Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Yorkie
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
When your Yorkie needs a new home, a little planning helps them land well. PDSA calls Yorkies "small but mighty", with big attitudes, so the right adopter wants a terrier's character in a toy dog's body. Tell adopters about grooming, children and any health condition, because those are the things that decide whether a Yorkie settles.
List your pet for free
Every listing checked by a person. Adopters message you through the site; your details stay private.
Why Yorkies end up needing a new home
We haven't found a UK source that says why Yorkies are given up, so we won't guess. What the sources do describe is what the breed needs. The Royal Kennel Club lists the long, silky coat as needing grooming every day, and Dogs Trust says Yorkies are likely to need professional grooming too.
PDSA says Yorkies are better suited to families with older children, because they have very fragile bones and could easily be injured by younger children. It also lists conditions the breed can be prone to, from luxating kneecaps to tracheal collapse. The Royal Kennel Club gives the lifespan as over 12 years, so it is a long commitment.
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 Yorkie
Grooming. Say how you keep the coat, whether long or in a short "puppy cut", and how your dog behaves at the groomer. Dogs Trust says the puppy cut is trimmed by a groomer every 6 to 8 weeks.
Children. PDSA says Yorkies suit families with older children because of their fragile bones. Tell adopters how your dog has been with children, and what ages, so a family with toddlers can think it through.
Health and vet records. PDSA lists luxating kneecaps, tracheal collapse (weakness of the windpipe), bladder stones, eye conditions and portosystemic shunt among conditions Yorkies can be prone to. Pass on your vet records and say plainly what has been diagnosed, treated or watched.
Character and exercise. PDSA says Yorkies can be quite stubborn and need around 30 to 40 minutes of exercise a day. Describe your own dog's personality, what they enjoy, and how they are with visitors and other dogs.
Yorkshire Terrier rescues that take owners’ dogs
We couldn’t confirm a Yorkie breed rescue that is taking owners’ dogs when we checked. The national charities below take every breed, and you can list your dog yourself at the same time.
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 Yorkie 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 Yorkie appears next to rescue dogs on the Yorkies 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 Yorkie 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 Yorkie: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Is there a Yorkie rescue that will take my dog?
We couldn't confirm an active UK Yorkshire Terrier rescue that takes owners' dogs when we checked on 6 October 2026. The national charities on this page take every breed, and you can list your Yorkie with us at the same time. Some Yorkie rescue sites that come up online are based in the US, so check that a rescue is in the UK before you contact it.
Can I rehome my Yorkie to a family with young children?
Think carefully. PDSA says Yorkies are better suited to families with older children, because their bones are very fragile and could easily be injured by younger children. If your Yorkie has lived happily with young children, say so, and let the adopter decide with the full picture.
My Yorkie has a health condition. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. Describe the condition plainly and pass on the vet records. PDSA lists several conditions Yorkies can be prone to, such as luxating kneecaps and tracheal collapse, so a well-informed adopter will want to know exactly what your dog has and how it is managed.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Yorkshire Terrier · Dogs Trust: Yorkshire Terrier · PDSA: Yorkshire Terrier