Adoption
By choosing to adopt with the Scottish SPCA, you’re giving an animal the priceless gift of a loving forever home, offering them hope and a brighter future filled with care and security.
Would you like to adopt a pet from the Scottish SPCA?
Every animal in the care of the Scottish SPCA team has its own story, often of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Our team works to ensure that, when an animal is ready, we find someone special who can provide safety, security and comfort, to begin a wonderful new chapter in their lives. By choosing to rescue with the Scottish SPCA, you are changing an animal’s life and giving them hope of a much better future.
Could you offer an animal their forever home?
Adopt an animal in 5 easy steps…
1. Submit an application to adopt
You only need to submit one application to tell us that you are interested in adopting. This application will be open for three months. In the application you can tell us what your ideal pet would be and a little about yourself, home and lifestyle.
You can apply here on our website, or you can visit one of our centres found across Scotland to apply in person.
2. We will find you a match
Once you have submitted an application, our adoption team will identify an animal that would be a good match for your circumstances. We have animals of all shapes and sizes, and not all of them are shown on our website. It may be that we can find a match immediately for you, or we may have to wait a little while for the right animal.
If for any reason we can’t find a match for you within three months, your application will be closed and you will be invited to apply again to ensure your information is up-to-date, and we can continue looking for your perfect match.
3. Speak to our adoption team
Once the adoption team have found you a good match, we will contact you to discuss the animal and arrange a home check. You will be advised about the background of the animal and our team of experts will answer any questions you may have.
4. Meet your match
If you wish to proceed with the match, you will be invited to meet the animal. In some situations, you may need to meet the animal several times before you can adopt them, but for some animals you may be able to take them home the same day. This will be discussed with you prior to meeting the animal so you can be prepared!
5. Adoption day!
This is where the animal starts it’s new life with you. This is an exciting and emotional time, but don’t worry, we’ll support you with lots of advice and can answer any questions you might have. As part of the adoption, you will receive an adoption pack with lots of useful information and you can also join our “Adopted from the Scottish SPCA” Facebook group where you can meet others who have also adopted.
Frequently asked questions
You can apply to adopt a pet on our website by creating an account and completing an adoption application form. In the account area, you can keep an eye on the application status, and if need be, can withdraw your application at any time.
If you are unable to apply online, our centre receptions are open daily from 11am until 4pm where our team will be happy to help you complete the application form.
If you need help with your application, cannot apply online or are unable to visit one of our centres, please contact our Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999 where our team will be happy to assist.
-
When you apply to adopt a pet, you won’t be applying for a specific pet. In the application you can tell us what your ideal pet would be and a little about yourself, home and lifestyle. Our experts will then match you to the most suitable pet for your circumstances.
We want to make sure our adoption process is a good experience for you and the animals in our care.
With our old system, potential adopters needed to apply separately for each pet they were interested in. Some animals got hundreds of applications, whereas some pets struggled to get any applications. This meant that many people were left disappointed, and at the same time, many animals in our care struggled to find their forever home quickly.
Now, our experts will use the information you provide to match you to the most suitable pet for your circumstances.
This approach gives every animal in our care an equal chance of finding a home and increases your likelihood of adopting a Scottish SPCA animal.
It may be that we can find a match immediately for you, or we may have to wait a little while for the right animal. If for any reason we can’t find a match for you within 3 months, we will let you know your application has closed by email. We will invite you to apply again to make sure all your information is up-to-date, and we will then continue looking for your perfect match.
We ask for an adoption fee as this helps us cover the costs of caring for them, including neutering, other veterinary fees, food and microchipping. Our team will be able to advise you on our fees when we contact you.
Something to bear in mind is that our adoption fee is just the beginning of the costs involved with owning a pet. We would recommend that before making the decision to adopt, you investigate the costs of pet food, pet insurance, grooming and fees at your local veterinary centre so that you are fully prepared for the ongoing costs of having a pet.
Dogs and cats
|
Dogs
|
Fee
|
|
Puppies
|
£400
|
|
Under 8 years
|
£300
|
|
Over 8 years
|
£250
|
|
Cats
|
Fee
|
|
Kitten
|
£200
|
|
Pair of kittens
|
£350
|
|
Under 8 years
|
£150
|
|
Over 8 years
|
£100
|
Rabbits, ferrets and small animals
| Animal type | Singular | Pair |
| Rabbit | £50 | £80 |
| Rat | £20 | £35 |
| Hamster | £15 | N/A |
| Gerbil | £12 | £20 |
| Mice | £12 | £20 |
| Degu | £20 | £35 |
| Chinchilla | £50 | £80 |
| Ferret | £40 | £75 |
| Guinea pig | £30 | £55 |
Equines
| Horse type | Fee (Manager’s discretion applies) |
| Companion – non ridden | £300 |
| Lead rein pony | £400 |
| Project horse or pony | £400 |
| Hacking horse (over 15hh) | £550 |
| Hacking pony (under 15hh) | £500 |
| Established ridden horse (over 15hh) | £650 |
| Established ridden pony (under 15hh) | £600 |
Exotics, fish and birds
| Animal type | Fee |
| Small snakes | From £20 |
| Medium snakes | From £25 |
| Large snakes | From £50 |
| Lizards (incl. Bearded Dragons) | From £35 |
| Salamander | From £35 |
| Axolotl | From £20 |
| Tortoise | From £50 (*CITES donation) |
| Tarantula | £20 |
| Gecko | From £35 |
| Iguana | £30 |
| Chameleon | From £35 |
| Small birds (Budgies, Canaries, Finches etc.) | £10 |
| Poultry | £10 |
| Parakeets | From £40 |
| Parrots, Macaws etc. | From £100 |
Note: *Any species that require a CITES permit cannot be adopted with an “Adoption fee”.
The adoption fee goes towards looking after the animal in our centres, including food and medical care. The cost of having a dog or cat neutered, vaccinated, treated against fleas and worms and microchipped at a private vet can cost you more than £300.
In our care, every dog and cat will have been fully vet checked, neutered (subject to veterinary advice), treated against fleas and worms, microchipped, vaccinated and appointment arranged, or a voucher issued for a second vaccination.
All rabbits will be vaccinated for rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease (RVHD) and depending on how long they have been with us can also be vaccinated for Myxomatosis.
We also include free pet insurance for four weeks for cats, dogs and rabbits.
Small animals, birds, fish and exotics will be health checked by a trained member of staff and will have undergone any veterinary treatment required.
The majority of animals available for adoption can be found on our website. Any kittens or puppies ready for adoption will be listed alongside other animals when they are ready to be adopted. However, the animals receiving veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, or those involved in Inspectorate cases may not be displayed on our site.
Sometimes it is a misconception that you can’t adopt from us if you have children, however, you can. Animals arrive in our care for many reasons and sometimes we don’t know their full history. When we assess our animals, we take into consideration any information we may receive on arrival and their behaviour with us to determine the age of children we feel they would be suitable to live with.
Please mention in your application that you have children, and our team will help match you with appropriate animals.
Yes, as long as you have permission from your landlord, housing association or local council and on the condition that where you live is suitable for the animal you wish to adopt.
Yes, you can. During the application process we will ask what type of property you live in as it is essential we ensure the pet you adopt will live in a suitable environment for their needs. Many of our animals have happily gone to live with new owners in flats and it just depends on the needs of each individual animal.
Yes, you can. Many of our animals have happily gone to live in a home that already has pets.
When we assess our animals, we take into consideration any information we may receive on their arrival as well as their behaviour with us to determine if they would be suitable to live with other pets. In your application, please let us know that you already have pets and our team will then match you with suitable animals.
For dogs, we will arrange for the dogs to meet at one of centres where our teams will assess in person if they are a good match.
As part of the adoption pack, you will also receive information about how to safely introduce your pets in your home.
Yes, you can. Many of our animals have happily gone to live with new owners in properties without a garden and it just depends on the needs of each individual animal.
During the application process we will ask you if you have a garden as it is essential we ensure the pet you adopt will live in a suitable environment for their needs.
Our new adoption process launched on the 26th November. If you applied for an animal before this, please be rest assured that your application will still be processed.
If your application is successful, we will get in touch to arrange you to meet the animal.
If your previous application is unsuccessful, we will let you know and will invite you to apply using our new adoption application.
Our centre receptions are open daily from 11am until 4pm, where our team will be happy to help you complete an application form, however you won’t be able to meet animals until your application has been approved, a home check has been completed, and we have matched you to a suitable animal in our care.
We do this to keep our kennel environment as calm and quiet as possible, which is especially important for animals who are recovering in our care.
Once you are matched to an animal, our teams will arrange an appointment with you to meet them.