Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Whippet
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
If you need to rehome your Whippet, a breed rescue will help without judging you: JR Whippet Rescue CIO says "our role is not to judge, but to support, guide and ensure that your Whippet's future is safe, secure and carefully considered". Whippets are gentle, sensitive dogs with a strong urge to chase, so tell adopters honestly how yours copes alone, with small animals and off the lead.
List your pet for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Why Whippets end up needing a new home
Sometimes an owner's life simply changes. JR Whippet Rescue CIO lists among the dogs it helps "Whippets whose owners are experiencing life changes incompatible with continuing to care for their dogs".
The breed's needs can make those changes harder. PDSA says Whippets dislike being left alone, and it would only recommend one if someone will be around most of the day. It also says they have a really high prey drive, so a secure garden is a must and off-lead running should be in a secure area.
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 Whippet
Being left alone. PDSA says Whippets dislike being left on their own. Tell adopters how long your dog is used to being alone and how it copes, so they can judge whether their routine fits.
Cats, small pets and recall. PDSA would not recommend keeping a Whippet with smaller pets, though one may get along with a cat it has grown up with. Say what your dog has lived with, whether it is let off the lead and where, and how reliable its recall is.
Children and new people. PDSA says Whippets are calm and gentle around children but a little sensitive, so it suggests homes with slightly older children, and says they can be a little shy with new people. Describe how your dog reacts to visitors, noise and children.
Warmth, skin and health. PDSA says Whippets have very little body fat and may need a coat in winter, and thin skin that can be cut on thorns or twigs. It lists progressive retinal atrophy and mitral valve disease (a heart condition) among the conditions they may develop. Share your vet records and any known condition.
Whippet rescues that take owners’ dogs
JR Whippet Rescue CIOdogs · Works across the UK through foster carers; no kennels
Fill in its rehoming form, or call, WhatsApp or email its relinquishing co-ordinator, who it says will contact you within 72 hours of receiving the completed form. It then arranges a foster placement or, in some cases, a direct adoption, and you sign a transfer of ownership.
Forever Hounds Trustdogs · Devon centre; greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds
It says it can "only help with greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds", so ask whether it can take your Whippet. Send its rehoming request form; owners in Devon, Dorset, Somerset or Bristol can ask to keep their dog at home while it finds an adopter.
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 Whippet 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 Whippet appears next to rescue dogs on the Whippets 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.
Ready to find your Whippet a good home?
List your dog free. Every listing is checked by a person, and you stay in control of who adopts.
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 Whippet: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Why use a Whippet rescue rather than rehoming privately?
A rescue takes on the search for you. JR Whippet Rescue CIO says "using a reputable rescue ensures your Whippet's welfare is fully protected", and it arranges a foster placement or a direct adoption, with a signed transfer of ownership. If you would rather choose the new home yourself, listing your dog keeps that decision with you.
Can I rehome my Whippet to a home with cats?
Only if your dog has shown it can live with one. PDSA says Whippets have a really high prey drive and would not recommend them with smaller pets, but a Whippet may get along with a cat it has grown up with, always supervised. Say what your dog has lived with and let the adopter decide.
How long do Whippets live, and does age matter for rehoming?
The Royal Kennel Club lists the Whippet's lifespan as over 12 years, and Dogs Trust says typically 12 or more. State your dog's age and health honestly, so adopters know what to expect and can plan for the years ahead.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Whippet · Dogs Trust: Whippet · PDSA: Whippet · JR Whippet Rescue CIO: Rehome · JR Whippet Rescue CIO: homepage · Forever Hounds Trust: Help with homing your dog