Adopting a Yorkie (Yorkshire Terrier) in Manchester: rescues and costs

The count under the short answer is worked out live from the rescues we list in and around Manchester, up to about 25 miles out. It is usually a short list, and the rescues that have listed Yorkies with us are outside the city. Our Manchester small dogs page shows the other small dogs near the city today.

Not one we could verify in the UK. Several regional rescues have "Yorkshire" in their names, but they rehome dogs of every breed, and some Yorkie rescue sites that turn up in searches are American. If you find a group offering only Yorkies, check its own website for a charity number and an address before you apply. The Royal Kennel Club runs a Find a Rescue search that is worth a look alongside our listings.

A rescue fee usually comes with the vet work done. Manchester & Cheshire Dogs' Home's £200 adult fee includes neutering, a first vaccination, a microchip and four weeks' free insurance, and West Yorkshire Dog Rescue requires every dog to be neutered, by the new owner within three months if it couldn't be done before adoption. Blue Cross charges less for older dogs, from £235 at 8 or over against £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7.

A bought puppy should already carry a microchip, since UK law requires one by 8 weeks, but neutering and the rest of its vaccinations usually cost extra on top of the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross gives. With an adult rescue Yorkie you also know how big it is: the Royal Veterinary College found pet Yorkies in the UK average 5.06 kg, well above the 3.2 kg maximum for the pedigree breed.

The Royal Veterinary College calls Yorkies largely healthy and long-lived, from UK vet records. The Royal Kennel Club has no recommended health screening for breeders at present, and a 2025 VetCompass study of Yorkies under UK vet care found dental disease the most common problem by far: periodontal disease affected 21.10% of the dogs.

• Teeth. Ask the rescue about dental history and any extractions, and budget for dental care. The same study recorded retained puppy teeth in some dogs, and PDSA lists dental problems among the breed's conditions.
• Knees and windpipe. PDSA also names luxating patellas (kneecaps that slip), tracheal collapse (a weak windpipe) and bladder stones, and says Yorkies suit families with older children because their bones are fragile.
• Eyes and liver. Progressive retinal atrophy, lens luxation and dry eye are on PDSA's list too, along with portosystemic shunt, where blood bypasses the liver.

The Royal Kennel Club lists a flat as big enough and up to 30 minutes of exercise a day, and PDSA says around 30 or 40 minutes, adding that Yorkies enjoy running and fetching like any dog. The coat is the real commitment: The Royal Kennel Club says it needs grooming every day, though it doesn't shed.

Check each rescue's own rules before you apply from a flat, because size doesn't change them. Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary asks for a secure garden, Warrington Animal Welfare wants dogs to have access to a secure garden, and West Yorkshire Dog Rescue's five-hour limit applies to the smallest dogs too.

Rescues don't sell dogs; West Yorkshire Dog Rescue says so in as many words, and asks for a donation instead. You apply for a dog, the rescue checks your home suits it, and the fee or donation goes on its running costs. Puppies are rare in rescue, so be ready for an adult. Our Manchester Yorkie page shows what is listed near the city today.

Buying instead? A vet can give you a pre-purchase consultation on likely health problems, Dogs Trust says, and The Royal Kennel Club has a "Find a puppy" search. Meet the puppy with its mother where it was bred, and report a suspected scam to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).