Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Boxer
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If life with your Boxer no longer works, there are Boxer rescues that work with owners. Home Counties Boxer Welfare says it works "with the family who need to re-home their Boxer and help support them in that process". Tell adopters plainly how your Boxer is with children, other pets and in warm weather, because those are the questions a good home will ask.
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Why Boxers end up needing a new home
Home Counties Boxer Welfare says "Too many of the boxers we are currently being asked to rehome are just not suitable to be re-homed with other pets, or young children. Often this is due to lack of socialisation or training." It says it needs more "PET FREE, ADULT ONLY homes" as a result.
The breed's needs play a part too. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Boxer as large, needing more than two hours of exercise a day and suiting a large house with a large garden. Dogs Trust describes Boxers as brachycephalic (short-nosed or flat-faced), at higher risk of heat stroke, and with skin folds that need regular cleaning, so their care can be more involved than people expect.
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 Boxer
Children and other pets. Say exactly how your Boxer is with children of different ages, with other dogs and with cats. Home Counties Boxer Welfare says many Boxers it is asked to rehome aren't suited to homes with other pets or young children, so honest detail here helps you find the right match.
Visitors. The breed standard describes a dog that is "loyal to owner and family, but distrustful of strangers", "friendly at play, but with guarding instinct". Tell adopters how your dog greets visitors and whether they guard the house.
Exercise and hot weather. The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours of exercise a day, and Dogs Trust says Boxers are at higher risk of heat stroke. Describe your dog's routine and how they cope on warm days.
Breathing, skin and eyes. The Royal Kennel Club's Breed Watch lists pinched nostrils and an excessively short muzzle as points of concern for show judges, and Dogs Trust says skin folds need regular cleaning. Pass on your dog's vet records, and mention any breathing noise, skin problems or eye treatment.
Boxer rescues that take owners’ dogs
Home Counties Boxer Welfaredogs · Home Counties, Norfolk and Suffolk, and a wider area
Call or use its online form. It aims "to place dogs directly from one home to another", using foster homes or kennels on a temporary basis only when it has to.
Boxer Dog Rescue Northern Englanddogs · The North of England and beyond
Fill in its online form with at least one photo and a signed Declaration of Ownership. It assesses your Boxer at your home first, then one of its fosterers takes over care, as it has no boarding kennels of its own. It asks owners to neuter the dog first if possible, or to donate towards it.
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 Boxer 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 Boxer appears next to rescue dogs on the Boxers 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 Boxer 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 Boxer: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Boxer rescue take my dog?
It may, depending on your dog and where you live. Home Counties Boxer Welfare asks owners to call or use its form, and Boxer Dog Rescue Northern England assesses Boxers at home before a fosterer takes over. Contact the one that covers your area first.
Can I rehome my Boxer to a home with children or other pets?
Only if your dog has shown they cope well. Home Counties Boxer Welfare says many Boxers it is asked to rehome aren't suitable for homes with other pets or young children, often because of a lack of socialisation or training. If yours is happy with both, say so; if not, look for an adult-only, pet-free home.
My Boxer has breathing or skin problems. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. Be open about it and hand over the vet records. Dogs Trust describes Boxers as brachycephalic and at higher risk of heat stroke, and says their skin folds need regular cleaning, so an adopter who knows the breed will expect to ask about these things.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Boxer · The Royal Kennel Club: Boxer breed standard · The Royal Kennel Club: Breed Watch, Boxer (Category 2) · Dogs Trust: Boxer · Home Counties Boxer Welfare · Boxer Dog Rescue Northern England: Rehome your Boxer