Rehoming guide
How to rehome your poodle or doodle
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
You're not the first owner in this position: Battersea says Cockapoos are "often given up" because people underestimate the time and training they need. Two UK doodle rescues take owners' dogs into foster homes, though one had a full waiting list when we checked on 6 October 2026. Whatever route you take, tell adopters honestly about grooming, energy and how your dog copes alone.
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Why poodles and doodles end up needing a new home
Battersea says people can underestimate the time and training Cockapoos need, "which is why they're often given up". It calls them friendly and clever but "not the low-maintenance family dog they're sometimes pictured as": they need daily exercise, ongoing training and regular grooming. It also says demand for Cockapoos has fuelled puppy farming and poor breeding practices.
Battersea says separation anxiety is common in Cockapoos, and many need gradual training to cope with being left. In April 2026, Doodle Trust wrote that "The rescue crisis has meant more dogs being given up for rehoming", and that it needs more fosterers to help them.
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 poodle or doodle
Grooming and coat. Battersea says Cockapoos need daily brushing plus a professional groom every six to eight weeks to prevent matting, and The Royal Kennel Club lists Poodles as needing grooming every day. Say how much your dog sheds and how they behave for a groomer. Don't promise an adopter your dog is hypoallergenic: Battersea says Cockapoos are not, as coat type varies a lot.
Exercise and brains. Battersea says around an hour of exercise a day for Cockapoos, plus daily mental stimulation, as they can become bored without it. Describe the routine your dog is used to and what happens when they don't get it.
Being left. With separation anxiety common, the most useful thing you can tell an adopter is how long your dog copes alone and what they do when they can't. A home with long workdays needs to hear this up front.
Health. For Cockapoos, Battersea lists itchy or sore ears and skin (often linked to allergies), ear infections, long-term digestive issues and progressive retinal atrophy among the problems seen. Share your dog's vet records and any diet or treatment they are on.
Cockapoo, Poodle & Doodle rescues that take owners’ dogs
Both rescues below are foster-based, and Doodle Rescue's assessment waiting list was full when we checked, so contact both and list your dog at the same time.
Doodle Trustdogs · UK-wide, with foster homes across the UK (registered in Scotland)
Rescues and rehomes Doodles (Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Cockapoos and other Poodle crosses) and Poodles. Its homepage asks owners who need to rehome their dog to get in touch, and says all dogs stay in foster homes, where they are assessed in a real family setting before adoption. Charity SC041560.
Doodle Rescuedogs · UK-wide, foster-based
Supports owners signing poodles and poodle crosses over, through a surrender form, an assessment and a transfer-of-ownership contract; dogs go to foster families, not kennels. When we checked it said it was at capacity and its waiting list for assessment was full, so read its page first. Charity 1193955.
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 poodle or doodle 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 poodle or doodle appears next to rescue dogs on the poodles and doodles 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 poodle or doodle: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a doodle rescue take my Cockapoo or Labradoodle?
There are two UK rescues to ask. Doodle Trust is a UK-wide charity that rescues and rehomes Doodles, Cockapoos, other Poodle crosses and Poodles, and Doodle Rescue takes poodles and poodle crosses from owners. Doodle Rescue says you may need to wait several weeks for an assessment unless it is urgent.
Can I get my dog back after signing them over to a rescue?
Not with Doodle Rescue. Its relinquishment page says it is not possible to reclaim a dog once it has been surrendered and is in its care, and that every legal owner has to agree to the transfer. Be sure before you sign, and ask any other rescue what its own rules are.
Should I tell adopters my Cockapoo is hypoallergenic?
No. Battersea says Cockapoos are "not hypoallergenic as coat type varies a lot and no dog is fully allergy-friendly". Describe how much your dog actually sheds, and suggest that anyone with allergies spends time with your dog before deciding.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: Doodle Trust · Doodle Trust: About us · Doodle Rescue: Relinquish your dog · Battersea: Cockapoo · The Royal Kennel Club: Poodle (Standard)