Rescue guide
Dog rescues in Oxford and Oxfordshire, compared
More people search for the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary by name than for "dog rescue Oxford", and its kennels at Stadhampton, home to the charity since 1970, lean heavily towards greyhounds. This guide sets it beside the Chilterns and Berkshire Downs rescues we list, two more on the Reading side, and the centres run by national charities, which advertise only on their own websites.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 7 November 2026
The short answer
For a rescue dog in Oxford, start with the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary at Stadhampton, about 7 miles out, which charges £300 for a dog over a year old and takes applications online only. Stokenchurch Dog Rescue, about 17 miles away, and NAWT Berkshire at Great Shefford, about 21, list dogs with us too. Blue Cross at Burford and Dogs Trust Newbury advertise theirs separately.
- 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.
- Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary
- £300 once a dog is a year old; a £20 deposit is kept towards it. Neutered and vaccinated, kennel cough included, plus 5 weeks of insurance.
- NAWT Berkshire
- £250, and the dog comes insured for its first 4 weeks.
- Stokenchurch Dog Rescue
- A minimum donation set for each dog and shown on its page.
- Dog Trouble Foundation (Reading side)
- A minimum donation of £450.
- Keeping a dog
- PDSA reckons a dog costs at least £6,200 across its lifetime, and £18,800 or more for a larger breed.
Dog rescues near Oxford compared
The sanctuary and NAWT Berkshire are new to our Oxford pages with this update; Stokenchurch was already here. The last two rows sit nearer Reading, our rider town, and show on its pages. Dog counts are from each rescue's own site on 7 November 2026, and mileages are straight lines from the city or town.
| Rescue | Base and distance | Dogs on its site, 7 November | How it starts | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary | Stadhampton, about 7 miles from Oxford | 14, nine of them greyhounds | An online questionnaire | £300 over a year |
| Stokenchurch Dog Rescue | Stokenchurch, about 17 miles | Including five reserved Spitz type pups | Afternoon viewing, then a home visit | Set per dog |
| NAWT Berkshire | Great Shefford, about 21 miles | 3, one reserved | Register interest online | £250 |
| Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre | Hurst, about 5 miles from Reading | See its site | An application on the animal's profile | Not published |
| Dog Trouble Foundation | Wokingham, about 7 miles from Reading | 3, plus one reserved | An enquiry form and a home check | £450 minimum |
How each dog rescue near Oxford works
The big difference is how the first contact happens: a web form, a phone call, or an afternoon slot at the kennels.
Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary, Stadhampton
Open since 1967, the society moved its animals onto the old South Oxfordshire Hunt kennels at Stadhampton in 1970 and holds to a non-destruction policy. It says it can have up to 30 dogs at a time, with 18 staff.
Everything starts online: it takes no phone enquiries and replies to the questionnaire within about 2 to 5 working days. You then meet the dog by appointment and can reserve it with a £20 deposit, paying the rest on adoption day; some adopters visit more than once. Home checks are by photo or video, with a visit typically for dogs, and any fencing it asks for must be in place first.
Stokenchurch Dog Rescue
A kennels in the Chilterns, already on our Oxford pages. It limits viewing to 2pm to 3.45pm, does a home visit, rehomes within 50 miles and always takes a dog back. Male dogs over 10 months are neutered first; younger ones go with a voucher. On 7 November 2026 its youngest were German Spitz type pups, all reserved.
NAWT Berkshire, Great Shefford
Also called Trindledown Farm, the centre sits on 10 acres at the edge of the Lambourn Downs and opens 11am to 4pm, closed on Tuesdays. Interest goes in online, and suitable applicants hear back strictly in the sequence they applied before any visit is booked. It had Spiffing and Chance available that day.
Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre, Hurst
On the Reading side, this centre asks you to apply on the animal's profile and warns it gets many applications for each one, so it contacts only the applicant it thinks suits best. A meet and greet follows, and you need photo ID and proof of address to finish.
Dog Trouble Foundation, Wokingham
Based in Wokingham, it rescues dogs from UK homes and Greek streets; each is assessed by its founder, a behaviourist, and dogs from abroad are blood-tested for tick-borne disease. Adopters get a home check, an induction and a training course, and pay a minimum of £450.
Is a retired greyhound right for you?
Nine of the 14 dogs at the sanctuary on 7 November 2026 were greyhounds, one an ex racer who had seen little of ordinary life, and two more were lurcher types. Our Oxford dogs page shows who is waiting now. Before you apply for a sighthound:
- Fencing. Most of the sanctuary's greyhound pages asked for a 6ft fence.
- Cats. None of its greyhounds was marked as able to live with a cat that day.
- Children. Most of its dog profiles said no children; the rest set an age, usually 13 or over.
- Other dogs. Most of its greyhounds could live with another dog; its three small dogs could not.
Dog rescue from Reading
From Reading, Diana Brimblecombe at Hurst is about 5 miles away, Dog Trouble Foundation about 7, Stokenchurch about 15 and the Stadhampton sanctuary about 17. Distances on our Reading dogs page are taken from Reading itself.
What happens to stray dogs in Oxford and Reading?
Oxford City Council's Dog Warden service takes strays, out of hours too, and rehomes unclaimed dogs unless they are too ill or dangerous; an owner pays £188 to reclaim one, plus £36.50 a day. In Reading the council's dog warden works 9am to 4pm on weekdays, and getting a kennelled dog back costs £219 plus £27 a day.
National charity centres within reach of Oxford
Blue Cross Burford opened in 1990 and has room for 25 dogs; you meet them by appointment after applying online. Dogs Trust Newbury sees adopters by pre-arranged appointment, and the RSPCA Oxfordshire and Reading Branch rehomes its own animals. We don't list any of them, so check each site. Hoping for a young dog? Our rescue puppies guide covers that, including the £400 to £3,000 that Blue Cross gives as a breeder's price.
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
Is there a dog rescue in Oxford?
The nearest one we list is the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary at Stadhampton, about 7 miles from the city. Stokenchurch Dog Rescue is about 17 miles away and NAWT Berkshire at Great Shefford about 21.
Where is the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary?
At The Village Green, Watlington Road, Stadhampton, south-east of Oxford. Visits are only by appointment after you have applied online for a particular animal.
How much does the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary charge for a dog?
Its dogs aged one and over are £300, and some are priced higher. Reserving one takes a £20 deposit that is not refunded, and every dog leaves neutered and vaccinated against kennel cough among other things.
Can I phone the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary about a dog?
No. It doesn't take phone enquiries about adoptions: you fill in the questionnaire on the dog's page and it replies by phone or email, usually within 2 to 5 working days.
Can I adopt a greyhound near Oxford?
Yes. Nine of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary's 14 dogs were greyhounds on 7 November 2026. Most needed a 6ft fence and none was marked as safe with cats.
When can I visit Stokenchurch Dog Rescue?
It limits viewing to between 2pm and 3.45pm to keep the kennels calm. It rehomes within 50 miles and does a home visit before a dog leaves.
Is there a dog rescue in Reading?
Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre at Hurst is about 5 miles from Reading and Dog Trouble Foundation at Wokingham about 7. Both are on our Reading pages.
Are Blue Cross Burford's dogs on LocalPetFinder?
No. Blue Cross Burford keeps its dogs on its own website, as do Dogs Trust Newbury and the RSPCA Oxfordshire and Reading Branch; you apply to them there.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Oxford? 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: Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary: home page (Stadhampton) · Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary: about us (1967, 1970, capacity, staff) · Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary: the adoption process (fee, deposit, steps) · Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary: dogs (dated snapshot) · Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary: Dan, an ex racing greyhound · Stokenchurch Dog Rescue: adoption FAQs (viewing, radius, neutering, donations) · Stokenchurch Dog Rescue: Root (dated snapshot: reserved pups) · NAWT Berkshire: centre page (Trindledown Farm, opening) · NAWT: the process (dog fee, order of contact) · NAWT Berkshire: dogs (dated snapshot) · Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre: adoption process · Dog Trouble Foundation: dogs for adoption (dated snapshot) · Dog Trouble Foundation: adoption process (donation, home check) · Dog Trouble Foundation: rescue (UK and Greece, health screening) · Oxford City Council: report a stray dog · Oxford City Council: report a lost dog (reclaim charges) · Reading Borough Council: lost or stray dogs · Blue Cross: Burford rehoming centre · Dogs Trust: Newbury rehoming centre · RSPCA: Oxfordshire Branch · Blue Cross: getting a puppy · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · 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