Adopting a New Pet

The Refuge has a selection of dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, caged birds and other small pets awaiting new homes. Some of these animals will have had a difficult start to their lives, and our aim is to find them a stable, loving home for the rest of their lives.

If you live within a fifty mile radius of Carlisle and are interested in offering a home to one of our residents, the first step is to phone the Refuge office and arrange an appointment with someone from our Rehoming team. At your meeting, the Rehoming staff will ask lots of questions, so that they can get to know as much as possible about your lifestyle. Look on it like a dating agency - we hope that this will be the start of a long an happy relationship, and the interview helps us to match you to a pet who will fit in with your family and way of life.

After this meeting, we usually carry out a home visit. When everything is approved, you will be able to meet some of the animals who are looking for new homes.

If you adopt an animal from us, we ask for a donation towards the keep of the other animals in our care. The suggested minimum donations are currently:

We accept all major debit cards for which there is no extra charge but if you wish to pay by credit card there will be a surcharge of 3.5%, which is the fee that we are charged by the credit card companies.  If donating by cheque then a cheque guarantee card is necessary.

The National Equine (and Smaller Animals) Defence League
Registered Charity Number 280700