Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Rottweiler
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Finding your Rottweiler the right next home takes time, because breed rescue space is tight. The Rottweiler Welfare Association says it is "normally full" and "just not able to help every Rottie", so start early and use more than one route. PDSA says Rottweilers need an experienced owner, and that is the adopter your listing should speak to.
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Why Rottweilers end up needing a new home
Rottweiler rescues say they are under real strain. The Rottweiler Welfare Association writes that "The number of Rottweilers needing our help is unprecedented, and we are unable to cope with the numbers." It doesn't say why so many need homes.
What the sources do describe is a breed that needs the right owner. The Royal Kennel Club says the Rottweiler "needs responsible and intelligent owners", needs more than two hours of exercise a day and "has often suffered from bad press". PDSA says that because Rottweilers are so powerful they need an experienced owner, early socialisation and consistent, reward-based training, and it would not recommend them for homes with younger children and babies.
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 Rottweiler
Children. PDSA says Rottweilers can make great pets for families with older children but would not recommend them for homes with younger children and babies, and the Rottweiler Welfare Association does not rehome its dogs where there are children under 12. Say honestly how your dog is with children of different ages.
Strength and training. PDSA describes Rottweilers as incredibly strong. Tell adopters what training your dog has had, how they walk on the lead, and how reliable their recall is.
Guarding. The Royal Kennel Club calls the breed "territorial and protective of his owner and his property", and PDSA says Rottweilers may become possessive over things like food. If your dog guards food, toys, people or the house, say so, and say what helps.
Health and vet records. PDSA lists conditions Rottweilers more commonly develop, including subaortic stenosis (a heart condition), cruciate ligament damage, hip and elbow dysplasia and certain cancers. Pass on your dog's vet records and any diagnosis, so the new home can plan care and insurance.
Rottweiler rescues that take owners’ dogs
Both rescues below use kennels and both say they can't take every dog, so contact each of them and keep other options open while you wait.
Rottweiler Welfare Associationdogs · Nationwide
It considers "each rehoming request that comes to us on its own merits regardless of age or circumstances", though it says older dogs are harder to rehome. Every dog is assessed, and its dogs live in kennels, with some puppies and young dogs fostered. Contact details are on its site.
Complete its surrender form in full before it will consider your request. It asks owners not to phone with rehoming requests (texts are fine), and says a form "does not guarantee we can take your dog" because of demand and limited kennel space.
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 Rottweiler 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 Rottweiler appears next to rescue dogs on the Rottweilers 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 Rottweiler: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Rottweiler rescue take my dog?
Not always, because they are often full. The Rottweiler Welfare Association says it is "normally full" and can't help every Rottweiler, and Rottweilers In Need says a surrender form does not guarantee a place. Contact more than one and give each the full picture of your dog.
Can I rehome my Rottweiler to a family with young children?
The charities advise against it. PDSA would not recommend Rottweilers for homes with younger children and babies, and the Rottweiler Welfare Association does not rehome where there are children under 12. Adult-only homes or families with older children are the safer match to look for.
My Rottweiler has a health condition. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. Be open about it and hand over the vet records. PDSA lists heart disease, joint problems and certain cancers among conditions the breed more commonly develops, so an informed adopter will want to know, and will be better placed to care for your dog.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Rottweiler · PDSA: Rottweiler · Rottweiler Welfare Association · Rottweiler Welfare Association: About us · Rottweilers In Need: Contact us