Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Border Terrier
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If your Border Terrier needs a new home, there is a breed rescue to call: Border Terrier Welfare works across mainland UK and asks owners to contact their nearest regional representative first. Where it can, it takes a dog straight to a new home rather than into kennels. Whichever route you choose, tell adopters honestly about prey drive, digging and how your dog copes alone.
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Why Border Terriers end up needing a new home
We found no UK source on why Border Terriers are given up, so here is what the breed asks of a home. The Royal Kennel Club says Border Terriers "thrive on being part of family life and do not do well left alone for long periods". It warns people to expect "a lively, engaged companion rather than a low maintenance lap dog".
The Royal Kennel Club also says the breed keeps "a strong prey drive and a natural instinct to dig and chase", that recall training and secure fencing are essential, and that it needs generally at least an hour of exercise a day plus mental stimulation to prevent digging or chewing.
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 Border Terrier
Being left alone. The Royal Kennel Club says Border Terriers do not do well left alone for long periods. Tell adopters how long your dog copes on their own, and what happens when it is too long.
Prey drive and small pets. The Royal Kennel Club says smaller pets such as rats or rabbits "may be seen as prey", though Border Terriers generally get along with other dogs when properly socialised. Say how your dog has been with cats, small animals and other dogs, and say so if you don't know.
Recall, digging and fences. With the breed's instinct to dig and chase, a new home needs to know about your dog's recall and whether they have ever dug or slipped out of a garden.
Grooming and health. Dogs Trust says Border Terriers shed and typically need brushing a couple of times a week, and are likely to need professional grooming. Pass on your dog's grooming routine and vet records, including any condition they are treated for.
Border Terrier rescues that take owners’ dogs
Border Terrier Welfaredogs · Mainland UK, through regional volunteer representatives
Asks owners who need to rehome a Border Terrier to contact their closest representative first (a map is on its contact page), or to use its email or contact form if it is urgent. Dogs are usually taken straight to a new home from its waiting list, or stay with its foster carers if that isn't possible. Registered charity in England and Wales no. 1116853.
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 Border Terrier 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 Border Terrier appears next to rescue dogs on the Border Terriers 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 Border Terrier: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Border Terrier rescue take my dog?
Yes, if it can help. Border Terrier Welfare asks owners needing to rehome a Border Terrier to contact their closest representative in the first instance. It says its work may also involve helping dogs that need rehoming to remain in their current homes whenever feasible.
Will my Border Terrier have to go into kennels?
Not with Border Terrier Welfare. It says that once a dog is handed over and checked, it is taken directly to its new home, "as this is the least stress for the dog", and that dogs who can't go straight there may stay with its foster carers. It doesn't generally keep dogs, which is why it has no list of dogs on its website.
Can I rehome my Border Terrier to a home with rabbits or other small pets?
Only with real care. The Royal Kennel Club says the breed keeps a strong prey drive and that smaller pets such as rats or rabbits may be seen as prey unless introductions are made carefully from puppyhood. If your dog has never lived with small animals, look for a home without them.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: Border Terrier Welfare · Border Terrier Welfare: Contact us · The Royal Kennel Club: Border Terrier · Dogs Trust: Border Terrier