Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Kendal

The rescue on Kendal's doorstep is Animal Rescue Cumbria, whose shelter is at Grayrigg, just outside the town. The other dogs on this page come from rescues further out: Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District at Lancaster, about 20 miles south, Wolfwood at Ellel, about 23 miles, and Eden Animal Rescue near Penrith, about 23 miles north.

Every profile links to the rescue that cares for the dog, and you apply with them: we don't rehome dogs ourselves. For a retired racing greyhound, Retired Greyhounds South Lakes at Witherslack, about 8 miles away, keeps its dogs in its own home rather than kennels.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. For Kendal that is Westmorland and Furness Council, whose stray dog page for the South Lakeland area says a stray is picked up and either returned to its owner or taken to its contracted kennels. Rescues can't take strays straight off the street: Animal Rescue Cumbria asks you not to bring a found dog to its shelter.

Owners pay to reclaim a dog, from £79 on the first day to £166.60 by the seventh, with £57.50 more for a second offence. The council says every dog unclaimed after seven days becomes its property and is rehomed where possible by its kennels, microchipped, vaccinated and neutered.

Animal Rescue Cumbria asks £300 for a dog and £350 for a puppy, and its fees are not refundable. Animal Care Lancaster asks a minimum donation of £150 for a dog, which goes home neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and flea treated.

Eden Animal Rescue asks a minimum donation of £250 for a dog, or £380 for two, unless a dog's profile says otherwise. Retired Greyhounds South Lakes asks a minimum non-refundable donation of £250 for a greyhound. Wolfwood publishes no fee, so ask when you call.

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.

None of them lets you walk round the kennels and pick a dog on the day. You enquire about a particular dog first, and the rescue decides whether it is a match (Animal Rescue Cumbria's adoption guide).

• Enquire, then meet, then sleep on it. Animal Rescue Cumbria contacts you if your home looks a good match, then invites you to walk the dog round its field, with your own dog if you have one. It never lets a dog go home on the first appointment. Renters need a letter from the landlord, and it may ask your old vet for a reference.
• Three visits and a trial week. At Animal Care Lancaster you apply on its form; if you haven't heard within 7 days, the application hasn't succeeded. After a home check it asks you to visit the dog 3 times within 5 to 7 days, then take it home for a week's trial before you adopt.
• Three full days out. Wolfwood shows its dogs by appointment only and expects three separate full days out with the dog before you adopt. It won't rehome to someone out at work full time unless the dog can go too or gets regular breaks, and it warns that many dogs can jump 1.5 metres.
• Cumbria only at Eden. Eden Animal Rescue does not rehome animals outside Cumbria, so it suits Kendal and Barrow homes but not Lancashire ones.

Dogs Trust Cumbria keeps its dogs in foster homes across the county rather than at a centre, and sees adopters by pre-arranged appointment only. We don't list Dogs Trust dogs, so search its own site.

The RSPCA Westmorland Branch in Kendal rehomes cats and kittens, and says it is unable to help with dogs at the moment.

Our guide to dog rescues in Kendal and Cumbria compares every rescue above, and the rescue puppies guide explains why puppies are scarce. The puppies, Border Collie, lurcher and older dogs pages each list the dogs near Kendal today.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Kendal rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Animal Rescue Cumbria's intake form.