Rescue guide
Dog rescues in Nottingham: the best ones compared
No single dog rescue is the best one in Nottingham: the right one depends on the dog you want, how far you can drive and who lives with you. Below, the rescues within about 25 miles whose dogs we list are set side by side, followed by Dogs Trust Loughborough, the council's route for strays and the breed charities you can approach yourself.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 26 October 2026
The short answer
Every dog rescue we list near Nottingham is outside the city boundary. The closest is Jerry Green Dog Rescue, whose Nottinghamshire Centre near Blidworth is about 11 miles north and asks £385 for a dog over 20 weeks, and Doggy Dens UK Rescue is at Cuckney, about 20 miles north. West in Derbyshire are Just For Dogs at Brailsford and Ashbourne Animal Welfare at Ashbourne, which had the most dogs listed with us near Nottingham when we checked in October 2026. Dogs Trust Loughborough, at Wymeswold, is the large centre to the south, but we don't list its dogs.
- Rescue adoption fees
- 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.
- Rescues near Nottingham that publish a fee
- From £275 for an adult dog: £275 at Ashbourne Animal Welfare, £385 at Jerry Green Dog Rescue for a dog over 20 weeks, normally £400 on average at Just For Dogs, and from £450 for a UK dog at Doggy Dens UK Rescue. Ashbourne's price for a puppy under 12 months is £300. The fee table below quotes each one.
- Buying a puppy
- Blue Cross puts the cost of buying a puppy at £400 to £3,000, before food, insurance and vet bills.
- Owning a dog
- PDSA estimates a dog costs at least £6,200 over its lifetime, and up to a minimum of £18,800 depending on the breed (its 2024 figures, not counting buying the dog).
Dog rescues near Nottingham compared
Each rescue below has the dogs we list within about 25 miles of Nottingham city centre. Each name opens our page of that rescue's current dogs, and its own website is linked in its section further down. You apply to the rescue, which runs its own checks and sets its own fee: LocalPetFinder doesn't rehome dogs.
Plan on a drive. The four kennel rescues sit in a ring around the city: two to the north in Nottinghamshire, two to the west in Derbyshire. Greenleaf Animal Rescue and Many Tears Animal Rescue keep dogs in foster homes and kennels around the country, so read each dog's page to see where it is.
| Rescue | Where | Dogs | How you adopt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashbourne Animal Welfare | The Ark, Ashbourne, Derbyshire (about 24 miles) | Dogs and cats | Enquiry form, a phone call, then a visit by appointment |
| Doggy Dens UK Rescue | Kennels at Cuckney, Nottinghamshire (about 20 miles) | Dogs; we list only its UK dogs | Read its checklist, apply, then a visit from its team to see your home and garden |
| Greenleaf Animal Rescue | Foster homes and boarding kennels around the country (location on each dog's page) | Dogs of all kinds | An online application, then a home check and a vet reference |
| Jerry Green Dog Rescue | Nottinghamshire Centre, Warsop Lane, near Blidworth (about 11 miles) | All types, including puppies | Application form, a phone call, then a meeting in a Meet&Match room |
| Just For Dogs | Brailsford, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire (about 20 miles) | Dogs only | Adoption application form, then a viewing by appointment |
| Many Tears Animal Rescue | Based in Carmarthenshire; some dogs fostered near Nottingham (location on each dog's page) | Dogs of all kinds | Set out on its own website |
Published adoption fees near Nottingham
These are the dog fees each rescue publishes on its own site, in its words. The fee goes towards vet work the rescue has already paid for, such as neutering, vaccinations and a microchip. If a rescue doesn't publish a fee, ask when you enquire.
| Rescue | Fee (their words) |
|---|---|
| Ashbourne Animal Welfare | A minimum payment of £275 for an adult dog over 12 months, which it may reduce for older dogs, and £300 for a puppy under 12 months |
| Jerry Green Dog Rescue | £385 for a dog over 20 weeks; the fee for a puppy up to 20 weeks can vary |
| Just For Dogs | "normally £400" on average, more or less depending on the age and breed of the dog |
| Doggy Dens UK Rescue | "Starting from £450" for a UK dog |
| Greenleaf Animal Rescue | "donate what you can" (no amount) |
Which rescue near Nottingham for which dog
The comparison table runs A to Z. By area and way of working, the rescues fall into these groups.
North of the city: Jerry Green Dog Rescue and Doggy Dens
Jerry Green Dog Rescue runs its Nottinghamshire Centre on Warsop Lane, near Blidworth, about 11 miles north, the nearest of the rescues we list. You browse its dogs online and fill in an application form; if it looks like a match, it phones you and books a meeting in one of its Meet&Match rooms. You can't walk round the kennels at the Nottinghamshire Centre, and every visit is by appointment. Some dogs are on its Home from Home scheme, staying with their current owner until matched, so you meet them at a centre or at an agreed neutral place.
Its fee is £385 for a dog over 20 weeks, and its FAQs say a puppy's fee can vary. Where a dog can live with children, Jerry Green says so on the dog's profile. Doggy Dens UK Rescue, at Shireoaks Hill Farm in Cuckney, about 20 miles north, sets out a checklist to think through before applying. After that a member of its rehoming team contacts you, it comes to look at your home and garden, and it may want a reference from a vet you have used. A garden fence of 5 ft is its minimum, and whether a dog can live with children depends on that dog's temperament, personality and size. UK dogs start from £450.
West in Derbyshire: Just For Dogs and Ashbourne Animal Welfare
Just For Dogs rehomes dogs from its centre at Brailsford, near Ashbourne, about 20 miles west. You complete its dog adoption application form online or on paper, and viewings are strictly by appointment. It says it will rehome to families with young children, older people and people in full time work, as long as it is the right dog for the home. Its dogs are wormed, vaccinated, neutered and microchipped, and if a dog is too young to neuter, you agree to have it done. The average fee is normally £400.
Ashbourne Animal Welfare runs The Ark on Wyaston Road, Ashbourne, about 24 miles west, with kennels and outside runs in 6 acres of grounds. When we checked in late October 2026, it had more of the dogs listed with us near Nottingham than any other rescue, so its page is the one to watch. You start with its dog adoption enquiry form; if it has a dog that suits you, it calls to book an appointment, and every visit is by prior appointment outside its open days. Before it leaves, each dog has a health check, a microchip, its vaccinations and flea and worm treatment, plus 4 weeks of Petplan cover where it qualifies. Males are neutered before they leave; a bitch is spayed later at its cost, and that is a condition of adoption. If things don't work out later, Ashbourne asks that you don't sell or give the dog away without its consent in writing.
Foster networks with dogs near Nottingham
Greenleaf Animal Rescue works through foster homes and boarding kennels nationwide, gives each dog's location on its page, and asks adopters to donate what they can. Many Tears Animal Rescue, a Carmarthenshire charity, sometimes has a dog in a foster home near Nottingham. Neither is a Nottingham rescue, so check the dog's location before you apply.
Breed rescues that cover Nottingham
We don't list these breed rescues' dogs. Each sets its own area and rules, named below from its own pages, so contact it directly and check before you apply.
- Staffies: Happy Staffie Rescue is based in the Midlands and rehomes Staffies from all over the UK, and Senior Staffy Club rehomes older Staffies and Staffy crosses throughout the UK for £120. Staffies near Nottingham are on our Staffy page.
- German Shepherds: German Shepherd Rescue puts Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in its Central Region, with fees from £150 to £500, and Central German Shepherd Rescue, a small charity based in Lincolnshire, covers Notts and uses foster homes rather than a centre. See our German Shepherd page.
- Labradors: Labrador Rescue South East & Central names Nottingham and Nottinghamshire among its areas, subject to helper support. See our Labrador page.
- Cocker Spaniels: UK Spaniel Rescue and Spaniel Aid both rehome spaniels, and neither places a dog where it would be left alone for more than 4 hours. See our Cocker Spaniel page.
- Dachshunds: Dachshund Rescue UK has a regional contact for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, and its fees run from £150 to £650; its adoption criteria rule out homes with children under 10.
- Chihuahuas: British Chihuahua Rescue keeps its dogs with foster carers throughout the UK and asks an adoption donation of £350, and doesn't normally place dogs with children under 10.
- Poodle crosses: Doodle Trust, DoodleAid and Doodle Rescue rehome poodle crosses such as Cockapoos, and Doodle Trust keeps its dogs in foster homes across the UK. See our Cockapoo page.
- Jack Russells: Jack Russell Terrier Rescue UK rehomes across the UK, though its foster homes are elsewhere in the country, and not to households with young children.
- Greyhounds: Greyhound Trust has branches at Burton upon Trent and in South Derbyshire, each about 22 to 23 miles from Nottingham. Retired racers and lurchers listed near Nottingham are on our greyhound and lurcher pages.
How to choose a rescue near Nottingham
Begin with your own home and week, because each rescue's rules decide which dogs it can offer you. These are the points that sort the rescues near Nottingham.
- You have young children. Just For Dogs says it will rehome to families with young children when the dog suits, Doggy Dens UK Rescue weighs up each dog's temperament and size before placing it with children, and Jerry Green Dog Rescue states on each profile whether a dog can live with children.
- You work full time. Just For Dogs names people in full time work among the homes it will consider for the right dog. Ask any rescue how long a particular dog can be left.
- Your garden fence. Doggy Dens UK Rescue needs fencing of at least 5 ft and visits to see your garden, so measure before you apply.
- You want an older dog. Ashbourne Animal Welfare may reduce its £275 adult fee for an older dog, and Senior Staffy Club rehomes only older Staffies. Our older dogs page lists the older dogs near Nottingham.
- You don't drive. Every rescue here is outside the city and works by appointment, and you may need more than one visit. Jerry Green's centre near Blidworth is the closest; the two Derbyshire rescues are about 20 and 24 miles away.
How adopting from a rescue near Nottingham works
Details vary, but around Nottingham the steps run in roughly this order. The "home check" is simply the rescue seeing where the dog would live, usually in person; nobody is marking your housework.
- Pick out a dog here or on the rescue's own site, and check what its profile asks for: a garden, no cats, no other dogs or older children only.
- Apply or enquire. Jerry Green Dog Rescue and Just For Dogs take an application form, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare starts with an enquiry form and a phone call.
- Go to the booked meeting with the people you live with, and take along any dog you already have if the rescue asks.
- Have the home check. Doggy Dens UK Rescue visits to see your home and garden and may ask your previous vets for a reference.
- Pay the fee and take your dog home. Keep up any promise you made, such as having a young dog neutered when it is old enough.
Dogs Trust Loughborough, strays and other routes
A few well-known routes to a rescue dog near Nottingham sit outside LocalPetFinder. None of their dogs appear on our pages, so contact them yourself.
- You'll find Dogs Trust Loughborough at Loughborough Hill Farm, Wide Lane, in the Leicestershire village of Wymeswold, about 11 miles south of the city centre. It has room for up to 100 dogs in 80 kennels, and its page says 490 of its dogs found homes in 2025. Drop-in browsing runs from noon until 4pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, while Wednesday and Friday mornings are kept for booked visits. The national Dogs Trust fee is in the cost box at the top of this page.
- Nottingham City Council's stray dog page says that if an owner doesn't collect a seized dog within 7 days, the council legally assumes ownership, and that most unclaimed strays are rehomed. That rule is the city council's own: Gedling, Broxtowe, Rushcliffe and the county's other districts each run a separate service, and stray kennel dogs aren't on LocalPetFinder.
- The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
Find a breed near Nottingham
Our breed pages pull together the dogs of one breed from all the rescues above, closest first, each with answers to common questions. When we checked in October 2026, crossbreeds, Labradors and Labrador crosses, and greyhounds and lurchers were the largest groups listed with us around Nottingham, so start with the crossbreed, Labrador, greyhound and lurcher pages. You can also browse Staffies, German Shepherds and spaniels, and for puppies, older dogs and small dogs.
The law in England
Microchipping and change of keeper
In England, as everywhere in the UK, every dog must be microchipped and registered by 8 weeks old. Since 6 April 2016 a dog in England can't pass to a new keeper until it is chipped, and the new keeper must update the database (the England regulations). A rescue chips before rehoming; after adoption, keep the details up to date.
Lucy's Law: buying a puppy
In England, Lucy's Law has meant since 6 April 2020 that puppies under six months can't be sold by a third party such as a pet shop or dealer: you buy direct from the breeder or adopt from a rehoming centre.
Banned dog types
In England, it is against the law to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned type: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. Whether a dog is banned depends on what it looks like rather than its breed or name, so no rescue can rehome one and none appear on LocalPetFinder. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not a banned type.
XL Bully dogs
In England, since 31 December 2023 it has been illegal to breed, sell, advertise, gift, exchange or abandon an XL Bully or let it stray, and since 1 February 2024 illegal to own one without a Certificate of Exemption (gov.uk: England and Wales).
Questions
Tap a question to expand
What is the best dog rescue in Nottingham?
No single rescue suits everyone; the right one turns on the dog you hope for and the home you can give it. Closest to the city is Jerry Green Dog Rescue, about 11 miles north near Blidworth, with Doggy Dens UK Rescue further north at Cuckney. In Derbyshire, Just For Dogs is at Brailsford and Ashbourne Animal Welfare runs The Ark at Ashbourne, which had the most dogs listed with us near Nottingham when we checked in October 2026.
Are there dog rescues inside Nottingham itself?
Not among the rescues we list. Jerry Green Dog Rescue and Doggy Dens UK Rescue are in north Nottinghamshire, and Just For Dogs and Ashbourne Animal Welfare are in Derbyshire; only the occasional foster dog from a national network such as Many Tears Animal Rescue is in the city. Dogs Trust Loughborough is at Wymeswold, but we don't list its dogs.
How much does it cost to adopt a dog from a rescue near Nottingham?
From £275 for an adult dog at the rescues that publish a fee. The lowest is Ashbourne Animal Welfare's £275; Jerry Green Dog Rescue charges £385 once a dog is over 20 weeks, Just For Dogs' average is normally £400, and Doggy Dens UK Rescue starts at £450 for a dog from the UK. Ashbourne's puppies, under 12 months, are £300.
Can I adopt from Dogs Trust Loughborough through LocalPetFinder?
No: Dogs Trust animals, like the RSPCA's, aren't on LocalPetFinder, so use Dogs Trust's own website. Its Loughborough centre is actually in Wymeswold, roughly 11 miles south of the city, and welcomes browsers on five afternoons a week (not Wednesday or Friday). Only the rescues in our comparison table have dogs on our pages.
Can I visit dog rescues near Nottingham without an appointment?
Generally not: you apply first and the rescue books the meeting. There is no walking round the kennels at Jerry Green's Nottinghamshire Centre, Just For Dogs only shows dogs by appointment, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare's visits follow its enquiry form, except on its open days.
Can I adopt a rescue dog if I have young children?
Often, but each rescue decides dog by dog. Just For Dogs says it will rehome to families with young children when the dog suits, Doggy Dens UK Rescue judges each dog's temperament and size first, and Jerry Green Dog Rescue states on each dog's profile whether it can live with children. Breed rescues set their own limits, such as no children under 10 at Dachshund Rescue UK.
What happens to stray dogs in Nottingham?
In the City of Nottingham, the council's page says that if an owner doesn't collect a seized dog within 7 days, the council legally assumes ownership, and most unclaimed strays are rehomed. Gedling, Broxtowe, Rushcliffe and the other districts run their own services. We don't list stray kennel dogs.
Where can I adopt a greyhound or lurcher near Nottingham?
When we checked in October 2026, the greyhounds and lurchers listed with us near Nottingham were at Ashbourne Animal Welfare and Jerry Green Dog Rescue; our greyhound and lurcher pages show today's. Greyhound Trust also has branches at Burton upon Trent and in South Derbyshire, each about 22 to 23 miles away, which you contact directly.
Do rescues near Nottingham rehome puppies?
Yes, from time to time. Ashbourne Animal Welfare asks £300 for a puppy under 12 months, and Jerry Green Dog Rescue says its fee for a puppy up to 20 weeks can vary. If a young dog isn't neutered yet, expect to agree to have it done: Just For Dogs asks you to, and Ashbourne Animal Welfare makes spaying a condition of adopting a bitch.
Keep reading
- All rescue dogs in and around Nottingham
- Adopting a Staffy in Nottingham: rescues, costs and the law
- Adopting a Labrador in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a German Shepherd in Nottingham: rescues, costs and the law
- Adopting a Chihuahua in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a Cockapoo or Cavapoo in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a Cocker Spaniel in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a Dachshund in Nottingham: rescues, rules and costs
- Adopting a French Bulldog in Nottingham: rescues, costs and breathing
- Adopting a Golden Retriever in Nottingham: the breed club route, costs and health
- Adopting a greyhound in Nottingham: charities, rules and costs
- Adopting a Jack Russell in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a Pug in Nottingham: rescues, costs and health
- Adopting a Rottweiler in Nottingham: rescues, rules and health
- Adopting a Shih Tzu in Nottingham: rescues, costs and coat care
- Every dog adoption guide for Nottingham
- Rescue pets in Nottingham
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Nottingham? Get your animals listed free.
Every animal links back to your own adoption page, and you can ask to be removed at any time.
Sources: Ashbourne Animal Welfare: adopting a dog · Ashbourne Animal Welfare: The Ark today · Just For Dogs: dogs for adoption · Just For Dogs: contact (fees) · Jerry Green Dog Rescue: adopting a dog · Jerry Green Dog Rescue: FAQs · Jerry Green Dog Rescue: Nottinghamshire Centre · Doggy Dens UK Rescue: adoption · Greenleaf Animal Rescue: about · Many Tears Animal Rescue · Dogs Trust: Loughborough rehoming centre · Nottingham City Council: report a found, lost or stray dog · RSPCA · Blue Cross: getting a puppy · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · Happy Staffie Rescue · Senior Staffy Club: adopt a Staffy · German Shepherd Rescue: Central Region · German Shepherd Rescue: adopt a German Shepherd · Central German Shepherd Rescue · Labrador Rescue South East & Central: what we do · UK Spaniel Rescue: adopting · Spaniel Aid: adoption process · Dachshund Rescue UK: regional rehoming contacts · Dachshund Rescue UK: criteria for adoption · Dachshund Rescue UK: adoption fees · British Chihuahua Rescue: FAQ · Doodle Trust · DoodleAid: the adoption process · Doodle Rescue · Jack Russell Terrier Rescue UK: about us · Greyhound Trust: Burton-upon-Trent branch · Greyhound Trust: South Derbyshire branch · gov.uk: Get your dog microchipped · gov.uk: Banned dogs · gov.uk: Lucy's Law in England · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs