Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Dachshund
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If you can no longer give your Dachshund the life they need, there is a UK-wide breed rescue for all six varieties. Dachshund Rescue UK takes dogs from owners, but abandoned, at-risk and sick Dachshunds come first, so contact it early and list your dog at the same time. Tell any adopter about your dog's back, because Dogs Trust says the breed is predisposed to disc disease.
List your pet for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Why Dachshunds end up needing a new home
We haven't found a UK source that says why Dachshunds are given up, so we won't guess. What the sources do describe is what the breed can need. Dogs Trust says Dachshunds are predisposed to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), similar to a slipped disc in people, which can lead to weakness, loss of balance and even paralysis, and that treatment can range from rest and pain relief to physiotherapy, hydrotherapy or surgery.
The commitment is long, too. The Royal Kennel Club gives the lifespan as over 12 years for both sizes, and a lot can change in a household over that time.
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 Dachshund
Back health and vet records. If your dog has ever had a back problem, say so, with dates, what the vet found and what treatment helped. Dogs Trust says IVDD most often affects the back legs, and The Royal Kennel Club asks breeders to screen spines under its IVDD scheme. Pass on any exercise limits or routine your vet has advised.
Exercise. The Royal Kennel Club lists up to an hour a day for both sizes, and Dogs Trust says Dachshunds "might not manage tough exercise like long walks or mountain hikes". Describe what your dog actually does in a day and what they love.
Coat and grooming. Say which coat your dog has. Dogs Trust says smooth and wire-haired Dachshunds typically need a weekly brush and long-haired ones more regular brushing, and The Royal Kennel Club lists the long-haired and wirehaired coats as needing grooming more than once a week.
Children, cats and other dogs. Whether a Dachshund can live with children, cats or other dogs depends on the dog, not the breed. Tell adopters what your dog has lived with, how it went, and anything you are unsure about.
Dachshund rescues that take owners’ dogs
Dachshund Rescue UK works through regional coordinators and takes owners' dogs after more urgent cases, so contact your coordinator early and list your dog at the same time.
Dachshund Rescue UKdogs · UK-wide, through regional rehoming coordinators in England, Wales and Scotland
Takes in Dachshunds surrendered by their owners "based on urgency and foster/adopter availability". Contact the coordinator for your region, who sends a surrender form if they can help, and ask your vet to email your dog's history. It says review can take at least a week or longer, and surrender is permanent under a legally binding contract.
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 Dachshund 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 Dachshund appears next to rescue dogs on the Dachshunds 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 Dachshund a good home?
List your dog free. Every listing is checked by a person, and you stay in control of who adopts.
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 Dachshund: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will Dachshund Rescue UK take my dog?
It may, but owner surrenders are not its first priority. Dachshund Rescue UK says abandoned Dachshunds and those in danger of being put to sleep come first, then sick Dachshunds, and then owner surrenders. It also says the review can take at least a week or longer, so list your dog at the same time.
My Dachshund has had back problems. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. Say so plainly and pass on the vet records. Dogs Trust says the breed is predisposed to IVDD (intervertebral disc disease), so adopters will want to know your dog's history. Dachshund Rescue UK asks owners to have their vet email the dog's history as part of its process.
Will I find out who adopts my Dachshund?
Not if you go through Dachshund Rescue UK. It says its adoptions are "closed", meaning it does not share the identities of the surrendering or adopting parties, and that surrendering is a permanent decision. If staying in touch matters to you, a private rehoming where you meet and choose the adopter yourself may suit you better.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Dachshund (Smooth Haired) · The Royal Kennel Club: Dachshund (Long Haired) · Dogs Trust: Dachshund · Dachshund Rescue UK: Surrender your pet · Dachshund Rescue UK: Regional rehoming contacts