Rehoming guide
How to rehome your lurcher
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Needing to rehome your lurcher is nothing to be ashamed of, and you are not the only owner in this position: Battersea says it often sees lurchers given up. Because every lurcher is a different mix, the most useful thing you can do is describe yours exactly: size, coat, how it is off the lead and how it is with small animals.
List your pet for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Why lurchers end up needing a new home
Battersea says it often sees lurchers given up, "usually because people underestimate the complexities of the breed". Greyhound Rescue Wales adds that lurchers "are often bred and/or used for hunting activity, but can be discarded once their usefulness runs out".
A lurcher is a sighthound crossed with another breed, as Dogs Trust explains, so size, coat and character vary from dog to dog. Battersea says many have a strong instinct to chase moving animals and some can only run off the lead in secure areas, which is hard to manage in a built-up area without access to a secure field.
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 lurcher
The chase and recall. Battersea says many lurchers have a strong instinct to chase, and some may only be able to exercise off the lead in secure areas. Say honestly whether your dog comes back when called, where you let it run, and whether it wears a muzzle outside.
Cats and small animals. Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home says lurchers can have a high prey drive, though this isn't an issue for every lurcher. Tell adopters what your dog has lived with, and how it reacts to cats, rabbits and small dogs.
What's in the mix. Lurchers vary with their breeding, so give your dog's size, coat type and any breeds you know are in it. Dogs Trust says how much a lurcher sheds depends on its coat, and Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home says short-coated sighthounds need a jacket in winter.
Health and vet records. Battersea says lurchers can get strains, cuts and scrapes because of their thin skin and slim build, and dental problems because of their long, narrow jaws. Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home adds that deep-chested lurchers can be at risk of bloat. Share your vet records and any injuries.
Lurcher rescues that take owners’ dogs
Sighthound rescues that take lurchers often have waiting lists and set rules on area, behaviour and proof of ownership, so read each one's page and contact more than one.
Greyhound Rescue Walesdogs · All of Wales; greyhounds and lurchers
It says "if you own a Greyhound or Lurcher and you are looking to surrender the dog to us for rehoming, please complete the form". Its Keeping Hounds in Homes project may be able to help you keep your dog instead.
Forever Hounds Trustdogs · Devon centre; greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds
Send its rehoming request form; it calls you about your dog, then your dog has an intake vet check (which you pay for) and a behaviour assessment at its Devon centre. Owners in Devon, Dorset, Somerset or Bristol can ask to keep their dog at home while it finds an adopter.
Kent Greyhound Rescuedogs · Kent; greyhounds and lurchers
Contact it through its website for the paperwork, then join a waiting list (it says "this may be 4-6 weeks"). Your dog's microchip must have been registered in your name for at least three months, and it asks for an intake donation.
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 lurcher 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 lurcher appears next to rescue dogs on the lurchers 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 lurcher 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 lurcher: your questions
Tap a question to expand
My lurcher has a behaviour problem. Will a rescue take them?
Talk to a behaviourist first. Forever Hounds Trust says "if your dog has a behaviour issue that is making them difficult to live with, we recommend that you speak to an appropriately qualified behaviourist before contacting us", and it cannot take dogs who have bitten people or other animals. Whatever you decide, describe the problem fully to any rescue or adopter.
Can I rehome my lurcher to a home with cats?
Only if your dog has shown it can live with them. Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home says lurchers can have a high prey drive, though not every lurcher does. If your lurcher already lives calmly with a cat, say so and let the adopter decide; if you don't know, say that too.
How do I describe my lurcher to adopters?
In detail, because there is no breed standard to fall back on. A lurcher is a sighthound crossed with another breed, and Dogs Trust says how much a lurcher sheds depends on the length of its coat. Give clear photos, your dog's size and weight, its coat, any breeds you know are in it, and an honest account of its energy and habits.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: Dogs Trust: Lurcher · Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home: Breed traits of lurchers and sighthounds · Battersea: Lurchers · Greyhound Rescue Wales: Surrender a dog · Greyhound Rescue Wales: About · Forever Hounds Trust: Help with homing your dog · Kent Greyhound Rescue: Greyhound rehoming FAQs