Rescue dogs for adoption and rehoming in and around Worcester

The nearest dog rescue to the city is Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter, on Hawthorn Lane at Newland, about 5 miles out on the road to Malvern, with kennels for up to 26 dogs. It is a non-view shelter: you choose from the profiles online, then meet the dog by arrangement.

The rest are a short drive north or south. Happy Staffie Rescue has its Staffy rehoming centre in Kidderminster, about 14 miles north; Forest Dog Rescue is at Far Forest, in the Wyre Forest, and Birch Hill Dog Rescue at Neen Sollars, in the South Shropshire hills, both about 14 to 16 miles away; and Cheltenham Animal Shelter is about 21 miles south. Every profile here links to the rescue that cares for the dog, and you apply with them: we don't rehome dogs ourselves.

In England, if you find a stray dog and can't contact the owner, you must report it to the council. In Worcester and the rest of Worcestershire, and in Cheltenham, the dog warden service is Worcestershire Regulatory Services: its duty officers take reports from 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and it runs an out of hours collection service from 10am to 10pm, 7 days a week.

A dog it collects goes to its kennels for 7 clear days. If nobody claims it, the dog becomes the council's and is rehomed through partner charities, which neuter, vaccinate and microchip it and home check the adopter. The service no longer passes on offers from people who want to adopt a stray, and it doesn't say which charity took a dog, so a microchip with up to date details is the fastest way home.

Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter asks £300 for a dog and £400 for a puppy under 6 months, and Cheltenham Animal Shelter £300 for a dog or puppy, or £500 for two. Happy Staffie Rescue asks £225 to £275 for a dog of 12 months or more.

Home Run Hounds asks a £200 donation for a retired racing greyhound, less a £30 non-refundable deposit that holds the dog, and Wythall Animal Sanctuary charges £150, £250 or £350, shown on each dog's page.

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.

None of the rescues takes drop-ins: you apply or book first, and visits are by appointment (Forest Dog Rescue and Happy Staffie Rescue both say so).

• Newland: at least three meets. At Worcestershire Animal Rescue Shelter you send an interested parties form for one dog, a member of the team gets in touch within 3 working days, and you meet the dog at least three times within 14 days, bringing your own dog to one meet. A home check follows the second.
• Happy Staffie: ready now, or not yet. Happy Staffie Rescue keeps no lists and replies only when it can arrange a viewing. Adopters must be 18 or over, with no children under 5 at home, and a dog must not be left for more than four hours.
• Cheltenham: email, not phone. Cheltenham Animal Shelter takes applications by email to its dogs team, aims to reply within 7 days if you are a match, and takes a non-refundable deposit after you meet the dog.
• Birch Hill: a one-month trial. Birch Hill Dog Rescue matches you with a dog, then starts every adoption with a one-month trial, and always takes a dog back.

Home Run Hounds rehomes retired racing greyhounds from kennels at Hagley, about 16 miles away, and Wombourne, about 23, with a Foster-To-Adopt option. Dogs Trust Evesham, on Pitcher's Hill about 16 miles south-east, rehomes its own dogs; we don't list Dogs Trust dogs, so search its site.

People also search for the RSPCA Worcester & Mid-Worcestershire Branch, a separately registered charity affiliated to the RSPCA, with a rehoming centre just outside Kempsey. It rehomes its own animals through its own site, and we don't list RSPCA animals.

Our guide to Worcester dog rescues compares every rescue above, and our Staffy guide covers Happy Staffie Rescue. The Staffy, greyhound, crossbreed and puppies pages each list the dogs near Worcester today.

Need to rehome your own dog instead? Our Worcester rehoming page sets out the local routes.