Adopting an Animal

The fastest way to arrange to adopt an animal is to look at our website for available animals and see if there is one which you feel matches your home and lifestyle. When you see an animal you’d like to learn more about, please contact the relevant team who will ask you to complete a questionnaire.

• Equine Team (Horses) - equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk
• Small Animal Team (Cats and Dogs) - smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk

Some of our animals have complex needs or specific environmental and/or training requirements, so please ensure you read all profiles carefully. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams.

All of the animals available for rehoming can be found, here. Please bear in mind that we only rehome dogs, cats and horses. We no longer give access to the public to view animals looking for homes in our kennels or cattery, without an appointment. Studies have shown that visitors walking around kennels can cause distress for the dogs, affecting their mental and physical health. By restricting access, the dogs are less stressed, speeding up and improving their rehoming prospects. The same goes to our cats too. Please contact the relevant teams to arrange an appointment to see the animal you are looking to rehome, for more details click here.

For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

We no longer have a waiting list, this is because many of the animals looking for new homes have specific requirements and we can match their individual personalities with their new owner to ensure they have a lasting relationship.

Our Rehoming Case Workers are very busy caring for the animals and have a lot of enquiries to go through. We will aim to get back to you within 2 weeks, but please bear with us if you have not heard anything. Please ensure you have used the correct email before contacting us. If you believe your message has not got through, please email info@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or call us on 01228 560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am to 4.00pm). 

Please continue to monitor the website as new animals arrive all of the time, or get in touch and subscribe to updates - if you opt-in you will be emailed when a new animal is added to the website. If you have already gone through the consultation/questionnaire process but did not successfully adopt, again please watch the website. The good news is that if you do see another potential pet, we will already have your full details and can move through the process more quickly.

In almost all cases, no, however it may be possible to reserve a new friend on the same day. We can reserve an animal for a few days and in special circumstances slightly longer but this will be on a case-by-case basis. We cannot hold animals on reserve if there are other suitable homes ready. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

All animals are de-flead, wormed, chipped, neutered (where appropriate), vaccinated and checked by a vet during their time with us. If the animal has only been in for a short while, we may allow the animal to leave before some of these actions have been completed, but we will arrange for them to be carried out later on, either at our site or at one of our partnered vets. Unlike animals obtained from many pet shops or free adverts, the worm and flea products used are vet-supplied and animals are supervised by visiting vets during their stay. Any dog who needs assessment will also have been seen by a behaviourist. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk

Our standard donation is £210 for a dog and £110 for a cat, please contact the Equine Team for further information on horses. We may alter the fees if an animal is very old or has a condition which is likely to cost money in the first few months after rehoming. You can pay by cash, credit card, or cheque. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am to 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

Not all animals who are on site are available for adoption - some animals on site may be under assessment and not ready for adoption yet, others are part of our Animal Sponsorship programme. Equally not all animals who are available for adoption will be on site - we also have animals who are out with fosterers, or who are involved in cases being dealt with by our Community Team.

Most of the animals we care for find a happy future away from Oak Tree, but occasionally we come across an individual who, through no fault of their own, finds themselves remaining in our care for a long time. This may be for a variety of reasons, be it due to health, or particular behaviour issues. Whatever the reason, the welfare of every animal our charity cares for is our priority. To find out more about our Animal Sponsorship scheme, click here or email fundraising@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

We may carry out a home visit if the home or animal’s circumstances are such that there are unusual requirements. We sometimes bring prospective dogs to the home visit with us as well. The home visit may be before or after choosing a specific animal - it will depend on individual circumstances. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk  or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

Please talk to us in advance, as if we are aware of transport issues, we can try and shortcut the process, or help by delivering an animal. Call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk 

'Foster to Adopt’ means that the animal is with their potential new owners on a foster period before completing full adoption - so all being well it does go to full adoption. We only do this in exceptional circumstances such as when the dog or cat has very specialist requirements.

Far from it - most animals are here because their former owner’s circumstances changed unexpectedly, or the former owner failed to provide for the animal’s training or behavioural needs, or because someone somewhere didn't get their pet neutered. We also take in a lot of animals which had originally been bought on impulse from pet shops, off the internet, from farms, or from free adverts. None of these things are the animals’ fault. Please remember that dogs and cats have normal behaviours which they need to express - that means toileting, making a noise, scratching, chewing, and climbing among others. We can work with you to ensure you know how to fit these behaviours into your lifestyle, and we always undertake to accept an animal back into our care if things don’t work out. For further information, please either call us on 01228560082 (during our opening hours 10.00am - 4.00pm) or email one of our teams: smallanimalteam@oaktreeanimals.org.uk or equine@oaktreeanimals.org.uk