Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Dumfries and Galloway

Three dog rescues around Dumfries list their dogs with us. Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre keeps its dogs in kennels at Glencaple, about 5 miles south of Dumfries on the B725. The other two are greyhound charities: Alfie's Dream For Greyhounds, with kennels near Lockerbie about 11 miles away, and Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue, which has no kennels of its own and pays for kennel places.

That mix shapes what you find here. On 5 November 2026 the two greyhound charities held most of the dogs on this page, so if you want a crossbreed, a collie type or a shepherd, the Glencaple centre is the one to watch, and our greyhound page collects the retired racers. Each profile links to the rescue, and you apply to it, not to us.

Scottish law is plain about it: a finder must get the dog back to its owner, or hand it in to the council's officer or the closest police station and say where it turned up, and mygov.scot warns that keeping a stray without reporting it is an offence. Here you report it to Dumfries and Galloway Council, with where the dog is, its size, colour and type, and whether it wears a collar.

The council scans each stray for a microchip and, if it can't reach the owner, takes the dog to a council kennel. It keeps dogs for up to 7 days, after which they are rehomed. An owner who reclaims a dog pays a £25 statutory stray fee, £57 to take it to the kennel and £18 a day, plus any vet bills (the council's fees).

Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre asks finders to call the dog warden first: it can't take strays straight into its kennels out of hours.

At Glencaple you bring a minimum donation of £220 on collection day, plus an engraved ID disc with your name, address and phone number (the centre won't let a dog leave without one) and a collar and lead. The dog is microchipped, vaccinated, flea and worm treated and neutered unless the vet advises against it, and goes home with four weeks of Petplan insurance.

Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue sets no fee and suggests a donation of around £150, which covers a dog that is vet checked, neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, with a muzzle, lead, collar and a month of insurance. Alfie's Dream For Greyhounds publishes no fee, so ask it.

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee, and Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

The three work very differently, so read the rescue's own steps before you get in touch; our comparison of the three sets them side by side.

• Glencaple: a form, then visits. Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue Centre starts with its home finder form and invites you to the centre only if it has a match. You won't be asked to decide on the day; everyone in the household, dogs included, meets the dog, ideally over two visits, and a home check of your outdoor space follows. Renters bring proof that a dog is allowed.
• DCGR: a call, then a meeting. Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue asks questions by form or phone, then may visit you with a suitable greyhound or ask you to meet its dogs. Adoption can follow within days, and a dog is not usually kept on hold for long, so be ready before you meet one.
• Alfie's Dream: get in touch. Alfie's Dream For Greyhounds sets out no application steps on its site, so contact it about a dog on its adoption page.

Dumfries and Galloway Council's licence list is a useful check, because Scotland licenses rehoming and animal welfare establishments: all three rescues above appear on it.

Alfie's Dream places hounds in Cumbria and Lancashire as well as what it calls the midlands of Scotland, and Dumfriesshire and Cumbria Greyhound Rescue welcomes adopters from further afield too, so living outside the region needn't stop you. If you have a cat, ask the Glencaple centre to assess a dog with cats before you commit; it says it can't guarantee any dog is cat-safe.

Our guide to dog rescues in Dumfries and Galloway puts the three rescues side by side, and our greyhound guide covers the two greyhound charities in depth. The older dogs, large dogs and puppies pages filter the dogs listed here today.

Need to give up your own dog instead? Our rehoming page for Dumfries and Galloway explains what the Glencaple centre can and can't take.