Rescue puppies near Exeter: where to look and what they cost

The count at the top of our Exeter puppies page is live: every puppy listed with us within about 25 miles of the city. Two rescues we list are near enough for most Exeter, East Devon and Torbay homes, and both rehome puppies as well as adult dogs.

ARC's about page gives a local view of the swings: during the 2020 lockdowns very few dogs came into rescue because dogs were selling for thousands of pounds, and since just before Christmas 2021 a lot of dogs have been handed in, many of them bought online with false or misleading descriptions, or given up because of money worries and vet costs.

So the realistic choice for most Exeter homes is between waiting, with applications in, for a puppy, and adopting a young adult now. A dog of 10 months to 2 years often still has plenty of puppyish energy, but its size and character are clearer, and it may already be neutered, vaccinated and microchipped by the rescue.

Because so few puppies are listed at once, these steps put you in the best position when one is:

1. Set up an alert on our Exeter puppies page, so you hear when a puppy is listed with either rescue.
2. Send Animals in Distress (Torbay & Westcountry) a general application saying you want a puppy, and diary a reminder to send another after 3 months.
3. Call or email ARC Animal Rescue Centre to ask about puppies, and have your answers to its adopter questions ready: who lives with you, other pets, your garden and fences, time alone, holidays, and your tenancy if you rent.
4. Make your garden secure before you apply. ARC says the fence height depends on the dog, and 6 feet is needed for many dogs.
5. Budget for the fee and the first year: the puppy fee, insurance, food, training classes and vet care.

Breed charities say the same thing about age. JR Whippet Rescue CIO, for example, lets you pick a preferred age range but asks you to stay open-minded, because the best match for your home may be older than you had in mind. A puppy needs someone at home for much of the day, house training, early socialisation and patience through chewing and adolescence; an adult may already have some of that done.

If you have young children, an adult whose behaviour with children the rescue already knows can be the safer choice. Animals in Distress assesses each match with children individually, and ARC asks about children who live with you or visit.

A rescue puppy is adopted, not bought. You apply, the rescue matches a puppy to your home, and you pay its fee, which helps cover the vet work already done. Every puppy on our Exeter puppies page is adopted through its rescue, never sold by us.

If you decide to buy, England's Lucy's Law has applied since 6 April 2020: puppies under six months can't be sold by a third party such as a pet shop or dealer, so you buy directly from the breeder or adopt from a rehoming centre. Blue Cross says to see a puppy with its mother and littermates, and warns about adverts with little information, excuses about why you can't meet the mother, and offers to hand a puppy over in a public place or deliver it to your door. The Royal Kennel Club runs a "Find a puppy" service.