Adopting a Springer Spaniel near Edinburgh: rescues, costs and care

The count under the short answer is live: every English Springer listed with us within about 25 miles of Edinburgh. When we checked on 29 October 2026 there were two, both with Springer Rescue Scotland and both in foster homes in Fife. Our Edinburgh Springer Spaniel page shows today's dogs, and our Edinburgh spaniel page adds Cockers and spaniel crosses.

Its adoption page sets out six steps. Take the form seriously: it says forms not completed in detail will be rejected, and that the form is the only information its team has to move your application on.

1. Fill in the adoption registration form, a questionnaire about you, your home and your days.
2. Take a phone call from its rehoming team, all volunteers, who may ask for a vet or personal reference.
3. Have a home visit from a local volunteer. Once approved, you may not be offered a dog straight away; your Area Coordinator can give you an idea of the wait.
4. When you are matched, visit the dog in its foster home at least twice, with the whole family and any dog you already have.
5. Sign the adoption agreement by email, collect the dog from the foster home and make a donation by bank transfer.
6. Expect a call after a week or so and again at about six weeks.

Springer Rescue Scotland says that many of the dogs coming into its care need extended foster stays and support from its behaviourists, because of the circumstances in which they were given up. A Springer bought as a family pet without a plan for its energy is a familiar story at spaniel rescues.

It also says that while most of its dogs become pets, some do best as working dogs in rural Scotland. That is the honest test for an Edinburgh home: The Royal Kennel Club calls the English Springer "the most popular of the spaniels for working in the field".

Springer Rescue Scotland asks for a donation rather than a price, and says it gives health checks, tick, flea and worm treatment and a microchip before rehoming; each dog also leaves with 5 weeks' free insurance. Ask whether your dog has been neutered and vaccinated. A bought puppy costs £400 to £3,000, says Blue Cross, with that vet work still to pay for.

After that, the costs are the same. PDSA worked out in 2024 that a medium-sized dog costs at least £9,000 to £14,000 over its life, with £531 to set it up, first vaccinations and neutering included, and at least £83 a month. PDSA counts the English Springer as a medium breed.

A rescue Springer rarely comes with its parents' screening results, so ask what a vet has found. UK breed sources point to these:

• Hips, elbows and eyes. PDSA lists hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and progressive retinal atrophy, a gradual loss of sight, among the problems Springers are prone to.
• Ears. PDSA says the long ears let bacteria build up and cause infection, so ask whether the dog has a history of ear trouble and how to clean them.
• Inherited conditions. The Royal Kennel Club asks breeders to DNA test for acral mutilation syndrome (AMS), dyserythropoietic anaemia and myopathy syndrome (DAMS), fucosidosis, phosphofructokinase deficiency (PFK) and progressive retinal atrophy (cord1).

Yes, with time. The Royal Kennel Club lists the English Springer as needing more than two hours of exercise a day and suited to a small house with a large garden, in town or country, and PDSA agrees on more than two hours. Dogs Trust says Springers need daily walks plus plenty of time to explore, burn energy and play. Edinburgh's hills, beaches and green spaces help, but the two hours have to come from you, every day.

A Springer is not just a bigger Cocker. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Cocker as small and needing up to an hour of exercise a day, and the breed standard calls the Springer the "highest on leg and raciest in build of all British land Spaniels". If two hours a day is too much, tell the rescue: an older Springer, or a Cocker, may suit you better.

Budget for grooming too. The Royal Kennel Club lists the coat as needing grooming more than once a week, PDSA suggests once or twice a week plus clipping every three months, and Dogs Trust says a Springer is also likely to need professional grooming.

With people, the breed standard describes a "friendly, happy disposition, biddable", and PDSA says Springers make good family dogs and get along well with children and other pets. That is a breed tendency, not a promise, so go by what the foster carer has seen of this dog. If you rent, get your landlord's permission in writing before you apply.

No rescue sells a dog. You apply, the rescue matches you, and the money is a donation or a fee. Rescue Springers are usually adults; the two we listed on 29 October 2026 were nearly three and five and a half.

Buying instead? Speak to a vet first, ask to see the parents' hip, elbow and eye results, and use The Royal Kennel Club "Find a puppy" service rather than a classified advert. Police Scotland advises against paying for anything you haven't seen, and you can report online marketplace fraud to it online, by phone or in person.