Need to rehome your dog urgently? What to do today

• The breeder or rescue you got your dog from. It’s the RSPCA’s first suggestion, and Dogs Trust will always take back a dog adopted from it.
• Dogs Trust on 0300 303 2188 (it aims to reply within 72 hours) and Blue Cross pet admissions on 0300 777 1960.
• Your local rescues. Our city guides (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow) list the ones nearby that take owners’ dogs; elsewhere, search the ADCH’s “Find a rescue” by postcode.

Fleeing domestic abuse. Dogs Trust’s Freedom service gives your dog a temporary home with a foster carer “until their owners are safe, settled and ready to have them back”. It is confidential and “free to use with all veterinary treatments and dog expenses covered”. Contact your local Freedom team through its page. For cats, Cats Protection runs Lifeline, a free, confidential, temporary foster placement for the cats of people fleeing domestic abuse.

Going into hospital, if you’re 65 or over or terminally ill. The Cinnamon Trust offers “short-term foster care for hospital stays” in volunteers’ homes. It supports owners aged 65 and over, and people who are terminally ill at any age. It asks owners to register early, so it can place a pet quickly if an emergency arises, and you need to contact it yourself: call 01736 757900, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police; if you can’t speak and are calling on a mobile, press 55 to have your call transferred to the police (gov.uk). Domestic abuse helplines, as listed by Dogs Trust:

• England: Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 200 0247
• Scotland: Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, 0800 027 1234
• Wales: Live Fear Free Helpline, 0808 801 0800
• Northern Ireland: Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline, 0808 802 1414
• Men’s Advice Line, 0808 801 0327
• Galop National LGBT+ Helpline, 0800 999 5428

If you do need to rehome, these are the realistic timings, in each organisation’s own words.

Outside those emergency schemes, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA both say they can’t board dogs temporarily. If you need a few days or weeks, ask friends or family, or pay a boarding kennel or dog sitter you trust; Dogs Trust suggests your vet may be able to recommend kennels nearby.

Whichever route you take, having these ready saves days. Dogs Trust asks to see the paperwork at its assessment.

• Clear, recent photos of your dog.
• Veterinary records, including vaccination certificates.
• Microchip details, so ownership can be transferred.
• An honest note of your dog’s behaviour, with other dogs, cats and children.

Don’t leave your dog outside a rescue: Blue Cross asks you to speak to its team on site if it’s urgent, and warns that leaving an animal unattended “could put them at risk”. Don’t give your dog to someone you haven’t met, and don’t accept or pay a deposit.