Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Ipswich

Before this update we had no dogs listed within 25 miles of Ipswich. Two Suffolk charities now add theirs. Greyhound Trust Suffolk keeps retired racers at its kennels in Capel St Mary, about 6 miles south west on the A12, and Suffolk Animal Rescue has its own kennels in Pettistree, near Wickham Market, about 10 miles away.

Suffolk Animal Rescue bought the Pettistree site in 2024 and says it takes dogs whatever their breed or type, and when we checked on 6 November 2026 its list included bull breed and mastiff crosses, with most cards asking for a home with no young children.

In England an unclaimed stray goes to the council (GOV.UK). Ipswich Borough Council collects strays from 8.30am to 9pm every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, and keeps a register of dogs reported lost. Getting a dog back costs at least £95 if it wears a current tag or has an up to date chip, £149 if not, plus £20 a day paid to the kennels.

Greyhound Trust Suffolk charges a homing fee of £250, with the dog neutered, vaccinated, chipped, its teeth cleaned and four weeks of insurance. Suffolk Animal Rescue sets minimum donations by age: £500 for a puppy under 6 months, £450 from 6 to 18 months, £400 for an adult and £350 for a dog over 8.

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over and £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

Neither rescue lets you walk in and choose. Their own pages (Greyhound Trust Suffolk, Suffolk Animal Rescue) set out the steps:

• Greyhounds: questions, then a Saturday visit. The branch asks a few questions by phone or email, then books you into the kennels, usually on a Saturday morning, to walk the hounds. It wants 6 foot fences, someone to let the dog out if you work, and your own dog brought along to meet them. Its homing page says it does not cat test.
• Suffolk Animal Rescue: the form, then two visits. Most dogs on its dogs page have an online application. Meetings are by appointment, every dog needs at least two visits, and a home check looks at your garden and how long the dog would be left.
• Adult homes. On 6 November 2026 none of the cards on Suffolk Animal Rescue's dogs page said yes to cats, and most asked for a home without other pets or young children.

Two more charities rehome dogs close to the town, and we don't show their animals. The Blue Cross Suffolk rehoming centre is on Bourne Hill, Wherstead, at Ipswich's southern edge, and meetings there need an appointment. RSPCA Suffolk Central has an animal centre at Martlesham, near Woodbridge. Search both sites as well as ours.

Our guide to dog rescues in Ipswich and Suffolk compares the two rescues in detail, our greyhound guide covers the Capel St Mary kennels, and our rescue puppies guide is for anyone who typed "puppies for sale" around Ipswich, Colchester or Suffolk. Who is waiting shows on the greyhound and older dogs pages, and our Colchester and Bury St Edmunds pages start from those towns.

Need to find your own dog a new home? See our Ipswich rehoming page.