Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Manchester

Of the rescues we list, only Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home has premises inside the City of Manchester, on Moss Brook Road in Harpurhey, with a second home at Grappenhall near Warrington. The rest are in the boroughs and counties around the city: Makants at Tyldesley and Destitute Animals Shelter in Bolton to the west, Pennine Pen in Oldham to the east, and Warrington Animal Welfare at Warrington and Windyway Animal Rescue at Macclesfield to the south. Our Manchester dog rescues guide compares them side by side.

So this page lists dogs from across that wider area, nearest first, not only from the city itself. Each profile links to the rescue that cares for the dog, and you apply with them: we don't rehome dogs ourselves, and each rescue runs its own application, home check and fee.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. In the City of Manchester the council's nominated kennels are Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home in Harpurhey. Manchester City Council says strays are looked after for 7 full days, "after which the dog becomes the property of the Dogs' Home and is put up for adoption".

If your own dog goes missing in the city, the council tells owners to check with the Dogs' Home. That is Manchester City Council's own rule, and it covers the City of Manchester only, not the boroughs around it.

Most Manchester-area rescues that publish a fee ask £160 to £250 for an adult dog: £160 at Windyway Animal Rescue, £200 at Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home (£250 for a puppy), and £250 at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, Destitute Animals Shelter and Pennine Pen Animal Rescue. Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W asks a £175 homing donation for a retired greyhound.

The fee is not the dog's price: it pays towards vet work already done. At the Dogs' Home it includes a full health check, neutering, a first vaccination, a microchip, four weeks' free Pet Plan insurance, and a collar and ID tag (its adoption form).

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.

Each rescue sets its own rules, and these are the ones Manchester adopters meet most often (how to choose a Manchester rescue). Check them before you apply, and say plainly how the dog's day would be covered.

• Young children. Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary, West Yorkshire Dog Rescue and Warrington Animal Welfare don't rehome dogs to homes with children under five, and Makants prefers children over 5.
• Long days. Bleakholt doesn't rehome young dogs where they would be left alone for more than four hours, and Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W says a greyhound shouldn't be left for more than 4 hours.
• Renting. Destitute Animals Shelter needs your landlord's permission before you apply, and Warrington Animal Welfare asks for it too.
• Your garden. Makants wants a fence at least 5 foot high and can't consider shared communal gardens; Pennine Pen Animal Rescue wants evidence that your garden is secure.
• Home visits. At Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home the team assesses your application, then a virtual home visit comes before you meet the dog. At Warrington Animal Welfare you meet the dog, reserve it, then have a home check.

Some of the best-known rehoming charities have centres near Manchester (our guide to them). We don't list their dogs, so search their own sites.

• Dogs Trust Manchester is at Manchester Parkway in Denton, M34, about 6 miles from the city centre in Tameside. You can browse on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 4pm.
• Blue Cross runs its Greater Manchester rehoming, advice and behaviour unit on Blackburn Street in Radcliffe, Bury, for cats, dogs, rabbits and small pets.
• The RSPCA's local branch, RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch, has an animal centre in Salford and rehomes cats, rabbits and other small animals rather than dogs.

Our breed guides go further on Staffies, German Shepherds, French Bulldogs, Labradors and Cockapoos and Cavapoos. Makants rehomes greyhounds, so the greyhound and lurcher pages are worth watching.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Manchester rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Dogs Trust's Homestay scheme and Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home, which says "we can't take every dog".