Surrendering A Dog

We’ve temporarily limited the number of dogs we can bring into our rehoming centre. As always, we will prioritise urgent crisis cases and will continue to support owners of dogs we have already committed to taking in.

We know that sometimes people’s circumstances change and they can no longer look after their dog. At Pupcakes we appreciate how incredibly upsetting this can be and we never judge anyone for making the responsible decision to give up their dog and we’ll do what we can to help.

No matter how desperate you’re feeling, please don’t dump or abandon your dog.  

This is incredibly traumatic for them and also very dangerous – they could become seriously ill or they could escape and be hit by a car. It also means that even if they are found and brought to us, we won’t know their history, which makes it a lot harder to find them the right home.

If you can’t keep your dog any longer, we may be able to give them a space at our centre.  Please be aware that the UK rescue industry is in crisis with adoptions at an all time low and therefore we currently have no kennels likely to be available for complex cases or bite histories for the foreseeable future.  We are, however, still sometimes able to squeeze in a younger animal with minimal behaviour problems.

Should you wish us to add your dog to our waiting list, please complete our form and give as much information as you can and be as honest as possible. Pupcakes is a behavioural specialist rescue so we are not put off by issues or bite histories but it is important for us to know the full story so we can make an informed decision about whether we are the right rescue for your dog.   

You should receive a submission confirmation but please note we are a very small team so are unable to discuss surrender requests via email, Facebook message or phone unless a space becomes available.  

If we are able to help one of our rehoming team will be in contact via email to arrange an intake appointment. You will be welcome to attend an appointment at the centre with your dog.

When you meet the rehoming team, we’ll ask you more about your dog’s likes and dislikes. We’ll discuss the dogs behaviour and incidents relating to it. All this information helps us to see if your dog is going to be happy in kennels or if they will need a foster home within our admin team, and what they need in a new home.  

You’ll need to show us any veterinary records you have, including vaccination certificates and microchip details. It’s helpful if you can bring their favourite bedding and a few of their toys, to help them feel more comfortable.

You’ll need to sign some paperwork to officially transfer the dog across to us. We’ll take good care of them from there.

They will be carefully assessed by a vet and our in-house behaviourist  so we can give them any special care they need and match them to the right kind of home.

We like our dogs to have an initial period in kennels where they can decompress safely and build trust in us as handlers and then move into a foster placement with one of our team. If the dog is too anxious for kennels or we do not feel it would be beneficial for them we can move them straight into foster after intake but this will be discussed at your intake appointment.

After the assessment period they will go up for rehoming, providing there aren’t any veterinary or behaviour issues that we need to address. If this is the case it may take some time before you see your dog available for rehoming. Please don’t be alarmed; it just means we are working with them to help safely manage their behavioural issues and this can take time. 

Their profile will appear on the Pupcakes facebook page and website and we will start our search to find them a loving home.