Bristol Animal Rescue Centre 

Bristol Animal Rescue Centre has been helping, healing and homing the city’s vulnerable animals since 1887

We are proud to hold such a long heritage in Bristol, as the oldest and largest animal charity in the city. Bristol Animal Rescue Centre is the name for two linked charities – Bristol Dogs & Cats Home and RSPCA Bristol & District Branch. We are an independent charity, and although we are proud to be affiliated with the RSPCA, we are self funded; this means that we rely almost entirely on local support within the local community to fund our vital work.

With the kind support of our community, in 2022 we:
• Admitted 1,100 domestic and wild animals
• Provided 28,000 days of care to domestic animals
• Delivered 5,000 vet consultations
• Reached 1,105 people through community talks

Rehoming
We are the main rescue centre taking in stray animals in Bristol, and are proud to hold the stray dog contract with Bristol City Council. We do everything we can to reunite lost pets with their families. Those who are not claimed are welcomed into our care, and we work tirelessly to find the perfect new loving family for them.

If you’re interested in adopting an animal with us, please visit the adopt a pet page on our website.

Veterinary Clinic
Our on-site veterinary clinic was opened in 1995 thanks to a generous legacy gift from a local resident. Our team are on the front line of urgent animal care in Bristol. We take in thousands of vulnerable animals every year, many of whom require emergency veterinary care to survive. Animals are brought in by the public, the Dog Warden, RSPCA Inspectors or the police. We do all we can to ensure animals receive the treatment they need.

If there’s an animal that needs help immediately, support is available, whether that’s through us or another service. Please visit the Animal Emergency page on our website for details of support available.

Wildlife
If you discover an orphaned, injured or sick wild animal, watch it carefully first to check if it really needs help. If the animal is orphaned, the best course of action can sometimes be to leave them in a safe place and continue to quietly monitor for parents to return, out of sight. If the animal is injured and in need of help, see the RSPCA’s guidance on how to help injured or sick wildlife here.

There are specialist wildlife rescue centres that take injured, sick and orphaned wild animals for care and rehabilitation. You can find out where your nearest wildlife rehabilitator is here.

If the animal needs urgent medical care, please take it to your nearest vet or to us (whichever is nearer). We’re open Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm but please do call ahead before making your journey. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to collect animals.

RSPCA cruelty and neglect

One of the most difficult parts of our work is providing veterinary care to animals who have experienced abuse or neglect. While we care for animals who are brought here by RSPCA Inspectors, our on-site team aren’t involved with investigating these cases directly.

To report animal abuse or neglect, please call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999 or talk to them online.

We’re proud to support the RSPCA Inspectors within the Bristol and District area to provide support where possible for the animals that need us. We also work with other RSPCA branches to support other teams and animals where possible.

Our rehoming team works hard to help and heal these animals before they are ready to be rehomed. Finding a loving home and a new start is always our top priority for these animals.

For People. For Pets. For Bristol.