Adoption guide
Rescue puppies in Eastbourne, Brighton and Worthing
Eastbourne, Brighton and Worthing between them see well over a thousand searches a month for puppies for sale. Raystede, the nearest dog rescue, says puppies are quite rare there and go quickly, so this guide is straight about the odds: where young dogs do turn up, what the rescues charge next to a breeder's price, and the warning signs of a puppy scam.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
Rescue puppies are rare around Brighton. Raystede near Ringmer says it seldom has them and homes them quickly; on 5 November 2026 its youngest dog was 8 months old. It charges £350 for a puppy up to 6 months, and Wadars near Worthing £300. Register with both, keep an eye on our Brighton puppies page, and stay open to a young adult.
- Rescue adoption fees
- Rescue fees for puppies are set by each rescue. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross puppies under six months start from £525. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.
- Rescues near Brighton
- Raystede: £350 up to 6 months, £300 after. Wadars: £300 at six months or under, with neutering paid later if needed. The Kit Wilson Trust: a donation of your choice.
- Buying a puppy
- £400 to £3,000 for the pup itself, by Blue Cross figures.
- Over its lifetime
- Rescued or bought, a dog costs at least £6,200 to £18,800 over its life, on PDSA's 2024 estimate.
Where young rescue dogs appear near Brighton
Our Brighton puppies page collects every young dog listed with us inside 19 miles, including those from the four Sussex rescues that join with this update. Ask each rescue to keep your details too.
Raystede, near Ringmer
Raystede's FAQs say puppies are quite rare there and go quickly, so you may well not find one; apply anyway and say you would like a puppy. Its youngest dog on its page when we checked was Wilma, an 8-month-old husky cross.
Wadars, Worthing
Wadars lists newly arrived dogs as "Coming Soon" until their health and behaviour checks are done, so a young dog can appear there before it is ready to meet anyone. It asks £300 for a dog of six months or under and pays for neutering later if the dog is too young when it goes.
Holbrook and The Kit Wilson Trust
Holbrook Animal Rescue near Horsham had a dog listed at 9 to 12 months on 5 November 2026; its dogs share a house rather than kennels, and it says the lockdown rush to breed dogs has left many anxious and short of early training. The Kit Wilson Trust doesn't put every animal online, so register what you are looking for by phone or its form.
Puppies for Eastbourne and Worthing
Eastbourne alone makes about half of these "puppies for sale" searches. Our Eastbourne puppies page starts from the town, and Raystede and Kit Wilson are its nearer dog rescues. In Worthing, Wadars is the local name; see our Worthing puppies page.
Puppy rules at Sussex rescues
A young dog takes time and training, and the rescues' rules reflect it:
- Small children. Wadars won't home a dog with children aged 3 or under.
- Your other pets. Wadars also wants any pets you have neutered, chipped and vaccinated first.
- Training. Raystede says 80% of its dogs need extra training and support, and looks for adopters ready to keep it up.
- Neutering. The Kit Wilson Trust makes you agree to neuter an animal not yet done.
Why a young adult dog can be the better bet
Young adults turn up at these rescues far more often than puppies. By a year or two a dog's size and temperament are known, and a rescue such as Raystede assesses behaviour, including with children, before matching it to you. Our Brighton dog rescues guide compares all four.
Searching "puppies for sale Eastbourne" or "Brighton"?
None of these rescues puts a puppy up for sale. You fill in its form, it decides which dog fits your household, and the fee recovers some of the vet bills. Our puppies page is no shop either: every young dog on it links back to its rescue.
Buying from a breeder instead? Since 6 April 2020 England's Lucy's Law has barred pet shops and dealers from selling a puppy under six months, so the seller must be the person who bred it. Blue Cross advises meeting the mother as well, and the Find a puppy tool from The Royal Kennel Club is one place to look for breeders.
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
Are there rescue puppies in Eastbourne?
Rarely. Our Eastbourne puppies page lists any young dog within reach of the town, and Raystede near Ringmer and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down are the closer dog rescues. Register with both and say you want a puppy.
Which rescues near Brighton have puppies?
Raystede near Ringmer, Wadars around Worthing, Holbrook Animal Rescue near Horsham and The Kit Wilson Trust at Hadlow Down all rehome dogs, and their young dogs appear on our Brighton puppies page. Raystede says puppies are quite rare and go quickly.
What does a rescue puppy cost near Brighton?
Raystede charges £350 for a puppy up to 6 months and Wadars £300 for a dog of six months or under. The Kit Wilson Trust asks for a donation of your choice. Buying one costs £400 to £3,000 by Blue Cross figures.
Are there rescue puppies in Worthing?
Wadars rehomes dogs, puppies included when it has them, from the Worthing area. It lists new arrivals as "Coming Soon" until they are ready, so check back.
Are there free puppies in Brighton?
None of the rescues here gives puppies away: a fee or donation helps cover jabs, the microchip and neutering. Be wary of a free puppy advert, and insist on meeting the mother and getting the chip number first.
How do I avoid a puppy scam in Sussex?
Warning signs are a seller who asks for money before a visit, keeps the mother out of sight, or has no chip number. Leave it, and tell Report Fraud about the listing.
Can a pet shop in Brighton sell a young puppy?
No, not under six months old. Since 6 April 2020 England's Lucy's Law has kept those sales to the breeder, and rehoming centres are outside the ban.
Keep reading
- Puppies for adoption in and around Brighton and Hove
- All rescue dogs in and around Brighton and Hove
- Dog rescues in Sussex near Brighton, compared
- Every dog adoption guide for Brighton and Hove
- Rescue pets in Brighton and Hove
Puppies in other cities: Worthing, Eastbourne, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Truro, Worcester
Puppy guides in other cities: Belfast, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Canterbury, Exeter, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Lincoln, Northampton, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Worcester
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: adopt a dog FAQs (puppy fee, puppies rare, STAR dogs) · Raystede: dogs for adoption (dated snapshot) · Wadars: adopt a pet (fees, Coming Soon) · Wadars: dog adoption (children, other pets, neutering later) · Holbrook Animal Rescue: dogs available (dated snapshot) · Holbrook Animal Rescue: history (post-lockdown dogs) · The Kit Wilson Trust: animal rehoming (registering, neutering, donation) · Brighton & Hove City Council: microchipping dogs (read in Chrome) · Blue Cross: getting a puppy · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · GOV.UK: Lucy's Law · The Royal Kennel Club: Find a puppy · Report Fraud · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs