Adoption guide
Rescue puppies in Southampton and Portsmouth: where to adopt one
Thousands of people a month search for puppies for sale in Southampton, Portsmouth and the rest of Hampshire, and very few of those puppies are in rescue. This guide explains where a young rescue dog might come from around the Solent, what rescues charge for one compared with a bought puppy, and the checks that keep you clear of puppy scams.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
Rescue puppies are scarce around Southampton and Portsmouth: on 5 November 2026 we had no dog younger than a year listed within 25 miles of Portsmouth. St Francis Animal Welfare at Fair Oak charges £350 to £400 when it has a puppy, and Phoenix Rehoming £225 to £425 for its dogs. Register with the rescues now, watch our Portsmouth puppies page, and consider a dog of one or two.
- Rescue adoption fees
- Rescue fees for puppies are set by each rescue. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross puppies under six months start from £525. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.
- Rescues around the Solent
- St Francis Animal Welfare: £350 to £400 for a puppy. Phoenix Rehoming: £225 to £425 a dog, with five weeks of insurance. German Shepherd Rescue South: £175 to £400, by age.
- Buying a puppy
- Blue Cross gives £400 to £3,000 for the puppy itself, with food, insurance and vet care on top.
- Over a lifetime
- PDSA estimated in 2024 that a dog costs its owner at least £6,200 to £18,800 across its life, on top of buying it.
Where rescue puppies turn up near Southampton and Portsmouth
Check our Portsmouth puppies page and our Southampton dogs page first: they count every young dog listed with us today. On 5 November 2026 there was none under a year within 25 miles of Portsmouth, so expect to register interest and wait.
St Francis Animal Welfare, Fair Oak
St Francis publishes a separate puppy fee, £350 to £400 against £200 to £350 for an older dog. You register online, by phone or in person, and it gets in touch only when it has an animal that suits you. Its animals are on our St Francis page.
Hairy Hounz and Phoenix Rehoming, foster homes
Both charities keep young dogs with fosterers. Hairy Hounz had 14-month-old Pomchi brothers and a 17-month-old Dachshund on its page on 5 November 2026, and its application form can go in with the dog's name left blank, so you are on file before the right dog appears.
Phoenix Rehoming lists each dog with its town and age. You travel to meet a dog in its foster home, and once a dog is six months old you get a 7-day cooling-off period after adopting.
Council strays and Second Chance
Portsmouth's stray kennels pass unclaimed dogs to rescues on the council's list, so a young stray can surface at Second Chance or St Francis. Second Chance says not every dog it holds is on its website, so ring or send its enquiry form and say what you are looking for. Its dogs are on our Second Chance page.
What rescues around here ask of puppy homes
A puppy needs company, training and a safe garden, and the local rules reflect that:
- Small children. Phoenix Rehoming won't place a dog with children under 5, and Hampshire Paws Animal Rescue doesn't place dogs with young children.
- Fencing. Phoenix wants a secure garden fenced to at least 4 feet, and German Shepherd Rescue South 6 feet all round.
- Time on its own. German Shepherd Rescue South won't place a dog left alone for more than 3 to 4 hours at a time.
Why a young adult may be the better rescue route
The dogs that rescues near Portsmouth list with us are nearly all adults, from council strays to owners' rehomes, so a dog of one or two is the realistic choice for many families. Its size and temperament are known, and Hairy Hounz and Phoenix describe how each dog gets on with children, other dogs and cats, which no breeder can tell you about a puppy.
Searching "puppies for sale Southampton" or "Portsmouth"?
No rescue puts a price tag on a puppy. After your application it matches you with a dog that suits your home, and its fee offsets the vet bills it has already paid. LocalPetFinder sells nothing: each dog on our puppies page is adopted through its own rescue.
Second Chance warns that scammers prey on people hunting for dogs, and that it rehomes only from Mansbridge and never through Facebook. If you buy, England's Lucy's Law, in force since 6 April 2020, means a puppy under six months must come from its breeder or a rehoming centre, not a pet shop or dealer. Blue Cross says to see the puppy with its mother, and The Royal Kennel Club lists breeders through its Find a puppy service.
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
Are there rescue puppies in Southampton?
Seldom. On 5 November 2026 we had no dog younger than a year listed around Southampton or Portsmouth. Register with St Francis Animal Welfare, Hairy Hounz or Second Chance so they can contact you when one comes in.
Where can I find rescue puppies in Hampshire?
Watch St Francis Animal Welfare at Fair Oak, Second Chance at Mansbridge, and the foster-based Phoenix Rehoming and Hairy Hounz. Our Portsmouth puppies page lists any young dog they have with us.
How much is a rescue puppy near Portsmouth?
St Francis Animal Welfare charges £350 to £400 for a puppy, and Phoenix Rehoming £225 to £425 for its dogs. Buying one costs £400 to £3,000, according to Blue Cross.
Are any puppies free in Portsmouth or Southampton?
Not from a rescue: each charges a fee that goes towards vaccinations, microchipping and neutering. Treat a "free" puppy advert with care, and meet the puppy with its mother and get its chip number before anything else.
How do I avoid puppy scams in Hampshire?
Never pay a deposit for a puppy you haven't seen with its mother, and check any rescue advert against the rescue's own site. Second Chance, for one, says it rehomes only from Mansbridge and never through Facebook. Report a scam to Report Fraud.
Should I look at a one or two year old dog instead?
Often, yes. A dog of one or two has grown into its size and character, so the rescue already knows how it gets on with children and other pets, and there are far more of them in rescue near Portsmouth than puppies.
Who can sell a puppy under six months in England?
Only the breeder or a rehoming centre. Lucy's Law, in force in England since 6 April 2020, stops pet shops and dealers selling puppies under six months.
Keep reading
- Puppies for adoption in and around Portsmouth
- All rescue dogs in and around Portsmouth
- Dog rescues in Portsmouth and Hampshire, compared
- Every dog adoption guide for Portsmouth
- Rescue pets in Portsmouth
Puppies in other cities: Southampton, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Sheffield, Stoke-on-Trent, Swansea, Truro, Worcester
Puppy guides in other cities: Belfast, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Exeter, Ipswich, Kendal, Kingston upon Hull, Lincoln, Northampton, Norwich, Oxford, Peterborough, Preston, Worcester
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Portsmouth? 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: St Francis Animal Welfare: adoption fees (puppies, dogs) · St Francis Animal Welfare: FAQ (registering) · Phoenix Rehoming: adopt (fees, rules, cooling-off) · Hairy Hounz: dogs for adoption (dated snapshot) · Hairy Hounz: apply to adopt · Second Chance Animal Rescue (Southampton): dogs (scam warning) · German Shepherd Rescue South: adoption (rules, donation) · Hampshire Paws Animal Rescue: about us · Portsmouth City Council: help a stray dog (rehoming partners) · Blue Cross: getting a puppy · PDSA: the cost of owning a dog · GOV.UK: Lucy's Law · GOV.UK: get your dog microchipped · The Royal Kennel Club: Find a puppy · Report Fraud · gov.uk: Banned dogs · legislation.gov.uk: Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs