To start an animal shelter in the UK, begin with a detailed business plan, then secure change of use planning permission from your local council and the relevant animal activity licence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the 2018 licensing regulations. You will also need funding, suitable premises with a noise buffer from neighbours, insurance, and a realistic plan for staffing, veterinary costs and daily care.
Running an animal shelter offers obvious rewards and a workload that is often underestimated. A frightened dog who hides for weeks can become the calm family pet someone takes home. The reality also involves early mornings, unexpected vet bills, and paperwork that never ends.
Before you take in your first animal, it helps to map out the practical steps and requirements using our free Animal Shelter Planner.
Good intentions are not enough. The shelters that last begin with a detailed business plan covering risk assessments, funding, legal compliance and realistic time commitments. The ones that fold within a year usually skipped that stage.
Legal requirements
Start with the planning department at your local council. Unless the building has been used as a shelter before, you will need change of use permission. Many councils offer pre-application advice for a modest fee, and paying for that conversation early can save expensive mistakes.
Noise catches people out. Barking dogs travel further than you think, and complaints from neighbours have closed shelters that otherwise had everything in order. A decent buffer between kennels and the nearest homes is sensible.
The legal framework varies across the UK. In England, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 sits alongside the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Wales has equivalent 2021 regulations. Scotland and Northern Ireland operate under separate regimes. Defra publishes detailed guidance on accommodation, exercise and care. Environmental health will want to see how you handle waste.
Many shelters register as charities through the Charity Commission. Charitable status opens up grant funding and Gift Aid, but registration can take months and ongoing reporting is real work. A Community Interest Company is lighter, though CICs cannot claim Gift Aid. Some people start as a sole trader and convert once the shelter is viable.
Main legal and licensing items:
- Planning permission or change of use from your local council
- An animal activities licence covering rehoming or boarding
- Compliance with relevant animal welfare regulations for your UK nation
- Public liability insurance, and employers' liability if you take on staff
- A zoo licence if you keep exotic species and the public will visit
- Registration with the Charity Commission, Companies House or HMRC depending on structure
Animal Shelter Startup Estimator
Thinking of starting an animal shelter or rescue in the UK? Get an estimate of the setup costs, licences you will need, and the practical steps to take.
Try our Animal Shelter Startup Estimator free, here on this site →Money and fundraising
Running costs are higher than most people expect, and income is rarely steady. For a small shelter with around ten dogs and twenty cats, expect several thousand pounds monthly once you add food, litter, bedding, utilities, routine vet care, insurance and any paid help. Vet bills move most: a single serious case can easily run into four figures.
Have at least three months of running costs in reserve before you open. Donations spike around Christmas and drop sharply in January, while bills carry on.
Traditional fundraising still earns its keep: collection tins, sponsored walks, quiz nights and car boot sales all add up. Regular giving makes the difference between scraping by and being able to plan. Platforms such as Donr, Wonderful and JustGiving handle the admin.
Grant funders worth approaching include the Petplan Charitable Trust, Support Adoption For Pets, the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust and the Battersea Community Animal Welfare Fund. Local community foundations often prefer local causes. The Directory of Social Change lists thousands of trusts. If you register as a charity, Gift Aid lets you reclaim tax on donations from UK taxpayers: current rates are on GOV.UK.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Volunteers and operations
Recruiting volunteers is easy. A post on a local Facebook group will bring more interest than you can handle. Keeping people turning up week after week is harder. A shelter might have a hundred names on a list and ten who actually appear.
Structure helps. Scheduling software such as Three Rings or Rosterfy keeps shifts organised. Induction sessions covering health and safety, animal handling and your procedures take time but prevent problems later. Recognition costs nothing: a thank you, a newsletter mention, a small social once or twice a year keeps people coming back.
Converted farm buildings often work well for premises. Watch the details: floors need sealed surfaces for proper disinfection, drainage matters, and poor ventilation turns minor respiratory bugs into outbreaks. You need separate areas for new arrivals, sick animals and any dog that must be kept apart. Cats need quiet space away from barking.
Every animal needs a record covering origin, medical history, behavioural notes and adoption details. Shelter management software such as ShelterBuddy handles this more cleanly than spreadsheets. You will also hold personal data on volunteers, donors and adopters, bringing you under UK GDPR. The Information Commissioner's Office has straightforward guidance for small organisations.
Is it worth it
The work is hard, the hours awkward and funding rarely secure. You will make difficult decisions about animals that cannot be rehomed safely.
Against that, you will see animals change in ways that would surprise most people. Nervous dogs learning to trust again. Feral cats deciding humans are tolerable. Adopters who say the animal changed their life as much as the other way round.
If you are unsure, foster for an existing rescue or volunteer at a local shelter first. You will learn more in six months of doing the work than in any amount of reading.
But still think it would be a very interesting idea
care isn’t popular, like Greece and Brazil. my dream is to end animal cruelty, i know most likely there is always going to be the extremely unlucky defenceless animal in need. but i want to meet people that have the same passion as me and what to help like i do.
My name is Callum, I'm currently working full time in leisure in the south west (Wiltshire)
I'm also buying and selling anything to fund rescuing but mainly training dogs in shelters looking for homes, right now, I can't really re-home (I foster when I can) with my shift work and leave everything to partner. So now I'm going to shelters to help train dogs, hopefully helping them achieve the goal of a new home.
I'm so keen on starting an animal shelter/non profit or whatever is best. Obviously right now, I need to work to earn a living which is the most frustrating because helping dogs is the only thing I really want to do.
I don't think I need to start as a "proper shelter" but could this be done on a small scale first? For eg. In my house, taking in a couple of dogs and rehoming?
Any advice is welcome. Also happy to team up if anyone's around Wiltshire/Start of Cotswold (maybe moving soon to Cirencester area).
Thank you
She works with horses as her main job. All her money goes to pay for all the creatures in her care.
I really think she needs to start a rescue as I don’t think she can say no to looking after animals that need help but how do we help her do that?
Any advice on how to find land, who to speak to , GAYE , where to find out about regulations would be amazing.
Thank you
I’m thinking of starting up an animal rescue/ farm in the East Yorkshire area but I have no idea how or where to start!
I’d like to start being a cat and dog rescue shelter first of all, then be a farm with chickens, bees, goats etc and also grow my own fruits and vegetables. Eventually sell my eggs, honey, jams, chutney and homegrown produce locally.
If anyone can offer any help, information, advice or assistance I would be so grateful. I think EVERY animal deserves to be loved and cared for, and have a forever home.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Fiona (07515 941653)
I'm in Dunstable so not far from you and I think it's great that your planning to set up an animal rescue. In the last year I've taken so many cats into my home as I couldn't see them suffer but I've gone from 4 to 20 cats and I've decided to keep them all but I would be interested in helping you with your rescue so I could help more animals to have a good life.
June
any advice would be brilliant
i am in the essex area
Tens of them. As they live about our boiler house and warm areas.
I want to set one up here not just for my work cat's but also for the public's cats to be rehomed as this Is also a growing problem in the area.
We don't have a shelter in our area and the nearest one is about 20 miles away. I've heard they are constantly full. Argyll and Bute is a vast area and could really benefit from this type of service.
I worked as a volunteer in an animal home after school and at the weekends from I was 11 until I was 15. Do you have any advise of how or which way to go to setting up this type of Cat charity/Start up/community group ?
If there is anyone who knows of any land/premises available for rent suitable, in or around Hertfordshire, please let me know.
I adopted a disabled do last year and have found it such a gratifying and amazing experience I would like to try and set up an online rescue site. I live in Welwyn Garden city and think my skillset would be best used on the admin side of things. If you'd like to try and see if we can and work together in some way please get in touch.
I would love to set up a small animal care centre . Somewhere in Wales .
I have always cared for small animals mainly mice /rabbits /ginuea pigs/
At present I have 7 of my own rabbits whom care for deeply are and learnt along the way of there needs esp medical when and if needed.
Any help advice would be very much appreciated.
I've started alternatively looking into holistic medicines for small animals to as found greatly helps with health and price .
Louise
I also want to set up a farm/charity for animals. I live in Derby which is about an hour from you, would that work for you?
Aman
Thank you for your message. I am also interested in setting up an animal rescue center. Please feel free to contact me so we can discuss the stables.
Healthy regards,
Michael
I would like to hear from anyone that is interested in helping start a cat rescue center I have everything required just need to do the stables up and make it homely and a luxury living quarters for cat rescues and to be able to spend time with scared rescues showing not everyone is bad and there are loving animals lovers out there
Many thanks
Best
Celine
From registering as a non profit making animal. It is for a maximum of 25 Rabbits
I currently run a successful licenced boarding business, but would love to start rescuing dogs. I can't seem to find any information on weather or not you need to be licenced for dog rescue and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this please.
Your contact details please
SOMEONE PLEASE JUST TELL ME SIMPKE STEPS A TO Z
I am semi retiring now and have a few acres of land that I would love to turn into a non for profit animal rescue centre.
I have the skill set to design and build the appropriate homes for all animals and once volunteered my time to build 27 aviaries for a bird sanctuary.
Any advice or assistance would be gratefully welcome. Steve
Funding for this venture is where I'm struggling. If anyone can help with advise on raising funds, I would be very grateful.
If Jeanne and Dennis in America (from post dated 31st Jan 21) are still on the looking to invest, I would love to discuss.
Many thanks in advance of any help or advise.
Thanks,
Angela
I am interested to understand the costs of starting and running a rescue small to medium sized?
I have all the contacts vets, trainer, knowledge of the animals, business experience, sales, marketing i just dont know what i need to have behind me financially to do it successfully.
I dont want to start and fall short and it be at the determent of the animals.
If anyone has any feedback on this please feel free to email me.
Willing to invest in land and buildings. Contact Dennis or Jeanne with your ideas and proposals.
Any tips please
Thank you
I would like to run a shelter for cats please assist me anyone to get started
I will be living in the house
Boarding kennels
I’m from Ireland and have lived in the U.K. for 6 years. Myself and my partner of 4 years rescued a 6 year old GSD and we absolutely love animals.
I’m an engineer and my partner has his own business. I have wanted for years to open my own animal shelter. Only recently a friend of mine opened a shelter in Bulgaria and the rules she had to get through are unbelievable. One massive wall that came up against her, was the government restriction on ‘animal waste’ from a shelter. I am a drainage engineer by trade and I have never heard of a separate law or restriction on foul waste from animals. If anybody knows anything about this, please let me know. I’ve tried to look it up online to no avail. I understand all other requirements in relation to land and planning, but I’m at a loose end on a potential need for specific animal foul disposal.
Any help appreciated!
For people with families who are into dogs having a number of dogs may be fine, but I now wish I had given more thought for their future.
Thankyou
I’m looking to buy a green belt plot and assist an existing horse samnctuary provide land for their rescued tethered horses and ponies. After purchasing the land where do I start? Sound advice will be extremely appreciated.
£50 million down the drain,
As tony martial scores again
thanks ;D
and I would really appreciate if anyone can give additional link to other sites that can prove the prices and or give other info.
Thank you :]
Four passenger airliners operated by two major U.S. passenger air carriers (United Airlines and American Airlines)—all of which departed from airports on the northeastern United States bound for California—were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. Within an hour and 42 minutes, both 110-story towers collapsed, with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the World Trade Center complex, including the 47-story 7 World Trade Center tower, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense) in Arlington County, Virginia, leading to a partial collapse of the building's western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, initially was steered toward Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. It was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers[5] in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively.
Suspicion for the attack quickly fell on al-Qaeda. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had harbored al-Qaeda. Many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although al-Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, in 2004 he claimed responsibility for the attacks.[1] Al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U.S. support of Israel, the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. Having evaded capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U.S. military in May 2011.
The destruction of the World Trade Center and nearby infrastructure caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan and had a significant effect on global markets, closing Wall Street until September 17 and the civilian airspace in the U.S. and Canada until September 13. Many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, and the Pentagon was repaired
This has been my dream for years and one day I WILL make it happen, I want to set up a rescue for Romanian dogs so I can save them from the awful public shelters and streets of Romania and re home them in the UK. I'm currently working on building a property empire so one day I'll be financially free and in a position to buy a house with land, build a shelter, and be in a position to fund the running of the shelter.I do what I can now for the Romanian rescues, but my dream keeps me going and working hard to make my dreams a reality!
I desperately want to set up a rescue for marmosets and small monkeys mistreated due to the British pet trade & ignorant(though rarely malicious) owners. It will take me years but I have already liaised with specialist vets and my friend is a zoologist specializing in primates. I have the location sorted and already licensed for exotics but need to raise funds to convert the existing buildings & I need volunteers. I want to try get to volunteer at Monkey World for a bit for more experience and to finalist the design of the housing, though I already have a lot of animal husbandry experience which will hopefully help. Fingers crossed onew day some of the marmosets Monkey World can't take will live happy & healthy lives in my little rescue.
It will take me years but I have already liaised with specialist vets and my friend is a zoologist specialising in primates. I have the location sorted and already licensed for exotics but need to raise funds to convert the existing buildings & I need volunteers. I want to try get to volunteer at Monkey World for a bit for more experience and to finalise the design of the housing, though I already have a lot of animal husbandry experience which will hopefully help. Fingers crossed onew day some of the marmosets Monkey World can't take will live happy & healthy lives in my little rescue.
I'm currently working on building a property empire so one day I'll be financially free and in a position to buy a house with land, build a shelter, and be in a position to fund the running of the shelter. I do what I can now for the Romanian rescues, but my dream keeps me going and working hard to make my dreams a reality!
i am unemployed at the moment so have very limited funds
What help is out there for me,thanks.
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