Rehome your dog, cat or rabbit in Sheffield

Checked 27 October 2026

The short answer

Sheffield’s rescues run waiting lists, so the quickest routes usually keep your pet at home while a new owner is found. List them on LocalPetFinder, ask Blue Cross’s Sheffield unit (S7) about Home Direct, or, for a dog, RAIN Rescue’s Home to Home scheme. For cats, Cats Protection Sheffield & District runs Direct Homing across Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham postcodes, and Thornberry Animal Sanctuary takes dogs, cats and rabbits through a form when it has space.

List your pet in Sheffield for free

Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.

Start your listing

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, Blue Cross Home Direct 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.

Don’t leave a pet anywhere

Blue Cross warns that leaving an animal outside a centre, especially when it's closed, "could put them at risk", so always arrange a handover. And vets aren't rehoming centres, the RSPCA notes.

Your options in and around Sheffield

There are three routes: list your pet yourself on LocalPetFinder, ask a local rescue to take them, or use a national charity scheme. Which is right depends on your pet, how soon you need to move them, and how involved you want to be.

1. List your pet on LocalPetFinder

Fill in the listing form. It takes about ten minutes, and listing is free.
A person checks every listing before it goes live, usually within a day.
Adopters message you through LocalPetFinder; your email address and phone number stay private.
You choose who to meet, and you hand your pet over in person, never by courier.

2. Local rescues that take owners’ pets

Blue Cross Sheffielddogs, cats · Old Station Drive, Sheffield (S7); rehoming, advice and behaviour unit
It has no kennels or cattery: “most of our pets stay with their owners until they are adopted”. Call 0300 777 1851 or email, and the team “may be able to rehome your pet directly from you” through Home Direct. It also runs a pet food bank; call or email ahead.
Thornberry Animal Sanctuarydogs, cats, rabbits · Todwick Road, North Anston (S25), about 10 miles east of the city centre
Fill in its Relinquish Your Animal form, which covers dogs, cats and rabbits; “if we’re able to help, someone from our animal care team will be in touch”. Have vaccination, neutering and microchip details ready. Visits are by appointment only.
RAIN Rescuedogs, cats · Centres at Rotherham (S66) and Misson, near Doncaster (DN10)
Dog and cat request forms on its rehome page; it runs a waiting list, so “contact us as early as possible”, and will help with the form on 01709 247777. For dogs, Home to Home keeps your dog with you while RAIN finds an adopter. Your dog stays legally yours until adoption, and you bring it to the centre for an assessment and the meetings.
Sheffield Dog Rescuedogs · Mosborough Kennels, Sheffield (S20)
It says it receives “numerous calls from members of the public asking for help to rehome their pet dogs” and helps where it can, but “funding and kennel space makes this a difficult task”. Phone the kennels on 07748 620740; don’t turn up without an appointment.
Best Life Dog Rescuedogs · Doncaster; foster-based, no kennels
Fill in its surrender request form and it “will come back to you with any help we can offer”. Because its dogs live in foster homes, it can take only some dogs, and keeping your dog while a home is found “helps the rescue to help you”.
Doggy Dens UK Rescuedogs · Kennels at Cuckney, Nottinghamshire (NG20), about 16 miles from Sheffield
The “Surrender a dog” link on its site opens a UK Rehome Request form. It asks for your dog’s vet history (“this is a requirement”), a donation towards neutering if your dog isn’t neutered, and whether you can keep your dog at home until a new home is found. It is “currently unable to rehome XL Bullys”, and if it needs its trainer to assess your dog’s behaviour, that is at your cost.
The Sheffield Cats Sheltercats · Travis Place, Sheffield (S10)
Use the rehoming form on its rehoming page. It says “we always have a waiting list” and can’t take cats brought to the door. It suggests putting your cat on several rescues’ waiting lists, and its page has advice on allergies, spraying and new babies.
Cats Protection Sheffield & Districtcats · Volunteer branch for Sheffield, Barnsley and Rotherham (S1 to S81 postcodes listed on its page)
Runs a Direct Homing scheme “where cats stay with their owner until a new loving home can be found for them”. Contact the branch through its page.
Cats Protection Doncastercats · Volunteer branch for Doncaster (DN1 to DN12, DN14 and DN22 postcodes listed on its page)
If your postcode is on its list, this is your local Cats Protection branch. Contact it through its page.
Yorkshire Rabbit Retreatrabbits · Wakefield, about 21 miles north
Online surrender form; it says it usually has “a long list of rabbits waiting to join us” and is “very rarely able to create an immediate space”. If your rabbits aren’t neutered, it suggests having that done while you wait, which may mean it can offer a space sooner.

Dogs Trust has no centre in South Yorkshire. Of the centres on its list, Manchester (Denton) and Leeds are the closest to Sheffield. Its Homestay scheme, below, works wherever you live.

Going into hospital or residential care? Sheffield City Council says it “provides temporary support for pets whose owners face hospital admission or residential care”. Call the council on 0114 273 4567 to ask.

Found a stray rather than giving up your own dog? In Sheffield that goes to the council: anyone who finds one “has a legal obligation to hand the dog to either its owner or us”. The council’s kennels are in a block at the RSPCA Animal Shelter on Stadium Way (S9); call 07817 497 995.

3. 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.
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.
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.

If you rehome privately: the must-dos

The microchip has to be transferred

In England, a dog or cat can't be passed to a new keeper until it's microchipped, and the new keeper must update the microchip database (Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, reg. 9). 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

In England it's against the law to give away a banned dog, and in England and Wales it's illegal to "rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully" (gov.uk: England and Wales). If you think your dog could be an XL Bully, contact your local police force rather than listing.

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.

What’s listed in and around Sheffield right now

LocalPetFinder gathers adoptable animals from rescues within about 25 miles of Sheffield. Right now that is 85 dogs, 55 cats and 31 rabbits from 23 rescues, plus 2 pets listed by their owners. Local rescues are often full, which is one reason owner-to-owner rehoming exists. But if a rescue can take your pet, its assessment and matching are worth a lot.

Looking to adopt instead? Rescue dogs in and around Sheffield · rescue cats · rabbits

Rehoming a particular breed?

Each guide covers what to tell adopters about the breed, and the breed rescues that take owners’ pets.

Cats

British Shorthair Siamese Bengal Cat Maine Coon Ragdoll Persian Cat Russian Blue Burmese Birman Norwegian Forest Cat Sphynx Cat

Rehoming a pet in Sheffield: your questions

Tap a question to expand

Where can I take my dog in Sheffield if I can’t keep him?

Start with the schemes that keep him at home: Blue Cross’s Sheffield unit (Home Direct) and RAIN Rescue’s Home to Home. Thornberry Animal Sanctuary and Sheffield Dog Rescue may take him when they have space, and Best Life Dog Rescue in Doncaster and Doggy Dens UK Rescue at Cuckney have surrender forms. Or list him on LocalPetFinder and choose the new home yourself.

How do I rehome a cat in Sheffield?

Ask Cats Protection Sheffield & District about Direct Homing, which keeps your cat with you until a new home is found, and put your cat on The Sheffield Cats Shelter’s waiting list. Thornberry Animal Sanctuary and RAIN Rescue also take cats when they have space. You can list your cat on LocalPetFinder at the same time.

How do I rehome a rabbit in Sheffield?

Thornberry Animal Sanctuary at North Anston takes rabbits through its Relinquish Your Animal form when it has space, and Yorkshire Rabbit Retreat in Wakefield has an online surrender form, though it usually has a long waiting list. Neutering your rabbits while you wait can help. You can also list your rabbit on LocalPetFinder; keep a bonded pair together.

Will Sheffield City Council take my dog?

The council’s kennels are for stray dogs: in Sheffield, anyone who finds one must hand it to its owner or the council. The council also says it gives temporary support to pets whose owners go into hospital or residential care. For giving up your own dog, contact the rescues on this page.

How do I rehome my dog in Sheffield?

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; Battersea asks for a suggested donation of £50; 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.

Will the RSPCA take my pet?

Usually not: the RSPCA says its national centres "can't take in unwanted pets" because it prioritises cruelty and neglect cases. A local RSPCA branch may be able to help, and it points owners to other rehoming charities.

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 Sheffield for free

Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.

Start your listing

Sources: Blue Cross: Sheffield rehoming, advice and behaviour unit · Thornberry Animal Sanctuary: Relinquish your animal · RAIN Rescue: Rehome a pet · RAIN Rescue: Home to Home · Sheffield Dog Rescue: Contact · Best Life Dog Rescue: Rehoming your dog · Doggy Dens UK Rescue: UK Rehome Request form · The Sheffield Cats Shelter: Rehoming your cat · Cats Protection: Sheffield & District · Cats Protection: Doncaster · Yorkshire Rabbit Retreat: Surrendering a rabbit · Sheffield City Council: Lost or found dogs · Sheffield City Council: RSPCA partnership news, 17 November 2025 · Dogs Trust: Our centres · Dogs Trust: Giving up your dog · Blue Cross: Giving up a pet · Cats Protection: Giving up a cat · RSPCA: Giving up a pet · RWAF: Rehoming rabbits · Battersea: Giving your dog up for adoption · PAAG: Free to a good home adverts · Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023 · gov.uk: Get your dog or cat microchipped · gov.uk: Ban on XL Bully dogs (England and Wales)