Rehoming your dog, cat or rabbit in Northern Ireland
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Wherever you live in Northern Ireland, you can list your pet free on LocalPetFinder and choose the new home yourself. Dogs Trust Ballymena, the USPCA, Assisi Animal Sanctuary, The Barn Animal Rescue and the Cats Protection centre at Dundonald take owners’ pets when they have space, and your local council can tell you whether it accepts unwanted dogs. The legal point specific to Northern Ireland: the new owner must have their own dog licence before taking your dog, or you both commit an offence.
List your pet in Northern Ireland for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
City guides in Northern Ireland
You can list from anywhere in Northern Ireland. These city guides add the local rescues that take owners’ pets.
Charities in Northern Ireland that take owners’ pets
Dogs Trust Ballymenadogs · Teeshan Road, Ballymena (BT43)
Owners go through Dogs Trust’s national line, 0300 303 2188, or its online form. Homestay keeps your dog at home while it finds an adopter. Giving up a dog is free.
USPCAdogs, cats, rabbits · Newry (BT35)
Every enquiry starts with a conversation with its animal care team; animals are taken “on a case-by-case basis”, depending on circumstances and space. Its form covers any type of pet. Call 028 3025 1000.
Assisi Animal Sanctuarydogs, cats, rabbits · Conlig, Newtownards (BT23)
Fill in its pet surrender form. It says demand “is very high”, so tell it if your situation is urgent. It also takes guinea pigs and small rodents, but not ferrets, birds or reptiles.
The Barn Animal Rescuedogs, cats · Carrowdore, County Down (BT22)
A dog and cat rescue with a surrender form on its website for owners who need to rehome a pet.
Cats Protection Northern Ireland Cat Centrecats · Dundonald (BT16); supports Belfast and all of Northern Ireland
Call 028 9048 0202. Cats Protection warns there can often be waiting lists, so get in touch early.
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.
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.
The law in Northern Ireland when you rehome a pet
The new owner needs a dog licence before taking your dog
In Northern Ireland it’s an offence to take possession of a dog, paid for or not, before getting a licence for it, and “the person who gave or sold you the dog is also guilty of an offence”, with fines of up to £1,000 (nidirect). So ask to see the adopter’s new licence at the handover. A licence costs £12.50 and lasts 12 months, and nobody under 16 can hold one.
The microchip must be accurate
All dogs in Northern Ireland must be microchipped, and nidirect says that if the chip details aren’t accurate, “the dog is not considered as microchipped and the dog licence will not be valid” (nidirect). Update the record at the handover. Microchipping cats is optional in Northern Ireland.
XL Bullies and other banned types can’t be rehomed
In Northern Ireland “it is illegal to rehome, sell or transfer ownership of XL Bully type dogs”, and an exemption certificate doesn’t change that (nidirect). It’s also an offence to sell or give away a dog of any other banned type.
You’re responsible for your pet until the handover
In Northern Ireland it’s an offence not to take reasonable steps to meet the needs of an animal you’re responsible for, “to the extent required by good practice” (Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, section 9). Those needs include a suitable environment and diet, and protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease. Councils enforce this for pets (nidirect), so keep caring for your pet as normal until the day it goes.
Never let a dog you can’t keep go stray
In Northern Ireland a council can sell or put down a seized dog that nobody claims within five days, and the owner can be fined and asked to pay for its keep (nidirect). A rescue, or an adopter you have met and checked, is always the safer route.
Spotting and reporting a scam
In Northern Ireland, report a pet scam to Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040). If it is happening now, or you know who the person is and they live in Northern Ireland, nidirect says to call the PSNI on 101 (nidirect). Never let anyone take your pet before you have met them and, for a dog, seen their licence.
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 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.
Rehoming a particular breed?
Each guide covers what to tell adopters about the breed, and the breed rescues that take owners’ pets.
Dogs
Rehoming a pet in Northern Ireland: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Does my dog licence transfer to the new owner?
Don’t count on it. nidirect says the new keeper must get a licence before taking the dog, and that the person handing the dog over commits an offence if they don’t (nidirect). The safe way is for the adopter to get their own licence first.
Will the council take my dog?
It might. nidirect says your local council “can advise whether it accepts unwanted dogs for rehoming”, and warns that if an unwanted dog has to be put down, the owner can be asked to pay (nidirect). Try the charities on this page first.
Can I list my pet on LocalPetFinder from Northern Ireland?
Yes. We take owner listings from anywhere in Northern Ireland. Enter your postcode first on the form: near Belfast, your listing shows on Belfast’s pages; elsewhere, on our Northern Ireland pages, alongside rescue pets.
How do I rehome my dog in Northern Ireland?
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; 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.
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 Northern Ireland for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Sources: nidirect: Dog licensing and microchipping · Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, section 9 · nidirect: Animal welfare · nidirect: Reporting a scam · The Barn Animal Rescue: Surrender form · nidirect: XL Bully dogs · nidirect: Banned breeds of dogs in Northern Ireland · nidirect: Lost and stray dogs · gov.uk: Get your dog or cat microchipped · Dogs Trust: Ballymena · Dogs Trust: Giving up your dog · USPCA: Surrender an animal · Assisi Animal Sanctuary: Pet surrender · Cats Protection: Northern Ireland Cat Centre