Rehome your dog, cat or rabbit in Cardiff

Checked 29 October 2026

The short answer

For a dog, call Dogs Trust on 0300 303 2188 and ask about Homestay, which keeps your dog with you while Dogs Trust Cardiff looks for a home, or list your dog on LocalPetFinder and choose the new home yourself. Hope Rescue at Llanharan is a stray dog rescue that says it “usually cannot take owner surrenders due to space”, though it will talk you through the options. For a cat, contact Cats Protection’s Cardiff and the Vale branch. Blue Cross Newport also rehomes pets that stay with their owners until adopted.

List your pet in Cardiff for free

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

Start your listing

Before you rehome: worth trying first

Ask the breeder or rescue you got them from

The RSPCA's first suggestion is to contact the original seller. Responsible breeders and most rescues will take an animal back. Dogs Trust says it will "always take back a dog adopted from us".

Get help with the problem itself

Many rehomings are about behaviour, housing or money rather than the pet. Battersea runs a Behaviour Advice Line for dog owners, and PDSA is a vet charity for pets of people who qualify for help. Both are worth checking before you decide.

Keep your pet at home while they’re rehomed

If you can wait a little, stay-at-home schemes spare your pet a kennel: Dogs Trust Homestay, Blue Cross Home Direct and Cats Protection Home to Home. Listing on LocalPetFinder works the same way: your pet stays with you until you've chosen the new home.

Don’t leave a pet anywhere

Blue Cross warns that leaving an animal outside a centre, especially when it's closed, "could put them at risk", so always arrange a handover. And vets aren't rehoming centres, the RSPCA notes.

Your options in and around Cardiff

There are three routes: list your pet yourself on LocalPetFinder, ask a local rescue to take them, or use a national charity scheme. Which is right depends on your pet, how soon you need to move them, and how involved you want to be.

1. List your pet on LocalPetFinder

Fill in the listing form. It takes about ten minutes, and listing is free.
A person checks every listing before it goes live, usually within a day.
Adopters message you through LocalPetFinder; your email address and phone number stay private.
You choose who to meet, and you hand your pet over in person, never by courier.

2. Local rescues that take owners’ pets

Dogs Trust Cardiffdogs · Nettlefold Road, Cardiff (CF24)
With Homestay “your dog stays with you in your home while we look for their new home”. Otherwise there is “usually a wait” before a kennel place. Call 0300 303 2188 or use the form on its giving up your dog page.
Hope Rescuedogs · Rescue centre at Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Hope Rescue is a stray dog rescue and says it “usually cannot take owner surrenders due to space”, but will talk you through the options. Email it or call 01443 226659; if it can take your dog, it sends a surrender form. Your dog must be microchipped first, and with the form and recent photos your dog joins a waiting list: a place isn’t guaranteed, and it asks you to stay in touch. There is no set fee, though it asks for a donation towards the dog’s care. Its form also says your dog may be passed to another rescue it works with, and that it can’t give you details once the dog has moved.
Cats Protection Cardiff & The Valecats · A volunteer branch covering Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
Call the branch on 02921 971 591 about giving up a cat. Cats Protection’s guide to giving up a cat warns there “can often be waiting lists”, so plan ahead. Its Wales Cat Centre at Bryncethin, near Bridgend, is on 01656 724396.
Blue Cross Newportdogs, cats, rabbits · Langstone, Newport (NP18), about 14 miles east of Cardiff
Blue Cross Newport has no kennels or cattery: “most of our pets stay with their owners until they are adopted”, or go to volunteer foster carers. Reception is open 11am to 4pm, daily except Wednesday.

Cardiff Dogs Home describes adoption and the city’s stray service on its site, with no route for owners giving up a dog: its rehoming page says it deals mostly with stray dogs.

Found a stray dog rather than giving up your own? In Cardiff, call Cardiff Dogs Home on 029 2071 1243: a warden collects the dog on weekdays, and the dogs’ home takes strays in 24 hours a day.

3. National charity schemes

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.
Cats Protectioncats
Contact your local Cats Protection branch or centre (not its charity shops), and plan ahead: "there can often be waiting lists". Its Home to Home scheme lets your cat stay at home while it's rehomed, with no specific fee.
Rabbit rescuesrabbits
The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund doesn't rehome rabbits itself, but points owners to Rescue Review, Save a Fluff and Rabbit Rehome to find a local rescue. It also asks you never to split a bonded pair.

If you rehome privately: the must-dos

The microchip has to be transferred

In Wales, a dog can't be passed to a new keeper until it's microchipped, and the new keeper must record their details with the database (Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015, reg. 8). Microchipping a cat is optional in Wales, but if your cat is chipped, update the record at the handover too.

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

In Wales it's against the law to give away a banned dog, and in England and Wales it's illegal to "rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully" (gov.uk: England and Wales). If you think your dog could be an XL Bully, contact your local police force rather than listing.

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.

What’s listed in and around Cardiff right now

LocalPetFinder gathers adoptable animals from rescues within about 25 miles of Cardiff. Right now that is 40 dogs, 8 cats and 5 rabbits from 4 rescues. Local rescues are often full, which is one reason owner-to-owner rehoming exists. But if a rescue can take your pet, its assessment and matching are worth a lot.

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

Rehoming a particular breed?

Each guide covers what to tell adopters about the breed, and the breed rescues that take owners’ pets.

Cats

British Shorthair Siamese Bengal Cat Maine Coon Ragdoll Persian Cat Russian Blue Burmese Birman Norwegian Forest Cat Sphynx Cat

Rehoming a pet in Cardiff: your questions

Tap a question to expand

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

Call Dogs Trust on 0300 303 2188 about Homestay, which keeps him at home with you while Dogs Trust Cardiff looks for an adopter, or ask Hope Rescue at Llanharan, though it says it “usually cannot take owner surrenders due to space” and may pass a dog to another rescue it works with. Or list him on LocalPetFinder and choose the new home yourself.

Does Cardiff Dogs Home take owners’ dogs?

Its site describes adoption and Cardiff’s stray dog service, not a route for owners giving up a dog. Dogs Trust Cardiff is the main local route for owners; Hope Rescue usually can’t take owners’ dogs because of space, but will talk you through the options.

How do I rehome a cat in Cardiff?

Call Cats Protection’s Cardiff and the Vale branch on 02921 971 591, or its Wales Cat Centre near Bridgend on 01656 724396. You can list your cat on LocalPetFinder at the same time, so a local adopter may find her sooner.

Does Hope Rescue charge to take my dog?

There is no set fee, but Hope Rescue asks for a donation towards the dog’s care. It usually cannot take owners’ dogs because of space; if it can, your dog must be microchipped first and joins a waiting list until a space comes up.

How do I rehome my dog in Cardiff?

You have three routes: list your dog yourself on LocalPetFinder (free, with every listing checked by a person and messages relayed so your details stay private), ask a local rescue to take them, or use a national scheme such as Dogs Trust Homestay, which keeps your dog at home while it finds a new owner. Whichever you choose, your dog must be microchipped and 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; Battersea asks for a suggested donation of £50; many other rescues ask for a donation but, the RSPCA says, will still help if you're struggling financially.

Can I 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.

Will the RSPCA take my pet?

Usually not: the RSPCA says its national centres "can't take in unwanted pets" because it prioritises cruelty and neglect cases. A local RSPCA branch may be able to help, and it points owners to other rehoming charities.

How long does it take to rehome a pet?

It varies. Dogs Trust says a kennel space "could take a few weeks", while dogs on its Homestay scheme "generally find a new home within two weeks". On LocalPetFinder your listing is reviewed usually within a day and then goes live to adopters near you.

What about rehoming a rabbit?

Rabbit rescues are often full, so start early. The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund suggests your vet's noticeboard and local rescues (found through Rescue Review, Save a Fluff or Rabbit Rehome), never a "free to good home" advert. Keep a bonded pair together. You can list rabbits on LocalPetFinder too.

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

List your pet in Cardiff for free

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

Start your listing

Sources: Dogs Trust: Cardiff · Dogs Trust: Giving up your dog · Hope Rescue: Surrendering your dog · Cats Protection: Cardiff & The Vale and Wales Cat Centre pages (homepage linked) · Blue Cross: Newport rehoming, advice and behaviour unit · Cardiff Dogs Home: If you find a dog · Cardiff Dogs Home: Re-homing process · Dogs Trust: Giving up your dog · Blue Cross: Giving up a pet · Cats Protection: Giving up a cat · RSPCA: Giving up a pet · RWAF: Rehoming rabbits · Battersea: Giving your dog up for adoption · PAAG: Free to a good home adverts · Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations 2015 · gov.uk: Get your dog or cat microchipped · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs (England and Wales)