Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Alaskan Malamute
Checked 27 October 2026
The short answer
Finding your Alaskan Malamute a better-suited home is a decision worth taking slowly, and you don't have to rush it. The Royal Kennel Club calls the Malamute "the strongest of the sled dogs" and lists it as needing more than two hours of exercise a day, so the right adopter is someone who already knows what that takes. Say plainly in your listing how your dog is on the lead, with other dogs and at home.
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Why Alaskan Malamutes end up needing a new home
We haven't found a UK source that says why Malamutes are given up, so here is what the sources say the breed needs. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Malamute as large, needing more than two hours of exercise a day and grooming every day, and suggests a large house with a large garden, in the country rather than town. It says the breed was developed to pull heavy loads over long distances.
Dogs Trust calls Malamutes "typically high-energy dogs" that need daily walks, time to explore and play, training and daily enrichment, and says the thick, fluffy coat is "known for their shedding". The breed standard adds that the breed "tends to show dominance to other dogs".
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 Alaskan Malamute
Exercise and space. Say how much exercise your Malamute gets now, and what kind of home and garden they live in. The Royal Kennel Club's guide is more than two hours a day, and Dogs Trust says young dogs may need a few shorter walks rather than one long one.
Size and strength. The breed standard gives a preferred size of 39 kg for dogs and 34 kg for bitches, and The Royal Kennel Club says the breed was developed to pull heavy loads. Tell adopters how your dog walks on the lead and whether they pull, so the new owner knows what they will be holding.
Other dogs and other pets. The breed standard notes a tendency to show dominance to other dogs, but Dogs Trust says some dogs enjoy meeting other dogs and some do not. If your Malamute has lived with another dog or a cat, say how it went; if you don't know, say that too.
Grooming and health. The Royal Kennel Club says the coat sheds and needs grooming every day, and asks breeders to DNA test for polyneuropathy (AMPN) and cone degeneration (CD) and to score hips and elbows. Pass on your dog's vet records and any test results or known conditions, so the new home can plan their care.
Alaskan Malamute rescues that take owners’ dogs
We couldn't confirm an active Malamute-only rescue, so the one below is a northern-breed rescue whose dogs include Malamutes. 8 Below Husky Rescue says it offers advice rather than a place when its kennels are full, so contact the national charities on this page too, and list your dog with us at the same time.
8 Below Husky Rescuedogs · West Yorkshire; rehomes northern breeds across the UK
Fill in its online relinquish form. A member of the rehoming team assesses it and contacts you "if we feel we can help", or offers advice if its kennels are at maximum capacity. Its dogs include Malamutes, and they go to its kennels or to foster homes.
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 Alaskan Malamute 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 Alaskan Malamute appears next to rescue dogs on the Alaskan Malamutes 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.
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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 Alaskan Malamute: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Malamute rescue take my dog?
Possibly, but there is no guarantee of a place. We couldn't confirm an active Malamute-only rescue, so the place to try is a northern-breed rescue. 8 Below Husky Rescue assesses each relinquish form and says it will offer advice instead when its kennels are full, so contact the national charities on this page as well and keep other routes open.
Can I rehome my Malamute to a home with another dog?
It depends on your dog. The breed standard says the breed "tends to show dominance to other dogs", while Dogs Trust says some dogs enjoy meeting other dogs and some do not. Tell adopters exactly how your Malamute is with dogs at home and on walks, and let them decide.
What kind of home should I look for?
An active, experienced one with space. The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours of exercise a day and suggests a large house with a large garden, in the country rather than town. Daily grooming is part of the job too, so look for adopters who know that before they meet your dog.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Alaskan Malamute · The Royal Kennel Club: Alaskan Malamute breed standard · Dogs Trust: Alaskan Malamute · 8 Below Husky Rescue: Relinquish your dog · 8 Below Husky Rescue: Pink (Alaskan Malamute)