Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Bristol

Most of the dogs near Bristol live in foster homes rather than kennels. Dogs' Friends, a small rescue based in Somerset, keeps almost all its dogs in foster care across Somerset and the surrounding area, including Bristol, with kennels at Westbury-sub-Mendip, about 16 miles south west, and it has no centre you can tour. Forest of Dean Dog Rescue also fosters, from Bream in Gloucestershire, about 21 miles north.

Three rescues have their own kennels. Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre is at Pylle, near Shepton Mallet, about 22 miles south. Teckels Animal Sanctuaries is at Whitminster, Gloucestershire, about 25 miles north, and All Creatures Great and Small is at Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran, in south Wales, about 21 miles north west. Every profile here links to the rescue that cares for the dog, and you apply with them: we don't rehome dogs ourselves.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. In Bristol, call the council's dog warden on 0117 922 2500, 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The council takes strays to Bristol Animal Rescue Centre in St Philips, and you can take one there yourself if you call first.

An owner pays a collection fee that rises with each day in kennels, from £59 for one day to £124 for six, and a dog that isn't collected in that time is put up for adoption (the council's page). That covers the City of Bristol only: the councils around it run their own services, and we don't list stray kennel dogs.

The rescues around Bristol that publish a fee ask £300 to £500 for an adult dog: £300 at Teckels Animal Sanctuaries and as a donation at All Creatures Great and Small, a minimum of £300 at Forest of Dean Dog Rescue, and usually £400 to £500 at Dogs' Friends. Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre doesn't publish a fee, so ask it.

A puppy under 6 months is £400 at Teckels Animal Sanctuaries, and a dog under 12 months is a £375 donation at All Creatures Great and Small. The fee pays towards vet work already done: Dogs' Friends says every dog it takes in has at least a health check, a microchip, vaccinations and neutering.

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.

Each rescue sets its own rules, and these are the ones Bristol adopters meet most often. Check them on the rescue's own page before you apply (Dogs' Friends' adoption page).

• Apply for one dog, then meet it. Teckels Animal Sanctuaries rehomes by appointment only: you apply for a named dog, it picks the best match rather than the first applicant, and meetings take place outdoors whatever the weather. Happy Landings Animal Rescue Centre asks for its rehoming form by email, books every viewing and puts a 24 hour reserve on a dog after your first meeting.
• Two visits, never same day. At Dogs' Friends everyone in the household, resident dogs included, meets the dog, you visit at least twice and there is a 24 hour cooling-off after the meeting. You must be ready to take the dog home within a week of applying.
• Home checks and gardens. Dogs' Friends, Teckels and Forest of Dean Dog Rescue all check your home before a dog goes. Forest of Dean Dog Rescue needs a secure garden for every home, while Dogs' Friends will consider a flat or a home without a garden when it suits the dog.
• Children. Dogs' Friends usually rehomes to families whose children are 4 or older, and Forest of Dean Dog Rescue is unlikely to place a dog with children under 5. Many of their dogs are ex-breeding dogs from puppy farms, so expect a slow start.

Some well-known rehoming centres near Bristol aren't on LocalPetFinder. We don't list their dogs, so search their own sites (Dogs Trust Cardiff).

• Dogs Trust has no centre in Bristol. Its nearest is Dogs Trust Cardiff, on Nettlefold Road, in Wales, about 24 miles west.
• Bristol Animal Rescue Centre in St Philips, the working name of the RSPCA's Bristol branch, rehomes animals too; search on its own site.

Looking for a particular kind of dog? The crossbreed, Staffy, collie, Cockapoo, Dachshund and puppies pages each list the dogs near Bristol today. Nearer Trowbridge, Westbury or Warminster? Trowbridge's dogs page puts the dogs around Trowbridge first.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Bristol rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Dogs' Friends' owner surrender form and Dogs Trust's Homestay.