Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Akita
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If your Akita needs a new home, you won't be the first owner in that spot, and the UK has Akita rescues set up to help. The Japanese Akita Welfare Trust describes "the concerning trend of increasing Akita surrenders", and keeps dogs with their owners until new homes are found. Whatever route you take, describe your Akita honestly, above all how they are with other dogs and with visitors.
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Why Akitas end up needing a new home
At least one Akita rescue says more dogs are coming in. The Japanese Akita Welfare Trust says its services aim "to help reverse the concerning trend of increasing Akita surrenders". Second Chance Akita Rescue says "Anyone considering owning this breed needs to know the hardships and difficulties that can come with owning them", and that proper raising, training and socialising is "imperative". Neither gives a single reason dogs are given up.
The breed's needs are real. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Akita as large, needing more than two hours of exercise a day and suiting a large house with a large garden. The breed standard describes a "dignified, courageous, aloof" dog that "tends to show dominance over other dogs", and Dogs Trust calls Akitas typically energetic, large and strong. A busy household without that time or space can struggle to give an Akita what it needs.
None of this makes your dog a problem, or you a bad owner. It usually means the match didn’t fit, and a careful rehoming fixes exactly that.
What to tell adopters about your Akita
Other dogs. The breed standard says Akitas tend to show dominance over other dogs, though Dogs Trust is clear that some dogs like meeting other dogs and some do not. Say exactly how your Akita behaves with dogs on the lead, off the lead and at home, including any scuffles.
Visitors and strangers. The Akita standard describes the temperament as "aloof", and the Japanese Akita Inu standard as "indifferent to strangers". Tell adopters how your dog greets visitors and how long they take to settle with new people.
Exercise and space. The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours of exercise a day and a large house with a large garden. Say what your Akita is used to, so the new home can match it.
Grooming and health. Dogs Trust says Akitas shed heavily and are likely to need professional grooming every few months. The Royal Kennel Club asks Akita breeders for eye tests and hip scores, and asks Japanese Akita Inu breeders for a DNA test for AI/FEH (an inherited tooth enamel condition). Pass on your dog's vet records and any known conditions.
Akita rescues that take owners’ dogs
The three rescues below work differently: one keeps dogs with their owners until a home is found, and one uses kennels. Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust won't advertise an Akita that its owner is also advertising online, so check each rescue's rules before you list your dog anywhere else.
Japanese Akita Welfare Trustdogs · UK-wide network of area coordinators
Start with the form on its rehome page. It uses an "off the ground" system, so your dog stays with you until a new home is secured, and the service is free to owners. It says it "cannot assist with dogs having bite histories or aggressive tendencies".
Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust (UK)dogs · UK
Fill in its online form with your Akita's microchip details and email the vet history. A volunteer visits your home for a temperament assessment, and it then advertises your dog on its website. It does not advertise Akitas "that are advertised by the current owner / keeper online".
Second Chance Akita Rescue (UK)dogs · Operates nationally
Use the rehoming form linked from its rehome page. It is a UK charity and says it can't rehome dogs overseas; its homepage mentions the Akitas it keeps in kennels.
National charities that take any breed
Dogs Trustdogs
Two routes: Homestay, where your dog stays with you while Dogs Trust finds a new home (it says Homestay dogs "generally find a new home within two weeks"), or a kennel or foster place, which "could take a few weeks". Giving up a dog to Dogs Trust is free, and it aims to reply within 72 hours. Start with a call on 0300 303 2188 or its online form.
Blue Crossdogs, cats, rabbits
Home Direct keeps your pet with you while Blue Cross finds a new owner. That is "the quickest way", it says, because space in its own kennels, cattery and small pet units "is very limited". It takes dogs, cats, rabbits and small pets. Call pet admissions on 0300 777 1960 or use its online form.
Should you charge a rehoming fee?
You can ask for a rehoming fee, paid at the handover after the adopter has met your pet, and never as a deposit beforehand. PAAG's worry with "free to good home" adverts is that people may take an animal on impulse and that a free advert "may devalue an animal" (PAAG). A fee does make the handover a sale, though, so animals can't go to anyone under 16 and you should be honest about your pet's health.
How listing your Akita on LocalPetFinder works
- Fill in the free listing form. Photos, age, health, how your dog is with children and other animals, and an honest description. It takes about ten minutes, and your dog stays at home with you.
- A person checks it, usually within a day, before it goes live.
- Your Akita appears next to rescue dogs on the Akitas pages for your city (Ashford, Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Bath and North East Somerset, Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Chippenham, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Dover, Dumfries and Galloway, Durham, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Exeter, Falmouth, Folkestone, Glasgow, Gloucester, Grantham, Great Yarmouth, Guildford, Hartlepool, Hayle, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Kendal, Kidderminster, Kingston upon Hull, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Llanelli, London, Lowestoft, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Margate, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newport, Newquay, North East Lincolnshire, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Penrith, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Sleaford, Solihull, Southampton, Southport, Spalding, St. Helens, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Torbay, Truro, Wakefield, Walsall, Warrington, Watford, Wellingborough, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing, Wrexham, York), marked as listed by the owner.
- You choose. Adopters message you through LocalPetFinder, so your email and phone number stay private. You decide who to meet and who takes your dog, and you hand over in person.
We take listings from owners anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland the new owner needs a dog licence before they take a dog, so ask to see it before the handover.
Ready to find your Akita a good home?
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Start your free listing →Before the handover: the must-dos
The microchip has to be transferred
In England, Scotland and Wales a dog can't be passed to a new keeper until it's microchipped, and the new keeper must update the database (England, Scotland, Wales); in Scotland the keeper's own details must also be correct before the handover. In England the same applies to cats, while in Scotland and Wales chipping a cat is optional. Check the chip is on a government-approved database and do the transfer at the handover.
No deposits, no couriers
Never ask for, or accept, money before an adopter has met your pet in person, and hand over face to face. A request for a deposit is the classic sign of a pet scam, and on LocalPetFinder it gets a listing taken down.
Banned dog types can’t be rehomed at all
It's against the law in England, Scotland and Wales to give away a banned dog. In England and Wales it's illegal to "rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully" (gov.uk: England and Wales). In Scotland, since 23 February 2024 it has been illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange an XL Bully, Scottish guidance says it is unlawful to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully" (gov.scot), and since 1 August 2024 it has been an offence to own one without an exemption certificate. If you think your dog could be an XL Bully, don't list it.
Adopters must be adults, and you must be honest
Adopters must be 18 or over, and the listing must be accurate about health, behaviour, and whether your pet is good with children, dogs and cats. A good match is the one that lasts.
Rehoming your Akita: your questions
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Will an Akita rescue take my dog?
Often, but not every dog. The Japanese Akita Welfare Trust says it cannot help with dogs that have bite histories or aggressive tendencies, and each rescue assesses dogs first. If your Akita has ever bitten, say so: a rescue can only help with what it knows.
Can my Akita stay with me while a new home is found?
With some rescues, yes. The Japanese Akita Welfare Trust says dogs "remain with current owners until new homes are secured". Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust assesses dogs at home and advertises them on its website, while Second Chance Akita Rescue has kennels. Ask each one how it works before you choose.
Can I rehome my Akita to a home with another dog?
Only if your dog has shown they can cope. The breed standard says Akitas tend to show dominance over other dogs, and Dogs Trust says some dogs like meeting other dogs and some do not. Describe your Akita's history with dogs honestly and let the adopter, or the rescue, judge the match.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Akita · The Royal Kennel Club: Japanese Akita Inu · The Royal Kennel Club: Akita breed standard · The Royal Kennel Club: Japanese Akita Inu breed standard · Dogs Trust: Akita · Japanese Akita Welfare Trust: Rehome · Japanese Akita Welfare Trust: FAQs · Akita Rescue & Welfare Trust: Rehome · Second Chance Akita Rescue: Rehome your Akita · Second Chance Akita Rescue