How to adopt a dog

Q: How much does it cost to adopt a dog?

Our adoption fee is € 275 for adult dogs and this fee helps us to cover the costs of caring for over 1,500 dogs every year. Our fee for adopting a puppy under 6 months is € 325. This includes the €275 rehoming fee and a reduced €50 online Dog School fee. Our Dog School classes help puppies learn key life skills and teach owners the basic training skills they need to create a strong bond with their new dog. Every dog adopted from Dogs Trust is: Microchipped Vaccinated Vet Checked If your new dog is not already neutered at the time of adoption, you will go home with a voucher of €120 towards the cost of neutering a male or €150 towards the cost of spaying a female dog at a local veterinary practice. You will also receive a starter bag of food, a collar and lead. Once they're at home, you'll be able to access advice from the centre team if you need to.

Everything you need to know about adopting a dog from us.

Is there an empty space on your sofa where a dog should be? This could be the time to look for a new faithful friend.

Adopt a dog from us, and you’ll be doing three brilliant things in one:

making your life more fun and fulfilling 
giving a loving home to a deserving dog  
helping us to care for even more dogs

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the journey of adopting from us and explain how we match dogs and people.

How our adoption process works

We rehome dogs across the whole of Ireland. So wherever you're based, follow these steps to start your adoption journey with us...

1
Are you ready?
If you are hoping to welcome a dog into your life, please plan ahead and ensure that a dog will fit into your lifestyle long-term. The first step is to ask yourself if you are ready for a dog.
2
Meet our dogs
Now you've decided that you're ready to welcome a new furry friend in your life, it's time to meet the dogs available for adoption.You can search for a dog based on your location and lifestyle. We have dogs available for adoption across the whole of Ireland. While some dogs are...
Show details
Now you've decided that you're ready to welcome a new furry friend in your life, it's time to meet the dogs available for adoption.
You can search for a dog based on your location and lifestyle. We have dogs available for adoption across the whole of Ireland. While some dogs are based at our rehoming centre in Dublin, many of our dogs live all over Ireland with foster carers or their current owners until they can find their forever homes. The best way to find out how you can meet them is to fill out an application.
If you are hoping to adopt a puppy, we're happy to discuss this as part of the application process. Please bear in mind that we don’t usually add their rehoming profiles to our website as puppies grow and change in appearance so quickly.
3
Fill out an application
We want to find all our dogs a loving forever family. If you're ready to adopt from us, fill in our application form to tell us about you, your lifestyle and your home so we can find you a great match.
4
We'll get in touch with you
Please bear in mind, if you are looking for a very specific breed, size or temperament, or have a very busy household, it may take longer for us to find your perfect match. Many of the dogs in our care may have had a difficult start in life, or have specific medical or...
Show details
Please bear in mind, if you are looking for a very specific breed, size or temperament, or have a very busy household, it may take longer for us to find your perfect match.
Many of the dogs in our care may have had a difficult start in life, or have specific medical or behavioural needs, and need a quieter household or one with no other pets. We try to match each dog with a family where we think they will have the best chance of success.

Ready to apply?

We want to find all our dogs a loving forever family. If you want to adopt from us, fill in our application form to tell us about you, your lifestyle and your home so we can find you a great match.

Submit an application

Welcoming your dog home

If we mutually decide you and the dog are well suited, then we’ll arrange for you to welcome them into your home.

Your dog will go home with:

Their Dogs Trust collar and lead
A dog care handbook
Microchipping information
Several days' worth of the dog's current food.

Before your new dog goes to their home, they will be:

fully health-checked
up-to-date with their vaccinations and treatments, like worming
neutered (or we’ll give you a voucher towards the cost of neutering to use with your local vet)
microchipped

How we match dogs and people

We want every dog in our care to find the best possible forever home and live a happy life. We rehome to all kinds of people and families living in different types of home – it just depends on the needs of the dog.

When we’re reviewing applications, we need to know that you’ll be a responsible owner and that now is the right time for you to adopt.  We also need to see that your home set up is suitable for a dog and you’ll be able to meet their exercise, diet and training needs.

We will be honest if we don't feel your circumstances are right to adopt a dog. Otherwise, we’d be doing a disservice to ourselves, our dogs and to you. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to adopt from us in the future if your situation changes.

What we ask of you

We rehome based on the needs of the dog, but there are some rules that we always stick to.

We:

will only rehome to primary adopters who are 18 years of age and over
ask that everyone in your household agrees to the adoption
don’t use any aversive training methods – such as anti-bark or shock collars. We won’t rehome to families who wish to use them once they have a dog. (If you’d like to train your dog using positive reinforcement, check out our Dog School classes)
won’t rehome to a person, or household containing a person, who has an unspent conviction for offences relating to animals

We also ask you:

to check with your landlord before reserving a dog, if applicable
to ensure that the adopter chooses the dog themselves – we won’t agree to someone adopting a dog as a gift
to agree to continue with any behavioural rehabilitation or training we recommend 
to ensure that your dog has access to a suitable outside space for exercise and toilet breaks.

Ongoing support

Find out more about the support available for you and your dog after adoption.

Post-adoption support

Red the puppy interacting with adopter in the garden, practicing how to sit with treats and playing with toys.

How we support you and your dog after adoption

Our support doesn't end the day you take your dog home. Find out how we can help you and your pooch post-adoption.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the rehoming process take?

Every adoption is treated as an individual case, so the length of the process can vary depending on a number of factors.

If you know there is a big event (moving house, going on holiday, a new baby) coming up soon, it's best to start the process after everything has settled down, so that whenever you find your new dog, you're ready for them.

What if there’s a problem after I adopt?

Please get back in touch with us if you start to struggle with your dog. For behaviour advice and support, you can contact us on 01 8791000.

How much does it cost to adopt a dog?

Our adoption fee is €275 for adult dogs and this fee helps us to cover the costs of caring for over 1,500 dogs every year.

Our fee for adopting a puppy under 6 months is €325. This includes the €275 rehoming fee and a reduced €50 online Dog School fee. Our Dog School classes help puppies learn key life skills and teach owners the basic training skills they need to create a strong bond with their new dog.

Every dog adopted from Dogs Trust is:

Microchipped
Vaccinated
Vet Checked

If your new dog is not already neutered at the time of adoption, you will go home with a voucher of €120 towards the cost of neutering a male or €150 towards the cost of spaying a female dog at a local veterinary practice.

You will also receive a starter bag of food, a collar and lead.

Once they're at home, you'll be able to access advice from the centre team if you need to.

Can I adopt a puppy?

Yes! However we don’t usually add their rehoming profiles to our website as they change in appearance so quickly. Find out more about how to adopt a Dogs Trust puppy.