Rescue guide
Dog rescues in Preston and Blackpool, compared
Preston has no independent dog rescue with kennels inside the city, so adopting here means a short drive to the Fylde coast, Eccleston or Melling. These are the dog rescues around Preston and Blackpool that list their dogs with us, with what each one charges, who it will rehome to, and how the councils and the two local RSPCA branches fit in.
By the LocalPetFinder Team · Checked 5 November 2026
The short answer
For a dog near Preston, look first at Homeless Hounds, whose kennels are on the Fylde coast about 15 miles west: it rehomes only within Lancashire and asks at least £250 for an adult. Labrador Rescue (North West Area) at Eccleston, about 8 miles south, is the closest kennel and takes Labradors only. Every rescue below wants an application or an appointment before you meet a dog.
- 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.
- Homeless Hounds
- A minimum donation of £250 for an adult dog and £350 for a puppy.
- Carla Lane Animals in Need
- Usually £300 to £450 a dog, puppies at the top end; it confirms the sum, and any deposit, before you commit.
- Greyhounds
- Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W asks a £175 homing donation with four weeks of Petplan insurance. Northern Greyhound Rescue asks for a donation but names no sum.
- Animal Care Lancaster
- A minimum donation of £150 a dog, about 20 miles north.
- Buying a puppy
- Blue Cross puts a bought puppy at £400 to £3,000, and that is before the first vet bill.
- Owning a dog
- £6,200 to £18,800 at the least over a dog's life, by PDSA's 2024 sums, depending on the breed and leaving out the price of the dog.
Preston and Blackpool dog rescues compared
Each rescue in this table had dogs listed with us within 25 miles of Preston when we checked on 5 November 2026. Click a name to see its dogs with us today. Applications, checks and fees are the rescue's own: we only list the dogs.
| Rescue | Where | Dogs | How you adopt | Dog fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labrador Rescue (North West Area) | Eccleston, near Chorley (about 8 miles) | Labradors | Apply on one dog's page; best match chosen | Not published |
| Homeless Hounds | Fylde coast kennels and fosters (about 15 miles) | Strays from council pounds | Form, home check, then a meet and greet | £250 adult; £350 puppy |
| Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary | Blackpool; dogs in private kennels (about 15 miles) | A few dogs at a time | Adoption form; no children under 7 | Not published |
| Northern Greyhound Rescue | Lancashire foster homes and boarding kennels | Greyhounds and lurchers | Application form; informal home check | A donation; no sum given |
| Wolfwood | Ellel, south of Lancaster (about 17 miles) | Dogs; wildlife too | Phone; three full days out with the dog | Not published |
| Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W | Tyldesley (about 20 miles) | Retired racing greyhounds | Walks at the kennels; home visit; two-week trial | £175 |
| Carla Lane Animals in Need | Melling, in Sefton (about 20 miles) | Dogs, cats and rabbits | Questionnaire; meeting by invitation | £300 to £450 |
| Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District | Scotforth, Lancaster (about 20 miles) | Dogs, cats, rabbits | Form; three visits; a week's trial | £150 minimum |
How each rescue near Preston works
Their rules differ more than their fees. Read the part for the rescue holding the dog you like before you fill in a form.
Homeless Hounds, Fylde coast
A volunteer-run charity, Homeless Hounds takes in strays whose council kennel fees, it explains, are only covered for 7 days, and keeps them at kennels on the Fylde coast or with foster families. It has a no destruction policy, and passes some dogs on to rescues elsewhere when they have room. Its adoption page shows each dog's sex, breed, age and a few traits, and tells you to name the dog you want on the application.
The policy is short and firm. It considers applicants from Lancashire only, none from families with children under 5, and checks your home with a volunteer before anything else. If that goes well you meet the dog at the kennels or its foster home, bringing everyone who will live with it and your own dogs, then take it home on a trial. Its dogs are on our Homeless Hounds page.
Labrador Rescue (North West Area), Eccleston
Founded in June 1995, Labrador Rescue (North West Area) moved in 2003 to Malt Kiln Farm, where it built six kennels and later added a paddock for assessing dogs. Its site places it at Eccleston, near Chorley, about 8 miles south of Preston, which makes it the nearest dog kennel we list for the city.
You apply on a specific dog's page; every application for that dog is weighed together, and the rescue contacts the one it judges best for the dog. A no is about that dog, not about you, and you can apply again. It doesn't publish a fee. Its dogs are on our Labrador Rescue page.
Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary, Blackpool
Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary is based in Blackpool, but it is not open to visitors, and its dogs live in private kennels while they wait. Send its adoption form for the animal you like; it can't take applications from families with children under 7, and says it has long waiting lists of animals needing homes. It doesn't publish a fee. Its dogs are on our Easterleigh page.
Northern Greyhound Rescue, Lancashire
A small independent charity, Northern Greyhound Rescue takes greyhounds and lurchers from licensed tracks and stray hounds, and keeps them in foster homes or private boarding kennels. Before any adoption a volunteer does an informal home check, and someone visits again afterwards; each dog leaves neutered, vaccinated and microchipped with four weeks of free insurance. Our Preston greyhound guide covers it in detail, and its dogs are on our Northern Greyhound Rescue page.
Carla Lane Animals in Need, Melling
South-west, at Melling in Sefton, about 20 miles away, Carla Lane Animals in Need has its own centre with dogs, cats and rabbits. You fill in its adoption questionnaire first, with written landlord permission if you rent, and it contacts you if there is a match; a dog may need more than one visit, with a supervised meeting for your own dog. Unexpected visitors aren't shown round. Its FAQs say many of its dogs need homes with older children. Its animals are on our Carla Lane page.
Wolfwood, Ellel
On the way to Lancaster, at Ellel about 17 miles north, Wolfwood rescues wildlife as well as dogs, keeping its dogs in private kennels. Viewing is by appointment only, and before adopting you spend three separate full days out with the dog. It wants secure gardens and an hour to three of exercise a day, and it doesn't publish a fee. Its dogs are on our Wolfwood page.
Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W, Tyldesley
Makants rehomes ex-racing greyhounds from its kennels at Tyldesley, about 20 miles south-east, and has homed over 770 since 2013. The kennels open only by arrangement; you walk the dogs there several times, have a home visit, then get a two-week home trial. It wants a 5ft fence all round, no shared garden, and a dog not left over 4 hours. Its dogs are on our Makants page.
Choosing the right rescue from Preston
Start with the dog: our Preston dogs page lists every rescue above, so filter by size, age or breed first. Then check these four points before you apply:
- Where you live. Homeless Hounds takes applicants from Lancashire only, so Preston, Blackpool and Chorley homes qualify. Carla Lane Animals in Need and Makants need you to travel for visits.
- Children. Homeless Hounds won't consider families with children under 5, Easterleigh none under 7, and Makants prefers children over 5.
- Time alone and gardens. Makants says no more than 4 hours alone and a 5ft fence; Wolfwood won't rehome to people working full time unless the dog can go with them or have regular breaks.
- Visits. Wolfwood wants three full days out, Makants several kennel walks, Animal Care Lancaster three visits within 5 to 7 days; Homeless Hounds checks your home before you meet the dog.
Blackpool, Chorley and the rest of Lancashire
In Blackpool and the Fylde, Homeless Hounds and Easterleigh are the local options, and our Blackpool dogs page lists their dogs first. For Chorley and Leyland, Labrador Rescue (North West Area) at Eccleston is the nearest kennel. Further across Lancashire, Animal Care Lancaster Morecambe & District at Scotforth is about 20 miles north, and Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary at Ramsbottom and Destitute Animals Shelter in Bolton both list dogs with us, about 17 miles south-east.
Our Wigan and Southport pages share Preston's catchment, measured from those towns. In England a stray is reported to the council wherever you find it.
What happens to stray dogs in Preston and Blackpool?
Preston City Council uses a contractor, Acorn Kennels, for strays. You report the dog to Acorn Kennels, which collects only a dog the finder has secured and waits with. It keeps a dog for up to seven days, then an unclaimed dog passes to Acorn Kennels to rehome; the council says it has a non-euthanasia policy, and an owner pays £126 to reclaim a dog.
In Blackpool the council's own dog wardens collect strays on weekdays, and kennelled dogs must be claimed within 7 days. A dog found in Fylde or Wyre belongs to that council's warden. Neither council offers its strays to the public directly, so watch the rescues above, some of which take dogs from council pounds.
RSPCA Preston and RSPCA Blackpool
People also search for the RSPCA Preston & District Branch, which has an animal centre on Longridge Road. It shows its dogs only to applicants it has assessed: a "perfect match" form by email, a home visit by video or in person, then usually at least three viewings at the centre.
The RSPCA Blackpool & North Lancs Branch runs its animal centre at Stalmine, north-east of Blackpool, and rehomes animals rescued by RSPCA inspectors. Both rehome through their own sites; we don't list RSPCA animals, so you won't see their dogs here.
What kinds of dogs are in rescue around Preston
Sighthounds lead. On 5 November 2026 greyhounds and lurchers were the largest group listed with us within 25 miles, thanks to Makants, Northern Greyhound Rescue and Animal Care Lancaster, with French Bulldogs and Staffies next. Homeless Hounds had a Kangal, a Border Collie, French Bulldogs and bull breeds on its own page that day. Puppies were scarce: see our rescue puppies guide.
The live count on our Preston dogs page always shows the current picture.
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 Preston?
Not one with kennels in the city itself, apart from the RSPCA Preston & District Branch on Longridge Road, which rehomes through its own site. The nearest we list is Labrador Rescue (North West Area) at Eccleston, about 8 miles south, and Homeless Hounds is on the Fylde coast, about 15 miles west.
Is there a dog rescue in Blackpool?
Yes. Homeless Hounds has kennels on the Fylde coast and Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary is based in Blackpool; both list dogs with us. The RSPCA Blackpool & North Lancs Branch at Stalmine rehomes its own animals, which we don't list.
How much does it cost to adopt a dog near Preston?
Homeless Hounds asks at least £250 for an adult and £350 for a puppy, Carla Lane Animals in Need usually £300 to £450, Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W £175 and Animal Care Lancaster at least £150. Blue Cross puts a bought puppy at £400 to £3,000.
Who can adopt from Homeless Hounds?
People living in Lancashire: it can't consider applications from further afield. It also can't accept families with children under 5. A volunteer checks your home before you meet the dog, and the adoption donation is at least £250 for an adult.
Is there a dog rescue near Chorley?
Labrador Rescue (North West Area) has its kennels at Eccleston, near Chorley, and rehomes Labradors. You apply on the page of a particular dog, and it chooses the applicant who suits that dog best.
What happens to stray dogs in Preston?
Acorn Kennels runs the stray dog service for Preston City Council. It keeps a dog for up to seven days, then an unclaimed dog passes to Acorn Kennels for rehoming. The council says it has a non-euthanasia policy.
Can I adopt a dog near Preston with young children?
Check each rescue. Homeless Hounds won't accept families with children under 5, Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary none under 7, and Makants prefers children over 5. Carla Lane Animals in Need says many of its dogs need older children.
Are there greyhound rescues near Preston?
Yes. Northern Greyhound Rescue fosters greyhounds and lurchers around Lancashire, and Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W has kennels at Tyldesley, about 20 miles away. Both list dogs with us.
Keep reading
For rescues and rehoming centres
Are you a rescue near Preston? 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: Homeless Hounds: home page · Homeless Hounds: about (Fylde coast kennels, 7-day council fees) · Homeless Hounds: adopt a dog (dated snapshot) · Homeless Hounds: adoption policy and procedure · Labrador Rescue (North West Area): home page · Labrador Rescue (North West Area): about · Labrador Rescue (North West Area): adopting a Labrador · Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary: FAQs · Easterleigh Animal Sanctuary: rehoming policy · Northern Greyhound Rescue: home page · Northern Greyhound Rescue: hound adoption · Carla Lane Animals in Need: how to adopt · Carla Lane Animals in Need: adoption FAQs · Carla Lane Animals in Need: contact · Wolfwood: home page (appointments, three days out) · Makants Greyhound Rescue N.W: adopt · Animal Care Lancaster: how to adopt a dog · Preston City Council: stray dogs · Blackpool Council: stray and found dogs · RSPCA Preston & District Branch: adopt · RSPCA Blackpool & North Lancs Branch: home page · GOV.UK: report a stray dog · 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