Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Collie
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If you need to rehome a Rough or Smooth Collie, there is a breed rescue for them: Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UK has an enquiry option for owners who need to rehome their dog. The rescue says many Rough Collies in its care are older or have medical needs, so the most useful thing you can do is give an honest account of your dog's age, health and grooming.
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Why Rough and Smooth Collies end up needing a new home
We haven't found a UK source that sets out why Rough and Smooth Collies are given up. What the breed rescue does say is that "many Rough Collies that come into our care are either over the age of 10 or found to have specific medical needs and cannot go up for adoption in the normal way" (Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UK).
Day-to-day care is part of the picture. The Royal Kennel Club lists both Collies as large dogs needing up to an hour of exercise a day, and says the Rough Collie's medium-length coat needs grooming every day, while the Smooth Collie needs grooming about once a week. Both shed.
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 Collie
Age and health. Give your dog's age and the full vet history. The Royal Kennel Club asks breeders of both Collies for eye testing, hip scoring and DNA tests including Collie eye anomaly and multi-drug resistance (MDR1), so mention any results you have and any condition your dog is treated for.
Grooming. Say which coat your dog has and how it copes with being groomed. The Royal Kennel Club says the Rough Collie needs grooming every day, and the Rough Collie standard describes a very dense coat with an abundant mane and frill. An adopter needs to know what that takes.
Merle dogs. If your Collie is a blue merle, tell adopters whether its sight and hearing have been checked. The Royal Kennel Club does not register puppies from merle-to-merle matings because of the risk of impaired vision and hearing linked to the merle gene.
Children and other dogs. The Rough Collie standard describes the ideal as good with children and other dogs, but a standard is not a promise about one dog. Describe how your own Collie is with children, visitors, cats and other dogs, and how much exercise it is used to.
Collie rescues that take owners’ dogs
Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UKdogs · Volunteer contacts across England and Wales; rehomes in England, Scotland and Wales only
Its contact page has an enquiry option headed "Do you wish to rehome your dog?", or you can contact the regional volunteer listed for your area. It says it can only pass on to adopters the information the previous owner gives it, so the more you tell it, the better.
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 Collie 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 Collie appears next to rescue dogs on the Rough and Smooth Collies 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 Collie: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Can I rehome an older Rough Collie?
Yes. Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UK says many of the Rough Collies that come into its care are over the age of 10 or have specific medical needs. Be clear about your dog's age and health in your listing, so the people who answer are ready for an older dog.
Is a Rough Collie the same as a Border Collie for rehoming?
No, they are separate breeds with different needs. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Rough Collie as needing up to an hour of exercise a day, against more than two hours for the Border Collie. Border Collies have their own rehoming guide and their own breed rescues.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Collie (Rough) · The Royal Kennel Club: Collie (Smooth) · The Royal Kennel Club: Collie (Rough) breed standard · The Royal Kennel Club: Border Collie · Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UK: Contact and rehome · Collie Rescue (Rough and Smooth) UK: homepage