Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Carlisle

The nearest rescue we list is Oak Tree Animals' Charity at Wetheral Shields, about 4 miles east of the city centre. Penny Jones Animal Hospice is a sanctuary at Hethersgill, about 8.5 miles north east, that rehomes a few of its dogs, and Eden Animal Rescue is at Moorlands Head Farm near Temple Sowerby, filed with us at Penrith, about 17 miles south.

Most rescue dogs around Carlisle are adults, and many are older dogs. 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. For the Carlisle area that is Cumberland Council, which asks for a description of the dog and where it is, and if the dog is in a secure place. An owner whose dog the council has collected pays a fee before it comes home, agreed over the phone.

Oak Tree Animals' Charity has not been a receiving point for stray dogs since March 2015, so don't take a found dog to Wetheral: report it to the council.

Oak Tree Animals' Charity asks £275 for a dog and £300 for a puppy under 6 months, and may change the fee for a very old dog or one likely to need costly treatment soon.

Eden Animal Rescue asks a minimum donation of £250 for a dog or £380 for a pair, unless a dog's profile says otherwise; the donation is not refundable. Penny Jones Animal Hospice asks a minimum £100 donation towards rescuing another dog.

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.

None of the rescues lets you walk round the kennels and choose: Oak Tree's Wetheral site has been open by appointment only since July 2026, and Eden and Penny Jones see adopters by appointment too.

• A questionnaire, then a reply within 72 hours. At Oak Tree Animals' Charity you fill in a questionnaire for the animal you like, and it aims to reply within 72 hours. A home visit is needed only if there are unusual requirements, and you can sometimes reserve a dog the same day.
• Photos of your home and garden. Eden Animal Rescue asks you to return its questionnaire with photos of your garden, fencing and where the dog would sleep, plus your landlord's written permission if you rent. You meet and walk the dog over a set period, bring any dog you already have, and Eden visits your home before it decides.
• Cumbria homes only. Eden doesn't rehome animals out of Cumbria, and Penny Jones Animal Hospice generally doesn't rehome to homes out of its area or with young children. Its process takes up to three weeks.

Silver Fox Dog Rescue has dogs in foster homes, sometimes in Carlisle itself, and asks a £400 adoption donation (£500 for young pups) with a £50 deposit to reserve a dog. Over the border, Alfie's Dream For Greyhounds has its kennels near Lockerbie, about 23 miles away, and says it rehomes in Cumbria; contact it about its greyhounds.

Dogs Trust Cumbria cares for its dogs in foster homes across Cumbria and meets adopters by appointment only. We don't list Dogs Trust dogs, so apply on its own site. Just beyond our 25 miles, Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre is at Glencaple, near Dumfries.

Our guide to dog rescues in Carlisle and Cumbria compares every rescue above, and our Carlisle greyhound guide covers the greyhound charities on both sides of the border. The older dogs, puppies and lurcher pages each list the dogs near Carlisle today.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Carlisle rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Oak Tree's intake appointments.