Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Westie
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If you can't keep your Westie, two Westie rescues say they take dogs from across the UK, and both care for dogs in homes rather than kennels. What a new home most needs to hear about is your Westie's skin and how they cope alone: PDSA says Westies often suffer with separation anxiety and are known to suffer from skin allergies. Put both in the listing plainly, with the vet records to back them up.
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Why Westies end up needing a new home
We found no UK source on why Westies are given up, so here is what the breed asks of a home. PDSA says Westies bond so strongly with their owners that they often suffer with separation anxiety if left alone, and that they can be determined, strong-willed and "like the sound of their own voice".
The coat and skin take work too. Dogs Trust says the thick fur can get matted, so Westies usually need brushing a few times a week and a professional trim around every 6 weeks, and PDSA says they are known to suffer from skin allergies. The Royal Kennel Club's Breed Watch lists signs of dermatitis among its concerns for the breed.
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 Westie
Skin and health. PDSA lists conditions Westies may develop, including luxating kneecaps, dry eye and Westie lung (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), as well as skin allergies. Share your dog's vet records and any treatment or bathing routine they are on, so an adopter knows the real cost and care.
Being left and barking. Tell adopters how long your Westie copes alone, and whether they bark when left or when people pass. PDSA's point about separation anxiety means a home with long workdays needs to hear this before, not after.
Grooming. Say how often your dog is brushed and trimmed, and how they behave for a groomer. Dogs Trust says a professional trim around every 6 weeks is usual.
Cats and small pets. PDSA says Westies have quite a high prey drive and would not recommend one with smaller pets, though a Westie that grew up with a cat will usually be fine with that cat. Say what your dog has lived with, and how it went.
Westie rescues that take owners’ dogs
Westies In Needdogs · Based in North Yorkshire, covering all areas of the UK
Asks owners who can no longer look after their Westie to complete its Acceptance into Rescue form and get in touch. Its volunteers care for the dogs in their own homes rather than kennels.
Westie Rescue UKdogs
A registered charity (no. 1173538) whose aim includes Westies anywhere in the UK that "are no longer able to remain with their current owners, for whatever reason". Dogs go to foster homes and are "not kennelled at any time". Its site has no owner form, so use the contact details on its website.
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 Westie 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 Westie appears next to rescue dogs on the Westies 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 Westie: your questions
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Will a Westie rescue take my dog?
There are two to try. Westies In Need asks owners to complete an Acceptance into Rescue form, and says on its about page that being based in North Yorkshire "doesn't stop us covering all areas of the UK". Westie Rescue UK also takes Westies that can no longer stay with their owners. Both use homes, not kennels.
My Westie has skin allergies. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. PDSA says Westies are known to suffer from skin allergies, so many adopters who know the breed will expect it. What matters is telling them exactly what your dog has, what the vet has said and what the treatment costs, and handing over the records.
Can I rehome my Westie to a home with cats?
Sometimes. PDSA says Westies have quite a high prey drive and would not recommend one with smaller pets, but a Westie that has grown up with a cat will usually be fine with that cat. A new cat is a different matter, so say exactly what your dog has lived with.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: Westies In Need · Westies In Need: Acceptance into Rescue · Westies In Need: About us · Westie Rescue UK · The Royal Kennel Club: West Highland White Terrier · The Royal Kennel Club: Breed Watch, West Highland White Terrier (Category 2) · Dogs Trust: West Highland White Terrier · PDSA: West Highland White Terrier