We very rarely advertise the dogs we have available. If you are interested in adopting or fostering one of our dogs, please read on…
Surrendering a dog
As we are the breed rescue for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue, please be aware that we cannot accept cross breeds.
If you wish to give up your Staffy to our care, please complete the form giving us as much information as possible. In the first instance, you will be asked to send photos of the dog.
A member of the Rescue will arrange for a volunteer to come out to meet with you and the dog to discuss what might be the best future for the dog. Once this assessment of the dog has been carried out it is reviewed by the Committee and at least two Committee members have to agree to accept the dog as an SSBTR dog. Your rescue contact will be in touch to advise you of the decision. Please be reassured that we work with other rescues and will try to refer you on or provide relevant contacts if we can’t help. Our decision is usually based on whether or not we can place the dog in a new home, how many dogs we have at that specific time and, in some instances, if we can afford the treatment or behavioural work needed. Once in our care, we will take responsibility for the welfare of this dog for the rest of its life
Although we can sometimes provide temporary foster homes, usually we ask that you keep the dog until a suitable home arises as Staffies, generally, do not cope well in kennels. We do not have our own facilities and it costs us on average £400 per month to keep a dog in kennels.
Should the dog require neutering, vaccinating or microchipping, this will be arranged. We also now look to provide behaviourist support for dogs needing a little bit more help. If you wish us to rehome your dog, we do ask you make a donation to the rescue to help us to be able to help more dogs.
Adopting a dog
Everybody that contacts us with a view to adopting a Staffy, do so because they claim to love the breed. However, not many people seem to have taken on board that this is a rescue, we are not breeders. As such, we are looking for kind, loving, permanent homes prepared to take on a rescue dog – and all that that entails.
The Rescue operates strict rules for adoption and efforts will be made to find the right home for a dog’s specific needs. The Rescue maintains a list of prospective owners. In every case, before placing the dog, a visit will be made to the home of the prospective owner. The Rescue operates a fee system for placements and the current donation is £200.
Sometimes our dogs are looking for homes without cats, children or other dogs in the home. This is always because there is something in their background which means that if we rehomed with cats, children or other dogs, the rehoming may not be successful. Please be assured we never set these criteria as standard and its purely due to the needs of the dog. Some Staffies do need to be in a home with children – they are known as the Nanny Dog!
If you are a genuine lover of animals and feel that you could offer a better quality of life to one of our Staffies, please complete the adoption application form.
We will only be in touch if we think we have a dog that potentially matches your circumstances. All dogs adopted by SSBTR must be returned to the rescue if the adopter cannot keep them and they cannot be transferred to another keeper.
Fostering a dog
It takes a very special person to foster one of our Staffies. This isn’t an easy task as usually the dogs we put to foster are old, have ill health, need to leave their previous home in a hurry or have behavioural issues which mean we cannot place them in a permanent home until these are addressed.
Fosterers need to be prepared to deal with anything – it’s about fixing the Staffie then waving goodbye as he/she moves to a new home in the knowledge you have made a real difference to that dog’s life.
