South Yorkshire: Sheffield rehoming, advice and behaviour unit

Our Sheffield rehoming, advice and behaviour unit supports pets and people across the South Yorkshire area and beyond. We’re here to help people through any challenges they might have as owners, so that their pets get the best care. And if owners are no longer able to look after their pet, we find them loving new homes. 

Jump to how to get pet food from our pet food bank.

Jump to how to donate to our pet food bank.

We offer rehoming, advice and behaviour services for the community and are specially placed in areas that need our help. While we don't have facilities to care for pets on site, we work with partner charities and our network of volunteers so that we can continue to be there for the pets and people that need us.

Our Sheffield unit offers advice about all aspects of pet care, or to see which pets are available for adoption, please visit our adopt a pet webpage.

Drop-in hours

Can I visit the centre without an appointment?

Yes. You can visit between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. We are closed to visitors without a pre-booked appointment on Wednesdays.

Can I meet a pet when I drop in?

Most of our dogs, cats and small pets are looked after by our fantastic team of foster carers. If we do have pets in our centres, we do not allow the public to visit them as it can be stressful and disruptive for them.

If you visit our centre we'll be happy to talk you through the adoptions process but you will not be able to look at any pets. If you are matched to one of our pets following an application to adopt, we'll invite you to meet them by appointment.

What can I drop in for?

Our team are here to help. So, whether it’s about volunteering, donating, pet advice or information on how to adopt a pet, we’ll talk you through.

Can I rehome a pet when I drop in?

You’ll need to apply to adopt a pet on our website. This is to make sure the application process is as fair as possible to everyone. If we think you’ll be a good match for one of our pets, we’ll contact you to start the process.

Home Direct

Our Home Direct scheme is for dogs, cats, rabbits and other small pets whose owners can sadly no longer keep them but don’t need to find them a new home straight away. Pets stay in their existing home until a new owner is found for them. All pets go through our careful assessment and matching process.

Short-term volunteer foster caring

We are looking for volunteer foster carers who can offer short-term care to needy dogs, cats or small pets in their own homes. We’d love to hear from you if you can help pets who need an extra bit of care in a home environment.

Pet food bank

No one should have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their pet. We collect donations of pet food and other items for our pet food bank here.

If you're struggling to afford food for your dog, cat, or small pet, we’re here for you and will be happy to welcome you to our Blue Cross pet food bank.

How to get pet food

Hard times can happen to anyone, and with pets in the family there are more bowls to fill when money is tight. Anyone struggling to feed their pets can visit our pet food banks and collect the food they need. We won’t ask you for a voucher or proof of need and our team will welcome you without judgement.

Please call or email us to arrange a time to come and collect the pet food you need. Calling or emailing us in advance means we can get a package ready for when you arrive.

Our food bank supports dogs, cats, chinchillas, degus, ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rabbits and rats, but we rely on donations so we can’t guarantee we’ll have stock for all pets at all times. Calling ahead means you can check our stock before coming down.

We can give you pet food and other items such as bedding and cat litter.

We may not have your pet’s usual food brand or type in stock when you need our help. We’ve put together some useful tips on feeding your pet in a crisis situation to help you manage this.

Please read our frequently asked questions for more information about using our pet food bank.

How to donate pet food

We accept donations for our pet food bank here at any time during our opening hours. Please visit reception when you arrive and your items will be gratefully received. Each and every donation will help keep pets with their loving families.

You can also support us by donating funds to our pet food bank appeal.

The pets helped by our pet food banks are:

• cats
• chinchillas
• degus
• dogs
• ferrets
• gerbils
• guinea pigs
• hamsters
• mice
• rabbits
• rats

What we can accept:

• Wet or dry pet food in unopened tins, pouches or packets, including special diets eg senior, puppy, kitten
• Hay, straw and substrate for rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets
• Litter
• Bedding

Sorry, but we’re unable to accept donations of the following:

• Dry pet food that’s over three months past its best before date
• Wet pet food that’s over three years past its best before date
• Open packets of food or litter where the contents have been exposed to the air. Open boxes containing individual pouches or tins are accepted as long as the pouches or tins are unopened.
• Food with damaged packaging, including dented tins, holes in sacks, grease spots on bags
• Raw food
• Food for humans
• Food or items for horses. We hope to be able to collect these soon.