Adopt with us

What makes us different?

We have a very diverse team with a range of experiences, skills and also a variety of Podencos that they have adopted and fostered themselves! When we speak to potential adopters, we are looking to match your home set up, lifestyle and family (including current pets) to the needs of the Podencos we have available for adoption. We don’t do blanket approaches, and take each application on it’s own merit - we’ve adopted to flats and even house boats before! We live and breathe Podencos 24/7 and understand their quirky and varied characters, defining qualities, their fears and their challenges. Our aim is to ensure the best match possible for both dog and adopter so if we feel another dog is a better match, we always will make a suggestion and take it from there.

How we work.

  • Rescue

    Most of the Podencos rescued by us (via our Spanish network) have either been abandoned in the countryside or are from Spanish Perreras (dog pounds). Often these Podencos have been subjected to long term abuse, neglect, or are puppies that have been cast out. Many may have suffered mental and physical abuse with no veterinary care meaning they can display behaviours associated with a traumatic past. But despite their suffering, most are incredibly resilient and forgiving, meaning they make fantastic companions.

  • Rehabilitate

    After their arrival in kennels the Podencos will be assessed in a variety of situations such as with other dogs, different people, and we can also cat test if needed. This helps us understand their needs, what type of home they will be suited to and gives us the vital information needed to support you & them through training when they are adopted.

    All our Podencos are microchipped, vaccinated and vet checked to be cleared of all medical conditions or so we can advise of any special needs they may have. They are also castrated/neutered if they are at an appropriate age.

  • Rehome

    We provide all passports and travel documentation and transport to you (DEFRA process). We send our Podencos in a martingale collar which is the safest collar for them and provide a free GPS dog tracker (subscription required). You will be given all the necessary information and guidance to prepare for your new arrival, as well as ongoing support for when you need it.

    We will always keep the Podencos best interests at heart and do our best to ensure a good match for their forever home - we want a happy, successful adoption. Full rescue back up is provided for every adoption.

Find a Podenco

You can see our Podencos available for adoption on our adoption pages, Facebook and Instagram profiles.

Apply for a Podenco

You will need to complete our online pre-adoption form, which automates an email to our inbox and is prioritised for review. We have so many ways of communicating with us and this really does ensure we see your request. We aim to respond to each form within 3 working days. If you haven’t seen a response please check your SPAM/JUNK before sending us a message.

Chat with us about Podencos

We will arrange a suitable time to have an initial call. We’d like to hear more about you, your family, your life and home set up as well as give you more information about our Podencos to make sure we get a good match. This also gives us the opportunity to talk about things like Pods living with cats which is asked about quite a lot - and yes, it’s definitely more than doable!

Home for a Podenco?

After our first chat, we should have an idea of which Pod(s) might fit your lifestyle. Depending on thats pods needs we might add in a second call to run over some additional points. Shortly after you will receive a home check from one of our volunteers, this just allows us to confirm that your home set up is suitable for a Podenco and again, help us to make the perfect match.

Adopt a Podenco

Finally we can advise and agree on which pod will be the most suitable for you! The adoption can be confirmed via email, with the reservation fee paid on receipt of this. The remainder & transport costs are to be paid before the transport date.

  • Reservation fee = £175.00

  • Remainder adoption fee = £175.00

  • Transport costs from Spain = dependent on adopter location (standard £330 for Spain to UK)

*Please note, if adopting a Podenco already in the UK there is still an additional cost of £205.00 incurred on top of the Reservation and Remainder fees.

Yay! You have a Podenco

Next steps would be to agree on an arrival date and method of transport which we would then arrange. This would be dependent on getting all vaccinations, neutering, microchip, vet sign-off and passport documentation.

You will have your own WhatsApp group with the team and you will be added to the Group Transport thread with all other adopters in preparation for your pods arrival.

We will check in a few days after your pod arrives just to make sure you have everything you need and know we are here for any support.

It’s not all over once your Podenco arrives…

Remember the rules of 3!

This isn’t the same for every dog, so keep expectations fluid, but as a rough guide, we follow the 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months approach:

First 3 days your dog may be overwhelmed, scared and unsure of whats going on. They may shut down and not want to eat or drink. Boundaries can be tested as they try to find themselves.

After 3 weeks your dog is starting to settle in, working out home life and a routine, letting their guard down. Behaviour issues may start to show as training is worked through.

After 3 months your dog is comfortable in their new home, building trust and a true bond with the home and settling in their routine!

We are ALWAYS here!

You can always reach out to us with any concerns you may have settling in your Podenco, or with any questions that may arise at a later date, Podenco’s are a unique breed!

HFP are always here to support you, and have a network of people that can help with any training or behaviour issues that may arise.

We take the rough with the smooth, so feel free to share the happy times too!

We also understand that sometimes it just isn’t working out and have foster teams in place should the need arise to rehome your podenco. There’s no judgement, we just have everyone’s best interests at heart.

Join our community!

We have our wonderful Hope For Podencos - Happy Days Ahead private facebook group where our community shares their experiences and new way of life with a Podenco.

We also encourage you to tag any pictures you post so everyone can follow the happy journey!