Rescue puppies in Hull: where to adopt one

The count under the short answer is live: every dog under a year old listed with us in Hull and up to about 25 miles out. When we checked on 2 November 2026 there were four: two 4-month-old crossbreeds and one of 7 months at Oakwood Dog Rescue, and an 11-month-old lurcher at Hull Animal Welfare Trust. Most rescue dogs around Hull are adults, so a puppy is the exception, not the rule.

Before you fall for a puppy, check the home rules. These are the ones that rule most people in or out near Hull:

• Children under 10. Oakwood won't rehome to a home with children under 10 living there or staying often, unless it has advertised a dog as suitable, which it says is rare. Linbee Dog Rehoming, near Goole, won't rehome to homes with children under 5.
• A young dog already at home. Oakwood won't rehome to someone who already has a dog under a year old, because puppies and rescue dogs both take so much time.
• Time alone. Oakwood says a dog must not be left for more than 5 hours a day, and less for a puppy, depending on age. Linbee says puppies should not be left at all when very young, with time alone built up gradually.
• A garden. Oakwood needs a secure garden attached to your home with a padlocked gate, and matches dogs by fence height.
• Holidays and moves. Oakwood asks you not to apply if you are moving or have a holiday booked in the next 3 months: a new dog needs your full attention.

On the day we checked, most of the dogs listed around Hull were adults, and they reach the rescues as strays through the council's kennels at Hull Animal Welfare Trust, as owner hand-ins and, at Oakwood, as ex-street dogs from Romania. So if a puppy you like is listed, apply promptly.

That is why a young adult is worth a look. A dog of 1 to 6 at Oakwood costs £250, less than a puppy, and is past the hardest months of house training and chewing. Its character is clearer too, which matters if you have children or another dog.

Rescue puppies near Hull go quickly, so do the slow parts first:

1. Read the rules and apply early. Oakwood keeps your application and emails when a match arrives, so apply before you see the puppy you want, and check your junk mail.
2. Get the paperwork ready. Oakwood asks for photo ID and proof of address for everyone over 16, and photos of your garden boundary. Have them to hand.
3. Fix the fence. Oakwood wants any hole or gap a dog could squeeze through blocked, including at the roots of hedges, and gives you less than 24 hours to fix anything its video home check finds.
4. Line up insurance. Oakwood requires lifetime insurance and gives 5 weeks' free cover to start; get quotes now so you can switch over in time.
5. Plan the first weeks. Book time at home, and look at puppy classes. Oakwood's own Dog Hub runs puppy play sessions on Friday evenings for puppies of 2 to 4 months, at £7 a puppy, or £5 for members.

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 Hull 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. The Royal Kennel Club runs a "Find a puppy" service.