FAQs

We’re a charity dedicated to helping pets and their people.

As well as being a safe haven for homeless and vulnerable pets for almost 100 years – including those in need of urgent, life-saving care – we provide expert pet advice and hands-on support to pet owners and our local communities. In the last year, we have:

• Opened our doors to 2,282 dogs, cats and small pets – 263 of these were strays
• Placed 1,392 pets with Woodgreen fosterers, for temporary care and respite
• Successfully rehomed 1,615 pets, with more than 99% staying in their new homes
• Handled 56,700 enquiries, with more than 32,000 calls to our pet helpline
• Supported 4,837 pets in their homes, including 994 free behaviour and training consultations
• Provided vital supplies to 1,022 pets through our network of food bank partners

The Dog House is filmed at Woodgreen Pets Charity’s 43-acre centre in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire.

The Dog House is commissioned by Channel 4 and produced by Five Mile Films, a Bristol-based independent television company.

We are delighted that there will soon be four series of The Dog House available to watch on All4! A fifth series has also been filmed – watch this space for more updates.

No! The participants don’t know ahead of time which dog they will be matched with, and their first meeting is an authentic “blind date”.

Only a small part of the rehoming journey is shown on screen, and there’s much more happening behind the scenes. Finding the right match for each dog is never compromised and is always our top priority. The individuals and families you see on the show will go through the same process and checks as everyone who rehomes a pet from Woodgreen.   

The Dog House offers a fascinating insight into the extent of the work involved in the rehoming process, but what you see on TV is only a snapshot of each dog’s story. Every dog at Woodgreen arrives with their own story and each one is unique. Some may need urgent medical treatment or behavioural training, while others might just need love and care until we find them a forever home.

If you’re looking to rehome a pet from Woodgreen, please register your interest here. Your answers will help us decide whether you could be the perfect match for one of the dogs, cats or small pets in our care. If our team finds an animal that matches the details you supply on your registration form, someone will be in touch with you to discuss next steps.

Visits to Woodgreen’s Godmanchester centre are by appointment only for people using our services, such as rehoming a pet or attending one of our workshops or training classes. Anyone is welcome to visit the charity shop without an appointment. 

Woodgreen’s dog kennels are not open to the public. We take our responsibility for the wellbeing of these dogs very seriously. We strive to minimise stress for every dog in our care by responding to their individual needs – helping them feel safe, relaxed and happy. Since closing our kennels to the public in 2014, the dogs are generally much happier during their time with us. Access to animals at our centres is by appointment only. The appointments are issued to people who register their interest in our pets and are then matched with one or more of our pets. 

We are always grateful for donations of items that you no longer need. We are able to accept unopened food, toys, beds and blankets in a reusable condition (if used), knitted blankets (recommended size of 75cm x 75cm), knitted cat toys (we spray Feliway on them to keep our cats calm), towels, newspaper and shredded paper – these can be donated at our Godmanchester centre during opening hours.

To help us plan ahead and ensure we have everything we need for the pets in our care, the best way to support us is through an online donation.

We’re sorry, but we are unable to take medicine (even if it’s unopened), duvets or pillows.

We’re very happy to confirm that our face-to-face charity fundraisers have resumed working from 12 April, in line with the latest government guidance, and that we’re able to share updates on our work with homeless pets in need in person once again.

Our fundraisers follow strict COVID-secure guidance, and our donation processes are fully contactless.

• Check our latest update of where Woodgreen fundraisers are scheduled to be working

All of our fundraisers wear Woodgreen branded clothing and carry official ID badges that display the fundraiser’s name, photograph and badge number. If you are unsure the person is a Woodgreen fundraiser, please call us on 0300 303 9876 and select option 3.

If you have any questions or feedback on any of our fundraising activities, please call us on 0300 303 9876 (option 3), or contact us online. Please have the postcode of the area you are enquiring about to hand, as this will be useful for our team when investigating.

Pet ownership isn’t always easy. If you’re struggling with your pet and need help, we are always here to listen to your problems and talk you through some of your options in the hope to resolve them. Whether you need free advice, behavioural or financial support, or if you feel you need to give up your pet, we can support you through the next steps.

Please contact our Pet Support Team here. Alternatively, call 0300 303 9333 between 8am and 4.30pm, seven days a week.

Fostering pets is a hugely rewarding experience, and we’re so grateful that you’re interested in getting involved. You can find out more about fostering, and apply to be a Woodgreen fosterer here. 

At Woodgreen we give homeless and vulnerable pets the greatest chance of a positive future – a second chance at life. We put all the care, training and love into making that a reality. But when we have done all we can to help a pet overcome a serious medical condition, severe behavioural problem, or both, a decision has to be made about putting them to sleep.

This involves our team of experts assessing each pet for quality of life and, for those with behavioural problems, the risk to other pets and people. We have a duty to consider the welfare of every pet in our care. In extreme cases, euthanasia will be considered – and is a decision that is never taken lightly.

For more information, please see our policies here.

Please get in touch with our Communications Team by emailing press@woodgreen.org.uk or calling 0300 303 9333 ext. 1237. For any out-of-hours media enquiries, please contact Justin Morris on 07588 803 279.  

We receive a large number of enquiries every week and whilst we appreciate your interest, it may take a little longer for us to respond to everyone. If you have completed a form to adopt a pet, it will be run daily through our system against all of our available pets. Our team can only respond to those emails where a match is successful.