Rehome your dog, cat or rabbit in Aberdeen

Checked 12 November 2026

The short answer

Phone Mrs Murray's Home for Stray Dogs & Cats at East Seaton, which takes in dogs and cats from owners who can no longer keep them and asks you to call first. For a cat, Cats Protection Aberdeen keeps a waiting list; for a dog, DAWGS at Alford finds a new home while your dog usually stays with you, and German Shepherd and spaniel rescues cover all of Scotland. Your pet stays your responsibility until someone confirms a place, so you can also list it on LocalPetFinder and choose its next home yourself.

List your pet in Aberdeen for free

Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.

Start your listing

Before you rehome

  • The Scottish SPCA advises contacting the breeder first, then a local rescue.
  • If the problem is behaviour or money, Battersea's Behaviour Advice Line helps dog owners and PDSA is a vet charity for people who qualify.
  • Never leave an animal outside a centre: Blue Cross warns it "could put them at risk". Arrange a handover first.

Your options in and around Aberdeen

1. List your pet on LocalPetFinder

Free, about ten minutes; a person checks every listing, adopters message you without seeing your email or phone, and you hand over in person.

2. Local rescues that take owners’ pets

  • Mrs Murray's Home for Stray Dogs & Catsdogs, cats · Brickfield, East Seaton, Aberdeen AB24 1XL

    It accepts animals from owners who, for whatever reason, can no longer keep them, and asks you to ring to talk over what you need before bringing anything in. It publishes no admission fee, so ask about one when you call.

  • Cats Protection Aberdeencats · Volunteer branch for Aberdeen City and nearby areas (AB10 to AB16, AB21 to AB25, AB31, AB32)

    The branch keeps a waiting list for admissions: cats come into its care as spaces and vet appointments become free. When we checked on 12 November 2026, it said more than 10 cats were waiting to come in. Email it with your cat's details, health and behaviour to go on the list.

  • DAWGS (Dog Action Working Group Scotland)dogs · Main Street, Alford (AB33), about 23 miles west of Aberdeen

    Complete its rehoming form or phone the rehoming team. It charges £20 to register a dog, meets you to photograph your dog for its website, and asks you to keep your dog with you until a match is found where at all possible; it hopes to finish in around 2 weeks, though some dogs take longer.

  • German Shepherd Rescue Scotlanddogs · Volunteers across Scotland; no centre of its own

    For German Shepherds. Fill in its re-homing form and a volunteer comes to assess your dog. It has no centre, its kennel space has a waiting list, and it says a new home takes about 3 months on average, so only apply if you can keep your dog until then.

  • Springer Rescue Scotlanddogs · Volunteer fosterers across Scotland; no premises

    For any spaniel. A volunteer visits to assess your dog at home, then it waits for a foster place; urgent cases go to emergency fostering or assessed boarding kennels.

Around Deeside, Stonehaven, Inverurie and Alford, Cats Protection Deeside & Kincardine said on 12 November 2026 that it can't take in any more cats or kittens; it has a waiting list but can't say how long the wait may be.

The Scottish SPCA has an Aberdeenshire centre at Drumoak, but its giving-up page says its centres are at capacity and unable to accept any more animals at this time.

Adopted your pet from Mrs Murray's? Its rehoming conditions say an animal you can't keep must go back to the home rather than to anyone else, so contact it first.

Found a dog rather than giving one up? In the city, report it to Aberdeen City Council's dog wardens, whose strays go to Mrs Murray's for 7 days; in the shire, Aberdeenshire Council collects them. Mrs Murray's asks owners of lost pets to try the dog wardens first.

3. National charity schemes

  • Dogs Trust: Dogs only, and free. Homestay keeps your dog with you while a new home is found; call 0300 303 2188.
  • Cats Protection: Cats. Contact your local branch or centre, where "there can often be waiting lists", or ask about Home to Home, which keeps your cat at home.
  • Rabbit rescues: The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund points owners to Rescue Review, Save a Fluff and Rabbit Rehome to find a local rescue. Keep a bonded pair together.

Waiting times and how each scheme works: rehoming in Scotland.

If you rehome privately: the must-dos

  • Microchip. In Scotland a dog must be microchipped, with your details correct on the database, before it goes to a new keeper (2016 Regulations, reg. 10). Chipping a cat is optional in Scotland; if yours is chipped, update it too.
  • No deposits, no couriers. Take no money before an adopter has met your pet, and hand over face to face. A deposit request is the classic pet scam sign.
  • Banned dogs and XL Bullies. In Scotland it's against the law to give away a banned dog, and Scottish guidance says it is unlawful to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully" (gov.scot). If your dog could be an XL Bully, don't list it.
  • Adults, and honesty. Adopters must be 18 or over, and your listing must be honest about health and behaviour.

The full wording, with each regulation: the law in Scotland when you rehome a pet.

What’s listed in and around Aberdeen right now

Right now LocalPetFinder lists 10 dogs, 1 cat and 0 rabbits from 1 rescue within about 25 miles of Aberdeen, plus 1 pet listed by its owner.

Looking to adopt instead? Rescue dogs in and around Aberdeen · rescue cats · rabbits

Rehoming a particular breed? Our breed rehoming guides cover what to tell adopters and the breed rescues that take owners’ pets.

Rehoming a pet in Aberdeen: your questions

Tap a question to expand

Where can I take my dog in Aberdeen if I can’t keep him?

Ring Mrs Murray’s Home at East Seaton, which takes owners’ dogs and cats after a call to talk it over, or register him with DAWGS at Alford, which usually rehomes dogs while they stay with you. Until a rescue confirms a place, you can also list him on LocalPetFinder and choose his next owner yourself.

Will Aberdeen City Council take my dog?

Its dog wardens deal with strays, which they take to Mrs Murray’s; the council’s page describes no route for an owner giving up their own dog. Contact Mrs Murray’s directly instead.

Does Mrs Murray’s charge to take in my pet?

It publishes no fee for taking in an owner’s animal, so ask when you phone. Its conditions say an adopter returning a pet after the first week may have to pay a fee at the current rate.

Can I rehome my cat in Aberdeen?

Yes. Mrs Murray’s takes cats as well as dogs from owners who can no longer keep them; phone first. Cats Protection Aberdeen also takes cats in from its waiting list. You can list your cat on LocalPetFinder too.

How do I rehome my dog in Aberdeen?

List your dog on LocalPetFinder (free, and checked by a person), ask one of the rescues above, or use a national scheme such as Dogs Trust Homestay. Your dog must be microchipped, with the chip transferred to the new keeper.

Is it free to rehome my pet?

Listing on LocalPetFinder is free. Giving up a dog to Dogs Trust is free; many other rescues ask for a donation, so ask what they charge and whether they can help if money is tight.

Can I charge a rehoming fee?

Yes, paid at the handover after the adopter has met your pet, never as a deposit. A fee makes it a sale, so no buyer under 16, and be honest about your pet's health. PAAG warns a "free to good home" advert "may devalue an animal" (PAAG).

How long does it take to rehome a pet?

Dogs Trust says Homestay dogs "generally find a new home within two weeks"; a kennel space "could take a few weeks". A LocalPetFinder listing is usually reviewed within a day. If you have to move your pet today, see our urgent guide.

Can I rehome a puppy or kitten?

Not on LocalPetFinder: we only list animals aged 6 months or older, in the spirit of Lucy's Law. If you have a young animal or a litter, a rescue can help.

More help

Owner pages nearby: Dundee, Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway, Newcastle upon Tyne

List your pet in Aberdeen for free

Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.

Start your listing

Sources: Mrs Murray's: rehome (owners' animals accepted after a call) · Mrs Murray's: rehoming conditions (returns; admission fee at the current rate) · Mrs Murray's: stray animals (lost pets: dog wardens first) · Aberdeen City Council: report a lost, found or stray dog · Aberdeenshire Council: stray and lost dogs · Cats Protection Aberdeen: waiting list for admissions · Cats Protection Deeside & Kincardine: unable to take in more cats (waiting list) · DAWGS: rehome your dog · DAWGS: FAQ (£20 registration, dog stays with you, about 2 weeks) · German Shepherd Rescue Scotland: re-homing your dog · Springer Rescue Scotland: rehoming your dog · Scottish SPCA: giving up your pet (centres at capacity) · Dogs Trust: Giving up your dog · Blue Cross: Giving up a pet · Cats Protection: Giving up a cat · RWAF: Rehoming rabbits · Battersea: Giving your dog up for adoption · PAAG: Free to a good home adverts · Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations 2016 · gov.uk: Get your dog or cat microchipped · Scottish Government: XL Bully dog rules