Are you looking to bring home a new cat or dog? Have you considered a rescue? Taking on a rescue animal is a big step, but a rewarding one. There are hundreds of dogs and cats from a variety of backgrounds in the West Midlands who need a loving forever home, and who could soon be snuggled up on your sofa.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best animal rescue centres in Birmingham and the West Midlands, who will help you find your perfect pet, and support you along the way. For good measure, we’ve also included some of the wonderful animals who need a home, just in case any of them take your fancy. Even writing this post, I am immensely tempted to adopt them all.
1) Birmingham Dogs Home
A long-established dog rescue, Birmingham Dogs Home was established in 1892, and has been rescuing and rehoming pups ever since. With an on-site veterinary clinic, they treat the dogs in their care and those in other local rescue centres. They offer a grooming service, and by booking with them, customers support the charity. They have offered boarding services in the past, but the kennels are currently at full capacity with homeless dogs, so they should certainly be on your list if you’re looking to bring a dog home. Birmingham Dogs Home also has a partner another centre in Wolverhampton for our Black Country readers.
Here are some of the adorable pups currently seeking loving homes at Birmingham Dogs Home:
Umbra is a gorgeous three-year-old crossbreed, who came to the home as a stray. Super smart, she’s already learned some tricks and has good recall. A little shy at first, she needs to build trust with her potential new owners, in an adult-only home.
This beauty is four-year-old Kaiser. He’s a Cane Corso, so he’s a big boy, but a real softie who loves a cuddle. The poor pup has had a rough start in life, so needs to settle in a loving home with a carer who he can spend most of his time with.
O’Malley is a twenty-one-month-old Malinois who arrived at the home as a stray, tied up outside the centre. Once a bond has been established, he is an affectionate boy, but he needs time and patience to come out of his shell, as he is a little nervous. If you’re active, have experience with dogs, and willing to dedicate some time to his training and building up trust, get in touch to enquire about O’Malley.
2) Wythall Animal Sanctuary
A registered charity, Wythall Animal Sanctuary have been looking after and rehoming animals for over 50 years. They rely solely on donations to do their work, as a registered independent charity. With a cattery and dog kennels, they care for larger pets and little ones, with runs and hutches for rabbits and guinea pigs, perfect for homes looking to take on a smaller challenge! They offer sanctuary care, so if there are any animals that cannot find a home, Wythall Animal Sanctuary offer them a permanent place to stay.
This lovely pair are Moley and Badger, both one-year-old domestic short-haired cats. The duo are cheeky, often making their human carers laugh as they love to get up to mischief! They are super friendly and playful, and happy to live in a home with dogs. Moley and Badger are brothers, and are very bonded, so need to find their forever home together.
This beautiful boy is Espen. He is another domestic short-haired cat, aged only ten months. He needs a home with another young cat or two for company. He was rescued off the streets with his siblings, who were all very scared, under-socialised kittens who had contracted feline pox virus. He is learning to trust his carer, and is very playful and active, as he is only a baby!
3) Dogs Trust, Kenilworth
The Dogs Trust rehoming centres are well known, with twenty-two sites up and down the country, and over 14,000 dogs looked after every year. The West Midlands site in Kenilworth is their largest rehoming centre, caring for around 180 dogs at any one time. They offer a Home from Home scheme for the poor pups who aren’t comfortable living in kennels in the shelter, allowing them to stay in the house of a foster carer, snoozing on a sofa until they have found their forever home.
This distinguished-looking chap is Ted, the Lakeland Terrier. Aged somewhere between two and five, he is looking for an active family who are around most of the time to keep him company. He’s a little nervous of the outside world but is a super bouncy pup with oodles of potential.
This sweet old boy is Mars, an eight-year-old (approx.) English Springer Spaniel. He needs an adult-only home with minimal visitors while he settles in. The poor boy is deaf, so is working on learning some sign language with his carers to help him communicate his needs, and he likes to have his own space to sleep so as not to be startled. He’s still super active, good to be left for a few hours, and has been house trained in the past, so all he needs is a loving family who are able to keep him fed and stimulated during his retirement.
4) Birmingham Animal Centre, RSPCA
The RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a well-recognised charity which runs Birmingham Animal Centre. A purpose-built animal welfare site which can house 160 cats, 60 dogs and a range of rabbits and smaller animals, the centre looks after a range of pets in need of a new home, and its staff are supported by a large team of volunteers. They are based in Frankley, and are the first RSPCA site to be built with a rehoming centre and hospital under one roof to provide life-saving care for rescued animals.
The gorgeous Scarecrow is looking for a permanent home, as he arrived at the centre as an injured stray, very frightened, and was placed in a foster home. He is around five years old, and a domestic shorthair, who enjoys lots of fuss. He loves a nap and to watch the world go by out of the window, always uses his litterbox, and is food motivated. He may be able to live with another cat. If Scarecrow could find his forever home with you, fill in the contact form to get in touch with the centre.
This beautiful girl is Bonnie, a three-year-old (approximately) domestic shorthair crossbreed. Rescued by an RSCPA officer with a litter of newborn kittens under her care, she is the sweetest girl, and with her babies fully weaned, is ready to find a new home. She needs a home with no young children, to live out a quieter lifestyle, but is quite the chatterbox herself!
5) Forest Dog Rescue
They may be slightly outside of Birmingham, based in Worcestershire, but I couldn’t miss the wonderful Forest Dog Rescue off this list. Having recently adopted my beautiful pup, Bonnie the Romanian rescue, from Forest this summer, I am so grateful to them for all of their support during the rehoming process. A small charity organisation, they are entirely reliant on donations to run their shelter, wherein they care for all sorts of dogs, and rehome over 200 dogs every year. Each pup in their care has a cosy bed and a heat lamp in colder months in their kennel, and has two social walks and playtime sessions daily.
Forest are super quick to offer advice to prospective dog owners, and are very supportive once you’ve taken your new four-legged friend home, willing to pay for a session with a behaviourist to teach you some training methods and provide aid. We were very concerned about adopting a dog when we had booked some time away, and the rescue were incredibly considerate, offering a boarding service for the week to ensure Bonnie was in a familiar environment while we were away. This is not a routine service for them, and is therefore a testament to their kindness and care for the dogs they rescue. Here’s a look at some of the gorgeous boys and girls currently in their care.
This little puppy is Pavarotti! He is only around eight months old and is a crossbreed, lemon and white in colour. An excited chap, he has made heaps of progress since arriving at the kennel, and is really finding his feet, and his voice! He walks well on the lead, and has learned to sit – he needs an active home and someone to help continue his training, as he is only a baby, but has tons of potential!
There are a whole series of puppies at Forest, and up next we have the beautiful Mara. Also eight months old, she came to the rescue with her mum (Ingrid), and three siblings (Sammy, Polar and Noah), all of whom look entirely different, and are up for adoption! Whereas her brothers are all about running and playing together, the sweet Mara is all about fuss from her humans. She is looking for her first home, as she was born in a rescue, and is only eight months old! She needs an active home, and possibly some training classes to teach her the basics, including how to interact calmly with other dogs, but will make a wonderful pet for someone willing to give her a chance.
With so many delightful cats and dogs who need homes in Birmingham and the West Midlands, there are lots of places to look if you’re hoping to expand your family with a furry friend. The rescues do such brilliant work every day to take care of the animals who need them most, and we’re incredibly grateful to them. The pets in this list will hopefully all find homes soon, but there are hundreds more at each of these shelters, so do head over to their websites to find your perfect match.
