Rescue guide
The best dog rescues in Glasgow, compared
Glasgow is a big city with few dog rescues of its own on LocalPetFinder, and we would rather say so than pad the list. Here are the dog rescues we list within about 41 miles, how far away each one is, what they charge, and the Glasgow centres and Scottish breed rescues you can contact yourself.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 17 October 2026
The short answer
There is no dog rescue we list inside the City of Glasgow: the only rescue we list in the city is Purrple Cat Rescue, and it rehomes cats. The dog rescues we list with premises are all about 30 miles away or more: Saving and Rehoming Strays at Ayr, with Greyhound Rescue Fife at its kennels near Kinross. Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, at Seafield about 42 miles east, is now outside the area these pages cover, so its dogs are not counted here. Springer Rescue Scotland has no premises and keeps its spaniels in foster homes. Dogs Trust Glasgow is on Hamilton Road, but we don't list its dogs, so search its own site.
- Rescue adoption fees
- 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.
- Rescues near Glasgow that publish a fee
- A £180 donation for a greyhound at Greyhound Rescue Fife and a £500 rehoming donation at Saving and Rehoming Strays. Springer Rescue Scotland asks for a donation rather than a fixed fee. Further afield, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home charges £250 for a dog aged 6 months to 9 years (£150 over 9, £300 for a puppy). The table below quotes each one.
- Owning a dog
- PDSA estimates a dog costs at least £6,200 over its lifetime, and up to a minimum of £18,800 depending on the breed (its 2024 figures, not counting buying the dog).
Glasgow dog rescues compared
These are the dog rescues whose dogs we list within about 41 miles of central Glasgow. Click a name to see the dogs it has listed with us today, or follow the fee link to the rescue's own page. Each rescue runs its own application, home check and fee: LocalPetFinder doesn't rehome dogs itself.
Plan for a drive. Saving and Rehoming Strays is on the Ayrshire coast, and Greyhound Rescue Fife has its kennels near Kinross, about 40 miles away. Springer Rescue Scotland has no premises: its spaniels live with foster carers, and each dog's page gives the council area it is in.
| Rescue | Where | Dogs | How you adopt | Fee (their words) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greyhound Rescue Fife | Kennels at Gairneybank, near Kinross (about 40 miles) | Retired greyhounds | Phone first, then visit the kennels and meet the dogs, and sign an adoption agreement | A donation of £180 (its adoption page) |
| Saving and Rehoming Strays | Rescue centre at Ayr (about 32 miles), visits by appointment only | All types, many from Romania | Application, home check (sometimes by video), a meet and greet where the dog needs one | A rehoming donation of £500 |
| Springer Rescue Scotland | Foster homes in Scotland; each dog's page names its council area | Springer and Cocker Spaniels | Registration form, phone call, home visit, then at least two visits to the dog in its foster home | A donation, no fixed amount |
Which rescue for which dog
The table is alphabetical. Here is what each rescue is like to deal with from Glasgow, and the breed rescues that cover the city too.
Saving and Rehoming Strays, Ayr
A Scottish charity with a rescue centre at Ayr. Its own words: "The Ayr rescue centre is not open to the public. Visits are by appointment only." You apply first, and its FAQ says the rehoming donation of £500 is only asked for once a successful home check has been done and your dog is reserved. That is the rescue's own process. The donation covers vaccinations, a microchip and flea, tick and worm treatment, and it neuters dogs over 6 months where a vet agrees.
Its rules are clear: no homes with an unneutered dog already in them, no guarding, outside kennels only in exceptional circumstances, written permission from your landlord or council if you rent, and no dog left longer than 4 or 5 hours a day. Many of its dogs came from Romania; we list only the dogs already at Ayr.
Greyhound Rescue Fife, near Kinross
Despite the name, its kennels are at Gairneybank near Kinross, about 40 miles from Glasgow. It is a company, not a charity. Its adoption page, on greyhoundrescuefife.com, says the first step is a phone call, and it would rather you visit the kennels and consider every dog than pick one from a photo. You need "a five foot or higher fence around a safe enclosed garden", it won't rehome to a home with a child under five, and it recommends no cat or other small animal in the home. The £180 donation covers vaccinations, a special collar, lead and muzzle, and neutering.
Further afield: Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home
A long-established charity at Seafield, about 42 miles east of central Glasgow and outside the area these pages cover, so its dogs are not counted on our Glasgow pages; its own page on our site shows the dogs it has listed with us. You apply online for one dog, and it replies within a week by email or phone. There are no drop-in visits, and when several applications fit a dog it advances the people who can visit earliest, so be ready to make the trip. Every animal goes home with a month's pet insurance.
Springer Rescue Scotland
A spaniel charity that only operates within Scotland. After its registration form, a phone call and a home visit by a local volunteer, you visit your matched dog in its foster home at least twice, bringing any dog you already have. It asks for a donation by bank transfer and says most dogs cost it upwards of £400 in foster care. Every dog comes with 5 weeks' free pet insurance. It warns that forms not completed in detail will be rejected.
Breed rescues that cover Glasgow
These breed rescues are not Glasgow rescues and we don't list their dogs, but each one rehomes across Scotland or the UK. Contact them directly and expect their own rules.
- Staffies: Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue rehomes only in Scotland, charges £200, and doesn't advertise its dogs: it files your application and matches you. Staffie Smiles Rescue also rehomes only in Scotland, but not to homes with children under 12. Our Staffy adoption guide has the detail.
- German Shepherds: German Shepherd Rescue Scotland rehomes throughout Scotland, and Second Chances German Shepherd Rescue covers Scotland and Northern England. Both are strict; see our German Shepherd adoption guide.
- Greyhounds: besides Greyhound Rescue Fife, Greyhound Trust West Scotland says it is "located near Glasgow" and asks you to contact it for the full address.
- Poodle crosses and Chihuahuas: Doodle Trust is registered in Scotland and fosters dogs across the UK, and British Chihuahua Rescue is a UK-wide charity registered in Scotland as well as England and Wales.
- Dachshunds: Dachshund Rescue UK considers adopters throughout the UK and lists a rehoming coordinator for all Scottish counties; our Dachshund adoption guide covers its rules.
How to choose a rescue from Glasgow
Start from your own home and week, because each rescue's rules decide who it can rehome to. These are the ones Glasgow adopters meet most often.
- Travel. Every dog rescue we list is a drive away, and most expect you to visit the dog, sometimes more than once. If you look as far as Seafield, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home moves fastest for people who can visit soon.
- Your garden and fence. Greyhound Rescue Fife needs a fence of five feet or more, and German Shepherd Rescue Scotland asks for fencing and gates of 6 feet and no shared garden. Tenement living can still suit some dogs, so describe your home honestly.
- Children. Greyhound Rescue Fife won't rehome to a home with a child under five, Staffie Smiles Rescue not with children under 12, and German Shepherd Rescue Scotland not with children under 10. Other rescues decide dog by dog.
- Your dog at home. Saving and Rehoming Strays won't place a dog where there is an unneutered dog already, and Springer Rescue Scotland wants your dog at the meeting.
- Work and renting. Saving and Rehoming Strays won't place a dog that would be alone for longer than 4 or 5 hours a day and needs your landlord's or council's permission in writing; Greyhound Rescue Fife advises against regular stretches over five hours.
How adopting from these rescues works
The order varies, but the steps are much the same. A "home check" is a visit, by a volunteer or sometimes by video, to see that your home suits the dog. It is not a test of how tidy you are.
- Find a dog on the rescue's site or ours, and read its profile for the home it needs.
- Apply or phone. Greyhound Rescue Fife starts with a call; the others start with a form.
- Talk it through on the phone and have your home checked. Have your landlord's permission ready if you rent.
- Meet the dog, often more than once and with your household and any dog you have.
- Pay the fee or donation and take your dog home, with the vet work the rescue has already done.
Dogs Trust Glasgow and the Scottish SPCA
The rehoming centres inside Glasgow itself are ones we name but don't list. Glasgow City Council's licence register lists three animal welfare establishments in the city: the Scottish SPCA's Glasgow centre, Dogs Trust and Cats Protection. Search their own sites for their animals.
- Dogs Trust Glasgow is at 315 Hamilton Road, G71 7SL. You can browse on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4pm, and Wednesday and Friday mornings are by pre-arranged appointment. Its fee is in the cost box above. Dogs Trust dogs are not on LocalPetFinder.
- The Scottish SPCA has its Glasgow rescue and rehoming centre in Cardonald, G52 3RY, and a Lanarkshire centre in Hamilton, ML3 0SB. The Scottish SPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
If you find a stray dog in Glasgow
In Scotland, a person who finds a stray dog must by law return it to its owner or take it to the council's officer for the area or to the nearest police station, and say where it was found. When we read Glasgow City Council's stray dog page on 17 October 2026, it said the council's stray dog service "is currently suspended until further notice", and that staff at a police station or a vet should be able to read the dog's microchip. Check the page for changes before you rely on it.
Find a breed near Glasgow
Each breed page lists every dog of that breed with the rescues above, nearest first, with its own questions and answers. Two of the rescues are breed rescues, so greyhounds and spaniels are the ones to watch. There are pages too for Staffies, German Shepherds, crossbreeds, lurchers, Labradors and French Bulldogs, and for puppies, older dogs and small dogs.
The law in Scotland
Microchipping and change of keeper
In Scotland, as everywhere in the UK, every dog must be microchipped and registered by 8 weeks old. Since 6 April 2016 a dog in Scotland can't pass to a new keeper until it is chipped, and the new keeper must update the database (the Scotland regulations). A rescue chips before rehoming; after adoption, keep the details up to date.
Lucy's Law: buying a puppy
In Scotland, Lucy's Law has banned the third-party sale of puppies under six months since 1 September 2021.
Banned dog types
In Scotland, it is against the law to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned type: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. Whether a dog is banned depends on what it looks like rather than its breed or name, so no rescue can rehome one and none appear on LocalPetFinder. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a banned type.
XL Bully dogs
In Scotland, since 23 February 2024 it has been illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange an XL Bully or let it stray, and since 1 August 2024 an offence to own one without an exemption certificate. The Scottish rules also say it is unlawful to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully".
Rehoming licences
In Scotland, since 1 September 2021, anyone sourcing five or more animals in any 12-month period to rehome as pets needs a licence (Scottish Government). A licence is a useful sign that a Scottish rescue is what it says it is.
Questions
Tap a question to expand
What is the best dog rescue in Glasgow?
There isn't one best rescue, and none of the dog rescues we list is based in the city. For a greyhound, Greyhound Rescue Fife near Kinross; for a spaniel, Springer Rescue Scotland; for other dogs, Saving and Rehoming Strays at Ayr. Further afield, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home is about 42 miles east at Seafield. Dogs Trust Glasgow is in the city, but we don't list its dogs.
Are there any dog rescues inside Glasgow?
Not among the rescues we list. The only rescue we list inside the City of Glasgow is Purrple Cat Rescue, which rehomes cats. Dogs Trust Glasgow on Hamilton Road and the Scottish SPCA centre in Cardonald are both in the city, but we don't list their animals, so search their own sites.
Can I see Dogs Trust Glasgow dogs on LocalPetFinder?
No. We don't list Dogs Trust dogs, so search Dogs Trust's own site. Dogs Trust Glasgow is at 315 Hamilton Road, G71 7SL, and you can browse on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4pm. Dogs Trust charges £300 to adopt a dog in Scotland.
Does LocalPetFinder list Scottish SPCA animals?
No. We don't list Scottish SPCA animals. The Scottish SPCA also rehomes animals from its Glasgow centre in Cardonald and its Lanarkshire centre in Hamilton; search on its own site.
How much does it cost to adopt a dog near Glasgow?
Each rescue sets its own fee. Greyhound Rescue Fife asks a £180 donation and Saving and Rehoming Strays asks a £500 rehoming donation. Springer Rescue Scotland asks for a donation with no fixed amount. Further afield, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home charges £250 for a dog aged 6 months to 9 years and £150 over 9.
Where can I adopt a greyhound near Glasgow?
Greyhound Rescue Fife is the greyhound rescue we list, with kennels near Kinross about 40 miles away. It wants a fence of five feet or more and no child under five in the home. Greyhound Trust West Scotland is also near Glasgow; contact it for its address.
Is there a Staffy or German Shepherd rescue in Scotland?
Yes, several. Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue and Staffie Smiles Rescue both rehome Staffies only in Scotland, and German Shepherd Rescue Scotland and Second Chances German Shepherd Rescue rehome German Shepherds. We don't list their dogs, so contact them directly.
What should I do if I find a stray dog in Glasgow?
In Scotland the law says to return the dog to its owner, or take it to the council's officer or the nearest police station and say where you found it. When we read Glasgow City Council's page on 17 October 2026, its stray dog service was suspended until further notice. Staff at a vet or police station should be able to read a microchip.
Can I adopt a rescue dog if I have children or work full time?
Often, but check each rescue's rules first. Greyhound Rescue Fife won't rehome to a home with a child under five, and Saving and Rehoming Strays won't place a dog that would be alone for more than 4 or 5 hours a day. Dog profiles usually say whether a dog can live with children.
Keep reading
- All rescue dogs in and around Glasgow
- Adopting a Staffy in Glasgow: rescues, costs and the law
- Adopting a German Shepherd in Glasgow: rescues, rules and costs
- Adopting a Dachshund in Glasgow: rescues, rules and costs
- Adopting a Chihuahua in Glasgow and across Scotland
- Adopting a Cockapoo or Cavapoo in Glasgow: rescues, waits and costs
- Adopting a Cocker Spaniel in Glasgow and across Scotland
- Adopting a French Bulldog in Glasgow: rescues, costs and breathing
- Adopting a greyhound in Glasgow: rescues, rules and costs
- Adopting a Jack Russell in Glasgow and across Scotland
- Adopting a Labrador in Glasgow and across Scotland
- Adopting a Shih Tzu in Glasgow: rescues, costs and care
- Adopting a Westie (West Highland White Terrier) in Glasgow and Scotland
- Adopting a Yorkie (Yorkshire Terrier) in Glasgow: rescues and costs
- Every dog adoption guide for Glasgow
- Rescue pets in Glasgow
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Glasgow? Get your animals listed free.
Every animal links back to your own adoption page, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Sources: Saving and Rehoming Strays: FAQ · Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home: our rehoming process · Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home: rehoming FAQs · Saving and Rehoming Strays: adopt a dog · Springer Rescue Scotland: adoption application · Purrple Cat Rescue: adopt · Dogs Trust: Glasgow rehoming centre · Scottish SPCA: Glasgow rescue and rehoming centre · Scottish SPCA: Lanarkshire rescue and rehoming centre · Greyhound Trust: West Scotland branch · Cats Protection · Glasgow City Council: animal related registers · Glasgow City Council: report a stray dog · legislation.gov.uk: Environmental Protection Act 1990 s.150 (Scotland) · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue: FAQs · Staffie Smiles Rescue: adopt a Staffy · German Shepherd Rescue Scotland: adoption · Second Chances German Shepherd Rescue · Doodle Trust: adopt · British Chihuahua Rescue: adopt a dog · Dachshund Rescue UK: regional rehoming contacts · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · Scottish Government: further protection for animals · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 · Scottish Government: XL Bully dog rules