Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Sheffield

Of the rescues we list, only Sheffield Dog Rescue has premises inside the City of Sheffield, at Quarry Hill in Mosborough. The rest are spread around it: Thornberry Animal Sanctuary at North Anston, about 10 miles east, Helping Yorkshire Poundies near Rotherham, Rotherham Dog Rescue at Rawmarsh, Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity and Cliffe Kennels & Rescue to the north, and Chesterfield Animal Rescue, listed at Dronfield, to the south.

Further out, Best Life Dog Rescue fosters around Doncaster, RAIN Rescue has the dogs we list at Misson, Doggy Dens UK Rescue has its kennels at Cuckney in Nottinghamshire, and Jerry Green Dog Rescue has a centre at Mansfield. So this page lists dogs from across that wider area, nearest first, and most days few of them are in the city itself. You apply to the rescue that cares for the dog: we don't rehome dogs ourselves, and each rescue runs its own application, home check and fee.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. Sheffield City Council says anyone who finds one "has a legal obligation to hand the dog to either its owner or us". Since 15 October 2025 the council's kennels have occupied a block at the RSPCA Animal Shelter on Stadium Way, S9, with a reception shared with RSPCA volunteers who are not part of the council kennels.

The council's page (read on 17 October 2026) says a stray not reclaimed after 7 days becomes the council's property "and may be available for adoption". If you are visiting to adopt, you must make an appointment first; appointments run between 10am and 3pm, and card payments are the only method accepted. The council's dogs are not on this page, so ask the council.

Published dog fees around Sheffield start at £200 at Sheffield Dog Rescue, or £300 for a pedigree breed. RAIN Rescue generally asks £250 to £350, shown on each dog's profile, Barnsley Animal Rescue Charity from £250 for an adult dog, and Helping Yorkshire Poundies a minimum donation of £300 for an adult dog and £450 for a puppy, which it says is non-refundable.

Further out, Cliffe Kennels & Rescue starts from £380, Jerry Green Dog Rescue asks £385 for a dog over 20 weeks, Best Life Dog Rescue from £395, Doggy Dens UK Rescue from £450 for a dog from the UK, and Chesterfield Animal Rescue £450 for an adult dog and £550 for a puppy under 12 months. The fee is not the dog's price: at Sheffield Dog Rescue it helps cover neutering, first vaccinations, a microchip, and flea and worm treatment.

Each rescue sets its own adoption fee. Dogs Trust charges £300 for a puppy or adult dog in England, Wales and Scotland, and Blue Cross fees start from £235 for dogs aged 8 or over and £335 for dogs aged 1 to 7. The fee usually covers neutering, microchipping and first vaccinations, and each rescue confirms its own fee.

Each rescue sets its own rules, and these are the ones Sheffield adopters meet most often (how to choose a Sheffield rescue). Check them before you apply.

• Young children. Sheffield Dog Rescue doesn't rehome older dogs to families with children under seven, and several dogs at Cliffe Kennels & Rescue need children over 14.
• Work and cats. Sheffield Dog Rescue wants adopters who are not out at work full time, and doesn't rehome its adult dogs to homes with a cat unless it knows the dog's history.
• Home checks. Sheffield Dog Rescue checks every home before a dog is adopted, Thornberry Animal Sanctuary checks by video and photos, and RAIN Rescue won't reserve a dog until a home check and a meet and greet have taken place.
• Travel. Chesterfield Animal Rescue has no centre: first meetings are in a local park, and a trial at home usually lasts 4 weeks. Best Life Dog Rescue wants a video of your garden and home before you meet a dog at its foster home.

We don't list these organisations' dogs (our guide to them), so search or phone them directly.

• Blue Cross runs its Sheffield rehoming, advice and behaviour unit on Old Station Drive, S7. It has no kennels on site: most of its pets stay with their owners or with volunteer foster carers until adopted.
• The RSPCA also rehomes animals; search on its own site.
• Dogs Trust has no rehoming centre in South Yorkshire, and its nearest centres are more than 25 miles from Sheffield.
• For greyhounds, Sheffield Retired Greyhounds has kennels at Wortley, about 7 miles away, and asks £200; Greyhound Trust West Yorkshire has kennels at Womersley, by appointment.

Our guides go further on the breeds Sheffield adopters ask about: greyhounds, Staffies, German Shepherds, Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos and Cavapoos, Chihuahuas and Shih Tzus. Lurchers and other sighthounds come through several rescues we list, so the lurcher page is worth watching.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Sheffield rehoming page sets out the local routes, including Blue Cross's Sheffield unit, RAIN Rescue's scheme that keeps your dog with you while it finds an adopter, and Thornberry's relinquish form.