We believe that pet rehoming and adoption should be a kind, safe and reliable process for every being involved. 

We know that sometimes rehoming is necessary and that it can be a painful decision. By offering a non-judgemental and straightforward option, we make it easier for people to do the right thing by their pets and themselves. 

We are a viable alternative to unregulated sites like Pets4Homes, Gumtree and Facebook. This enables us to improve pet welfare and educate people about responsible rehoming and adoption.

We also want to take some pressure off rescue organisations by reducing the number of pets in shelters. This way, we can create space for the animals who really need professional care. 

We are part of a registered charity, and we're proud to have Peter Egan as our Patron. To find out more about our team please watch our video

We’re focusing on dogs, cats and rabbits because they’re the most popular types of pet in the UK. We plan to help rehome other types of pets in the future.

A rescue centre may be the right option for you and your pet. If you need to give up your pet immediately – perhaps because they’re in danger or you think they’re dangerous - you should contact a rescue centre as soon as possible. 

However, in many cases it’s better to rehome your pet directly using a safe, professional service like ours.  

Firstly, you get to choose your pet’s new home. If you take your pet to a rescue centre, you won’t have a say in where they end up. Even though rescue centres always try to rehome pets responsibly, you know your pet better than anyone else does. This means you’re the right person to find their new home. 

Second, your pet will find it easier to adapt and settle if they go straight from your home to their new one. Having fewer changes to deal with is better for their mental and physical welfare.

We offer a safer, more reliable and professional way to rehome your pet. We help make sure your pet doesn’t end up in the wrong hands and you have full control of the rehoming process. 

When you advertise your pet on social media or an online marketplace, you don’t know who you’re dealing with or why someone wants to adopt your pet. With PetRehomer, you will be in direct contact with potential adopters so you get to choose the home that’s best for your pet. 

Because the rehomer does not receive a fee, there’s no incentive for dealers, scammers and unscrupulous breeders to use our service. And because we’re a charity set up by animal lovers, you can rest assured that we always prioritise pet welfare over profit. 

We also offer home checks and post-adoption support – things you won’t get if you rehome your pet through sites like Gumtree, Pets4Homes, Preloved or Facebook.

We regularly get asked about this and we know that many people needing to rehome their pets have not had their pets neutered, microchipped or vaccinated. We do encourage you to do this and follow the UK's legislation particularly relating to microchipping before rehoming them if possible, but if you can't, we are still here to help. Watch our video to find out more.

It is definitely more appealing to adopters wanting a family pet to find one that has already been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, as it reduces the burden on them, so please do this before rehoming them if you can.

If you are on a low income, you could apply for the £10 neutering scheme currently on offer from Cats Protection, or support with vet fees from the Dogs Trust Hope Project.

Cats Protection Link

Dogs Trust Link

Some people using iPhones to take photos will be saving their photos as HEIC files. PetRehomer, like many other platforms, can only accept .jpg .jpeg or .png files.

To change your camera settings on your iPhone so that photos are saved as .JPEG's you will need to do the following:

In your "Settings" menu, find and tap on "Camera". In the "Camera" menu, tap on "Formats" at the very top of the menu. Here you can select either "High Efficiency" which will allow your iPhone to shoot and store HEIC files, or "Most Compatible", which will have your phone capture JPEG's.

No. The person adopting your pet will pay a fee instead. The amount they pay is similar to the adoption fees charged by most rescue centres in the UK. We think this is the fairest way to go about things.

Yes. Home checks are a really important part of the process. They allow us to see if an adopter’s home is right for your pet. 

We work with a specialist organisation to carry out our home checks. They will assess the adopter’s living environment to make sure it’s suitable for the specific needs of your pet. They may also take photos. 

If you’re rehoming a cat or dog, we can visit the adopter’s home or carry out the check remotely. Home checks for rabbits are always done remotely. 

After the home check, we will make our recommendations to you. Your pet’s welfare and safety will always be at the heart of these suggestions.

If your pet is aggressive, dangerous or too difficult for you to manage, you should speak to a rescue organisation immediately and you must not list your pet here.

We’re a direct rehoming service that enables rehomers and adopters to connect through our website. We don’t offer behavioural assessments, and therefore we are unable to help you responsibly rehome your pet under those circumstances. We trust that people will be honest about their pet’s temperament.

If you are rehoming a dog, you must declare whether your dog has a history of aggression or biting. If that is the case, you must not list your dog on the PetRehomer website.

PetRehomer is part of a registered animal welfare charity. It has been set up by animal lovers who are dedicated to ending pet homelessness and irresponsible rehoming practices.

We believe that all pets deserve to be safe, respected and loved. Our adoption and rehoming procedures offer no financial incentive for people who want to profit from pet trading or abuse. No pet on our platform will ever be “free to a good home”, so we won’t attract anyone looking for a free pet to exploit.

Preparing to say goodbye to your pet is likely to feel bitter sweet. On one hand, you know you have done your best to find the right home for your pet, but on the other, there's a strong chance you will feel sad to say goodbye.  When the Adopter comes to meet your pet, they may visit and want to come back again for another visit, or as in many cases, they may be happy to collect the pet straight away.

You need to be ready to hand over the pet to the Adopter so there are a few things that you can do in readiness to ensure that this part happens as smoothly as possible.

1) Make sure you have all the relevant paperwork to hand, ready to give to the Adopter (such as vet history and microchip details, food, injection dates, worming and flea treatment details etc.)

2) Once the Adopter takes the pet home, they become the legal owner, and you no longer own the pet, so you should make sure that you are both happy about the handover and transfer of ownership.

3) We ask you to respect the Adopters privacy after adoption, so you must not ask the Adopter for their address, and we ask that you keep any phone or email contact to a minimum to allow the pet to settle into their new home. If the Adopter has a problem after adoption they may contact PetRehomer for post-adoption support.

Please contact us and we will remove your account from PetRehomer.

Of course. We are here to help. If you need to request assistance please contact us. If you want to speak to someone you can leave your contact number and we will call you.

We don't recommend "trial periods". This is primarily for two main reasons:

1) It takes more than a weekend or even a week for a dog to properly settle into their new home with an adopter, so a short trial period isn't enough time to give them a fair chance of showing them their best self.

2) Although unlikely, if anything unexpected happens during a trial period, there could be grey areas and disputes over who is responsible, and we cannot get involved in anything outside of our control. Examples could be accidents, injuries, lost or stolen dogs etc.

This is why we have a fixed rule which states that once a pet has been collected/is in the custody of the adopter, we consider the rehoming to be complete, and ownership of the pet has transferred. If the current owner wishes to offer to take the pet back at a later stage if things haven't worked out, that is an arrangement that both parties can discuss privately between yourselves.