Adopting a Whippet near Exeter: rescues, rules and costs

The count under the short answer is live: every Whippet and Whippet cross listed with us in Exeter and within about 25 miles, each linked to its rescue. When we checked on 1 November 2026 there was no Whippet among them; the one sighthound near the city was a lurcher at ARC Animal Rescue Centre, just outside Ottery St Mary, about 10 miles east. So for a Whippet, the two breed charities below are the main route.

Both charities set rules that decide whether your address will work. Read them before you apply:

• Time alone. Just Whippets Rescue does not rehome to people working full time and expects a dog not to be left alone for more than 4 hours a day; a lunchtime visit or a dog walker doesn't count, though working from home all day does.
• Fences. JR Whippet Rescue CIO prefers 6 foot fencing, because a nervous Whippet can clear a low fence. It considers stock fencing case by case, but never for a nervous dog.
• Town or country. JR Whippet Rescue CIO says it is rarely able to home Whippets into built-up cities, and rarely to flats without gardens. A house with a garden on the edge of Exeter or in an East Devon village is a better fit than a flat in the city centre.
• Cats and livestock. On average it has only up to 5 Whippets a year classed as cat friendly, and many Whippets see small animals and livestock as prey: worth knowing on Devon walks past sheep.
• Children. It places a Whippet with children only if the dog has lived with children before, or is a young puppy brought up alongside them.
• Moving house. Just Whippets Rescue won't rehome a dog to you until you have moved and it has home checked the new house.

The number of Whippets needing help has risen sharply since lockdown, JR Whippet Rescue CIO says. The reasons it gives include behaviour problems such as reactivity (lunging or barking at dogs or people on the lead), separation anxiety, sleep startle and resource guarding; a new baby; owners who didn't realise the commitment; a lack of basic training; dogs not coping with cities, homes without gardens or children; and unclaimed strays from the pound.

Just Whippets Rescue says many of the dogs it rehomes come from families where they were left for long periods because of work, which is why it won't rehome to full-time workers. Most rescue Whippets need some behavioural support, so be ready to put in time and patience, and perhaps a training class.

Just Whippets Rescue's £400 administration fee is non-refundable, and covers a dog that is microchipped, vaccinated and neutered or comes with a £50 neutering voucher, plus 4 weeks' free Petplan cover. It always takes a dog back if things don't work out, and once you sign its contract the dog's costs are yours. JR Whippet Rescue CIO pays for neutering if the dog isn't already done, offers 5 weeks' free Agria insurance if you opt in, and promises lifetime support.

A bought puppy should already be microchipped by its breeder, but PDSA counts first vaccinations, worming and neutering among your setting-up costs, on top of the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross gives for buying a puppy.

The Royal Kennel Club has no breed-specific DNA testing package for the Whippet, and points breeders to genetic diversity and a breed club health scheme instead. Just Whippets Rescue passes on the previous owner's information, medical conditions included, so ask what is known. UK sources flag these:

• Eyes and heart. PDSA lists progressive retinal atrophy (sight that fades over months or years), mitral valve disease (a weakened heart valve) and immune-mediated problems, where the body reacts against its own cells, among the conditions Whippets may develop.
• Skin and bones. PDSA warns that Whippets are prone to cuts from thorns and twigs and can damage their bones running on uneven ground, so pick off-lead spots with care.
• Cold and comfort. With so little body fat, PDSA says, a Whippet may need a coat in winter, and its prominent bones make thick, soft bedding worth having.

The Royal Kennel Club suggests up to an hour of exercise a day and says a small house with a small or medium garden is enough. PDSA calls a secure garden a must and wants a Whippet to get a good off-lead run somewhere secure; anywhere else, hold the lead, because its prey drive is high. Open country and livestock fields around the city call for extra care.

Time alone is the harder question. PDSA says Whippets dislike being left alone and recommends one only if someone will be around with it all day, which matches Just Whippets Rescue's 4 hour rule. Tell each charity honestly how your week looks.

A rescue Whippet is adopted, not bought: the charity matches a dog to your home after you apply, and what you pay is its fee or donation. JR Whippet Rescue CIO lets you choose a preferred age range but asks you to stay open-minded, since your best match may be older than you planned. Every dog on our Exeter Whippet page is adopted the same way, through its rescue.

If you decide to buy, Dogs Trust suggests asking your vet about a pre-purchase consultation on likely health problems and rough costs, and The Royal Kennel Club runs a "Find a puppy" service. Blue Cross says to see a puppy with its mother and littermates, and to walk away from excuses about meeting the mother or offers to hand a puppy over somewhere public. Report a suspected scam advert to Report Fraud, which replaced Action Fraud.