Rescue guide
Dog rescues in Sussex near Brighton, compared
Brighton has no dog rescue on our list inside the city, and until this update we showed almost no dogs within 19 miles of it. Four Sussex rescues now list their dogs with us: Raystede near Ringmer, Wadars around Worthing, Holbrook near Horsham and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down. Here is how each one works, what it asks, and which charities you will need to search separately.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
For a rescue dog near Brighton, start with Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, about 10 miles away near Ringmer, which charges £300 for an adult dog. Wadars rehomes dogs around Worthing for £280, while Holbrook Animal Rescue near Horsham and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down ask for a donation instead. Dogs Trust Shoreham and the RSPCA's Brighton branch also rehome dogs, on their own sites.
- Rescue adoption fees
- Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over and £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.
- Raystede
- £300 for a dog of 7 months or more, £350 for a puppy, both with 4 weeks of Petplan cover.
- Wadars
- £280 over six months, £300 at six months or under; neutered, vaccinated and chipped.
- Holbrook and The Kit Wilson Trust
- No fixed fee: Holbrook asks for a donation, and Kit Wilson a donation of your choice.
- Buying a puppy
- Blue Cross puts the price of the puppy itself at £400 to £3,000.
- Keeping a dog
- PDSA puts a dog's lifetime cost at £6,200 to £18,800 or more (2024 figures).
Sussex dog rescues near Brighton compared
All four rescues below join our Brighton pages with this update, so their dogs appear as it goes live. Distances are straight-line from Brighton. You apply to the rescue, and it runs its own checks.
| Rescue | Where the dogs are | How you start | Dog fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare | Kennels near Ringmer, East Sussex (about 10 miles) | One online application, then invited to meet | £300, puppies £350 |
| Wadars | Commercial kennels where needed until its Patching kennels are built; Worthing area (about 10 miles) | Phone chat, then meet the dog | £280, puppies £300 |
| Holbrook Animal Rescue | A family home near Horsham, West Sussex (about 18 miles) | Online form for the dog; no phone calls | Donation |
| The Kit Wilson Trust | Rescue centre at Hadlow Down, East Sussex (about 18 miles) | Register by phone or online, appointment | Donation of your choice |
How each rescue near Brighton works
The big differences are how you first make contact and whether you can meet dogs before being matched. If a dog catches your eye, check that rescue's notes first.
Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, Ringmer
Raystede sits on the B2192 between Ringmer and Halland, five miles north-east of Lewes, and says it takes in and rehomes over 1,000 animals a year. You fill in one application and then email about any dog you spot; booking a visitor ticket does not get you a meeting.
Its dog FAQs are frank: it can't reply to every form, and if two weeks pass without word about a dog, assume someone else was the better match. Most of its dogs need a garden, 80% need extra training and support, and it tries not to rehome a dog to the area it came from. Renters need the landlord's permission before a reservation.
Wadars, Worthing
Wadars has worked across Worthing and West Sussex for more than five decades and is moving from Ferring to Willow Farm at Patching, where it plans kennels of its own for the first time. Until they are built it rehomes dogs from commercial kennels where it needs to.
Ring first: its process starts with a phone conversation, then a meeting, proof of address and photos of your garden. Its dog form rules out homes with children aged 3 or under and homes whose pets aren't neutered, chipped and vaccinated. Dogs leave neutered (or Wadars pays later), vaccinated and microchipped, with a month of Petplan.
Holbrook Animal Rescue, Horsham
Founded in 1992, Holbrook is family run and not a kennel-style rescue: its dogs sleep in the house and share a field to run in. Apply through each dog's own form; its dogs page asks you not to phone, and visits are by arrangement.
Each listing says whether the dog needs another dog for company. When we checked on 5 November 2026, five of its eleven listings said yes and two more said a companion was preferred, so a home with a friendly dog already has a better chance.
The Kit Wilson Trust, Hadlow Down
Started in 1975 with a legacy from a cat show judge, The Kit Wilson Trust cares for more than 500 animals and birds at its rescue centre near Uckfield. It is not open to drop-in visitors: you register by phone or online, it may visit your home, and then it brings suitable dogs to its reception to meet you.
It shows only some of its animals online, so register even if no dog on its page suits you. There is no set fee; you agree to neuter the dog if that hasn't been done, and to bring it back to the Trust if you ever can't keep it.
Choosing a dog rescue from Brighton
Our Brighton dogs page shows who is waiting; before you apply, weigh these points:
- Young children. Wadars won't home a dog with children aged 3 or under; Raystede and Kit Wilson judge each dog against your household.
- A garden. Raystede says most of its dogs need their own garden or a suitable outside space, and Wadars asks for garden photos.
- Another dog at home. Holbrook often wants one; Wadars wants your current pets neutered, chipped and vaccinated.
- Contact style. Holbrook works online only, Wadars starts with a phone call, Kit Wilson asks you to register by phone or online, and Raystede wants one form and then your patience.
Dog rescue in East Sussex, West Sussex and Eastbourne
Two of the four sit in each county. In East Sussex, Raystede is near Lewes and The Kit Wilson Trust is in the Wealden countryside at Hadlow Down; in West Sussex, Wadars covers Worthing and Holbrook is near Horsham.
From Eastbourne, Raystede and Kit Wilson are the shorter drives, and our Eastbourne dogs page lists every dog within reach of the town. Worthing readers can start from our Worthing dogs page, where Wadars is on the doorstep.
What happens to stray dogs in Brighton and Hove?
Brighton & Hove City Council's Animal Wardens collect lost, found and stray dogs, and an out-of-hours company takes reports after 4pm. To reclaim a dog the owner pays £117 for the first day and £36 for every day after, by card. After 7 days unclaimed, the council usually rehomes the dog.
Dogs Trust Shoreham and the RSPCA Brighton branch
Brighton's own doorstep has two more places to look that we don't list. Dogs Trust Shoreham on Brighton Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, is open for browsing from 12 to 4pm on five days a week. The RSPCA Brighton & The Heart of Sussex Branch runs an animal centre at Patcham. Check their own websites as well as ours. For a young dog, our rescue puppies guide covers Brighton, Worthing and Eastbourne.
The law in England
Microchipping and change of keeper
In England, as everywhere in the UK, every dog must be microchipped and registered by 8 weeks old. Since 6 April 2016 a dog in England can't pass to a new keeper until it is chipped, and the new keeper must update the database (the England regulations). A rescue chips before rehoming; after adoption, keep the details up to date.
Lucy's Law: buying a puppy
In England, Lucy's Law has meant since 6 April 2020 that puppies under six months can't be sold by a third party such as a pet shop or dealer: you buy direct from the breeder or adopt from a rehoming centre.
Banned dog types
In England, it is against the law to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned type: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. Whether a dog is banned depends on what it looks like rather than its breed or name, so no rescue can rehome one and none appear on LocalPetFinder. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a banned type.
XL Bully dogs
In England, since 31 December 2023 it has been illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange or abandon an XL Bully or let it stray, and since 1 February 2024 illegal to own one without a Certificate of Exemption (gov.uk: England and Wales).
Questions
Tap a question to expand
Is there a dog rescue in Brighton?
None of the rescues we list is based in the city. The nearest is Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare near Ringmer, about 10 miles away. Dogs Trust Shoreham and the RSPCA's Patcham centre also rehome dogs, but we don't list their animals.
Which dog rescues cover Sussex?
On our Brighton pages: Raystede near Ringmer and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down in East Sussex, and Wadars around Worthing and Holbrook Animal Rescue near Horsham in West Sussex. All four list dogs with us from this update.
Is there a dog rescue in West Sussex near Brighton?
Wadars rehomes dogs around Worthing, about 10 miles from Brighton, and Holbrook Animal Rescue keeps its dogs in a family home near Horsham, about 18 miles away.
Where can I find a dog rescue near Eastbourne?
Raystede near Ringmer and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down are the shorter drives from Eastbourne. Our Eastbourne dogs page lists every dog within reach of the town.
How much does it cost to adopt a dog from Raystede?
Raystede charges £300 for a dog aged 7 months or more and £350 for a puppy up to 6 months, including 4 weeks of Petplan insurance.
Can I walk round Raystede and see the dogs?
No. Its kennels are closed to visitors, and a visitor ticket doesn't get you a meeting. You apply online, then Raystede invites you to meet a dog it thinks suits you.
What happens to stray dogs in Brighton?
Brighton & Hove City Council's Animal Wardens collect them. An owner pays £117 for the first day and £36 for each further day, and after 7 days the council usually rehomes a dog nobody has claimed.
Why does Holbrook want a home with another dog?
Its dogs live together in a house, not kennels, and many are listed as needing or preferring a canine companion. On 5 November 2026 five of its eleven listings said a companion dog was required.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Brighton and Hove? Get your animals listed free.
Every animal links back to your own adoption page, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Sources: Raystede: contact (B2192, near Lewes) · Raystede: adopt an animal (one application) · Raystede: adopt a dog FAQs (fees, garden, STAR dogs, renting) · Raystede: FAQs (over 1,000 animals a year) · Wadars: home page (five decades, Willow Farm) · Wadars: adopt a pet (process, fees) · Wadars: dog adoption form (children, resident pets, what the fee covers) · Wadars: Willow Farm FAQs (commercial kennels meanwhile) · Holbrook Animal Rescue: home page (dogs live in the house) · Holbrook Animal Rescue: dogs available (online forms, companion dogs, dated snapshot) · Holbrook Animal Rescue: history (founded 1992) · The Kit Wilson Trust: animal rehoming (process, donation) · The Kit Wilson Trust: about (1975, over 500 animals) · Brighton & Hove City Council: report a lost or found dog (read in Chrome) · Dogs Trust: Shoreham centre · RSPCA Brighton & The Heart of Sussex Branch · Blue Cross: getting a puppy · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · gov.uk: Lucy's Law in England · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs