dogs and understand you might want more information than is on our website about a particular individual. However, as we have specific rehoming criteria for each dog under our care, we like to have these discussions after your registration.
At this point, we’ll also have your criteria and can then determine whether we think a dog is a good match for you, as well as potentially make you aware of other dogs we think may be your ideal pet.
Our rehoming fee is £200 for dogs (over six months), £320 for a pair of dogs, or £275 for puppies (under six months). We accept cash or debit/credit card as payment (we are unable to accept cheques). Included in this cost are the following:
- Microchipping
- Initial vaccinations, flea and worming treatment
- Neutering
- A collar, identification tag and lead
- Starter pack of food, advice and special offers
- Four weeks’ free Petplan insurance as your dog settles into their new surroundings
Something to bear in mind is that our rehoming fee is just the beginning of the costs involved with owning a dog. We would recommend that before making the decision to rehome, you investigate the costs of pet food, pet insurance, grooming and fees at your local veterinary centre so that you are fully prepared for the financial implications of bringing a dog into your home.
Here at Battersea, we aim to match you with the best dog for you, and so the time it takes can really vary! Rehoming a rescue dog might take a little more time, a little more patience and a little more effort, but once we do find them, you’ll be glad you waited for that perfect dog to come along.
At the moment, we have fewer dogs and cats than usual available to rehome and reduced staff, so it may take longer to find you a new companion. Please register your details with us and we’ll start you on the journey to finding your new pet.
We’d also recommend registering with other local rescue centres in addition to Battersea. You can find a list of alternative UK rescue centres here.
Yes, service dogs are not featured on our website. If you are interested in rehoming a service dog, please email animalpartners@battersea.org.uk or call our team on 020 7627 7886. Please note that we do not rehome dogs for personal security.
Your circumstances
Here at Battersea, we match you up with a dog we feel would be best for you and your whole family. When we assess our dogs, we consider any information we have from their previous owners and their behaviour with us to determine what age of children we feel they would be suitable for.
Some of our dogs are not suited to living with children. Should you have your heart set on a particular dog from our website that is sadly not right for your family, we will do our best to find another dog – the right dog – for all of you.
In all rehoming cases, we take your safety and the safety of our animals very seriously, so we can be cautious about rehoming to families with young children. This doesn’t mean there won’t be a dog that’s suitable for your family, but unfortunately it might be harder for us to find you one.
Congratulations, we’re so pleased you would like to add a dog to your expanding family!
We recommend you consider rehoming a dog once your baby has arrived. This is because it can take up to several months for a dog to completely settle in with their new home and family. Having a newborn baby brought into their environment soon after being rehomed can be very stressful for a dog. It’s one of the reasons many new parents feel they can no longer keep their dogs.
Please also bear in mind that we can be cautious about rehoming to families with young children – for your family’s safety and the safety of the dog. This means it might be harder for us to find you an animal.
A lot of the animals we rehome need owners with first-hand experience as they have unique needs, and in some cases, require specialist care. Matching you to the right animal is important to us, so it can mean that if you haven’t owned a pet before it might take us longer to find you a perfect match.
Don’t worry, if we can’t find the right dog for you, we’ll direct you to other ways to continue your search beyond Battersea.
Should you be moving quite soon, we may recommend you wait until after you have moved and settled in before rehoming a new dog. This is because it can take up to several months for a rescue dog to completely settle in with their new home and family. A change in your new dog’s environment can be very stressful for them.
You are still welcome to register now and continue with the next steps of finding the right dog for you after you've moved.
Should you have a holiday planned soon, we may recommend you wait until after you return before bringing a new dog home. This is because it can take time for a rescue dog to completely settle in with their new home and family. If you’re going on holiday, your new dog would likely have to stay in boarding kennels or have unknown people look after them, which would be very stressful for them so soon after leaving a rescue kennel environment.
You are still welcome to register now and continue the with the next steps of finding the right dog for you after you return.
Battersea has many foster carers who provide safe and calm foster homes for dogs who need some time away from the kennel environment.
Unfortunately we do not allow dogs to be rehomed as surprises, as this is one of the main reasons that dogs are brought into us by their owners.
Adding a new dog as a member to your family is a big commitment, so it’s important that every member of the household is fully on board with the reality of having a dog and the personality of the dog itself, including any behavioural or medical challenges it could have.
The new home
If you live in a flat, you can still rehome a dog – in fact, many of our dogs have happily gone to live with new owners in flats.
During the registration process we’ll ask you what property type you live in. We treat all people who register with us as individuals as we recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different. We’ll use all the information you give us to match you up with a dog that we think would be best for you and your home.
Please be aware that even if you have your heart set on a specific dog, it may be that we do not feel that a flat is the right environment for them. If that’s the case, it doesn’t mean there won’t be another dog that’s suitable for your home and circumstances. Rest assured, should we not find an animal for you, we offer plenty of guidance to help you continue your search beyond Battersea.
During the registration process we’ll ask you about any outside space your property has. We treat all people who register with us and our dogs as individuals as we recognise that everyone’s circumstances are different. We’ll use all the information you give us to match you up with a dog that we think would be best for you and your home.
If you live in a home without access to a garden, it doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t be able to find you a dog, but we want to be honest that it’s likely to take much longer. Many of our dogs will need to live in a home with a garden to give them the best possible quality of life.
If we’re unable to find you a companion, please consider registering with another rescue centre.
After registering, we might ask for photos or videos of your home or garden. This is decided on a case-by-case basis, for example we may want to check that your garden is suitable to exercise an energetic dog. If you live in rented accommodation, we may ask you to provide written permission from your landlord or housing authority, confirming that they are happy for you to keep a pet in the property.
Living with other animals
Yes, we sometimes rehome dogs to homes that already have a dog.
Many of the animals we see at Battersea thrive in homes where they’re the only pet. Each animal that comes into Battersea is different, so it doesn’t mean we won’t find a dog for you, but it might take us longer. In some cases, it might not be possible at all. We always want to ensure the health and happiness of all the animals involved, including your current pets.
Rescue pets are the best pets, so if you’d like to expand your search, you’ll find a list of other rescue centres who may be able to find you a pet here.
