Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Norwich

Before this update we had almost no dogs listed around Norwich. Four Norfolk rescues now add theirs. The nearest is Yarmouth Greyhound Homefinders, which despite its name keeps retired racers in rented kennels at Hainford, about 6 miles north of the city.

Out towards the Broads, FAITH Animal Rescue at Hickling, about 15 miles north-east, runs kennels where its dogs can mix and play. The Norfolk & Suffolk Animal Trust (NASAT) uses kennels on Fremantle Road in Great Yarmouth that were once the police pound for strays, about 18 miles east. PACT Animal Sanctuary at Woodrising, near Hingham, west of Norwich, lists dogs as well as cats.

Under England's rules a stray goes to the council when its owner can't be traced (GOV.UK). Norwich City Council hands this to Animal Warden Services (AWS), which checks each dog for a chip or tag, contacts the owner where it can, and keeps a found dog register owners can search.

Getting your dog back costs £25 if it is chipped or tagged and goes home the same day, and £75 if it isn't chipped but still goes home that day. If an unchipped dog has to go to kennels, the charge is £125 plus £17 a night and any vet bills, and a second offence within 12 months adds £60.

Yarmouth Greyhound Homefinders charges £200, and that includes a leather collar and lead, a muzzle and 4 weeks of free Petplan insurance. NASAT asks £300 in two parts: a £50 deposit, not refunded, once your home check passes, then £250 when you collect.

PACT sets minimum donations of £350 for an adult dog, £400 for a puppy of 6 to 12 months and £450 for one under 6 months. FAITH publishes no figure, so ask it.

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.

All four want an application before you meet a dog, and each sets its own conditions on its own pages (NASAT, PACT):

• Yarmouth Greyhound Homefinders: a garden first. It homes a greyhound without a garden only in exceptional circumstances, will consider a ground-floor flat with garden access, and needs written permission if you rent. A home checker visits, then you book a time to sign and take your hound home.
• NASAT: no young children. It can't accept applications from homes with children under 10. You meet the dog at the kennels, bring your own dog to a second meeting, and two of its team check your home; some dogs can live without a garden.
• PACT: three visits. Its rules ask for a private enclosed garden with fences of 4 to 6 ft, no flats or shared gardens, pet insurance, and at least three visits to the dog, with everyone in the household meeting it.
• FAITH: forms by appointment. It shows dogs only by appointment after reading your form, keeps your details for 2 months, and checks your home first. Its adoption agreement asks for a slip lead on walks.

Two well-known places to find a dog in Norfolk are not on this page. Hillside Animal Sanctuary at Frettenham, north of the city, rehomes dogs to people in the Norfolk area for a minimum donation of £325; we don't list its dogs, so look on its own pages. Dogs Trust Snetterton, south-west of Norwich, lets visitors browse on five afternoons a week; its dogs aren't on our pages either.

Our guide to dog rescues in Norwich and Norfolk puts the four rescues next to each other, and anyone who typed "puppies for sale" in Norwich or Norfolk will find the honest answer in our rescue puppies guide. Browse the greyhound and older dogs pages for dogs waiting now, and our Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft pages start from the coast.

Can't keep your own dog? Our Norwich rehoming page sets out the options.