How our adoption/ fostering process works at Westie Lifeline Rescue UK

March '26

Meet Pepper who is 7 and a westie x Yorkie. She has arrived safely at WLRUK where she is being assessed. More details to follow....

March '26

Meet Wesley (Wes) - who is currently in Foster being assessed. More details to follow.

UPDATE: Wes, nicknamed “Tiger” by his foster because he greets you by bouncing up and down on his back legs. He was a Covid puppy.  He is neutered and is a very cute, playful 5 year old with a BIG personality.  His previous owners have recently had a new baby so made the difficult decision to give him up for adoption.  He was so loved but because of his ongoing behaviour, with a new born baby they felt it was the right decision.

Wes really enjoys his walks, he is an inquisitive little chap and in typical Westie style, regularly stops to watch people going about their day-to-day business.  He travels well in the car and enthusiastically jumps into an open boot to go to the beach or the countryside where he loves to play with his ball.

Wes is a good eater, not at all fussy.  He is quite well trained, happy to give you a paw when offered a treat but he doesn’t beg for food.  He loves to look out of the window and likes to sit on the back of the sofa or the window ledge to get a better view of what is going on.

At the moment he has some issues with strangers, and other dogs when they are on a lead, and he does not like strangers visiting the home.  We are working with him to improve his social skills both inside and outside the home.  Since coming into rescue, this behaviour has greatly improved.  

According to his history, Wes has had a history of nipping since he was a puppy.  All of his anti-social behaviour is probably caused by him becoming over protective and/or attention seeking, jealousy in his previous home.  

Since coming into rescue this behaviour has greatly improved so we are very hopeful that this behaviour can be reversed with patience and an experienced owner.  

Wes is a super little chap and very loving in the home with people that he knows. He loves to snuggle up and have his tummy rubbed and he obeys several commands, sit, lie, come, wait and his recall is very good.  He loves to share and play with his toys in the house.  He will alert you to outside events but does not bark incessantly.  He doesn’t bark at the TV, passers-by, cats in the garden, or even the postman!

Wes loves a lot of attention and will make a great companion for experienced dog owners. Anyone interested in Wes, please be aware that he has bitten, which we feel is down to being protective rather than through being aggressive.

Update: With his continued assessment it is becoming clear that Wes is best suited to a one person family  as he continues to be protective and has bitten. An ideal adopter for Wes will be female, westie wise and able to continue the rehabilitation of Wes. He is a loving dog, for the right person. For further information please call Janie on 07751 025868.

Jan '26

Bertie is nearly 6 and castrated and was until recently living with his brother, however after a period of time in kennels, did not get on with his brother when he returned home and so sadly has come into foster care whilst we find him a new furever home. 

An update from Bertie's foster home: Bertie is an adorable little chap, gentle, playful and great company. He is really enthusiastic about his walks and would walk all day if he could: in the park, on the beach or around the streets. He also loves travelling in the car and jumps in happily. He is lively, curious and alert both inside and outside. He loves meeting people and other dogs. 

Bertie is a good house dog. Like many Westies he will talk to you when he wants to get your attention, especially when he loses his ball under the sideboard!  When you return home and first thing in the morning, he is genuinely pleased to see you and will bring a toy, a sock or even a slipper to show you that he is happy to see you. He enjoys cuddles and snuggling on the sofa, watching TV and gets excited when he sees other dogs there (another Westie trait) but he will also amuse himself for ages with his ball. (We have been told that he likes to sing along with church bells but we have not heard him in action yet).

Bertie is slightly overweight. We are watching his diet and keeping up his steps so he will soon slim down. He has adapted to his new foster home very well and although he is still fretting a little with separation anxiety the issue has almost been resolved. Bertie is a really, really super little chap. Lots of fun to be with. He has a lot of love to give the right person(s) and will make a fabulous companion for someone who is energetic and loves walking. We think ideally he is best suited to an only dog home.

Feb '26 - GREAT NEWS - Bertie's potential adopters passed their meet & greet with him :) and he is now on his way to his new furever home!

Nov '25

Jack is a gorgeous lad, 5 years old and loves everyone. He is quite a big westie. He isn't house trained yet or neutered and will stay with the foster until both these are sorted. 

If you are interested in adopting Jack, please send an application to us if you haven't done so already and when we feel that Jack is ready, we will contact you if we feel you are a suitable match.

Sept '25

Lovely Barney came into rescue when sadly his owner passed away. Despite being stressed initially, he went into foster with an experienced family of westie owners and has now been adopted. He is 12 years old.

Update: Oct '25 Barney was settling very well into his new home, however he took a dislike to one of the other resident dogs. Whilst he is very friendly towards humans and other dogs outside, we are looking for a dog free home so that Barney can settle in.

Update: Nov'25 Great news that Barney found a foster home and is settling in well.

Update Feb'26.... in fact settling in so well that he's staying put!

Oct '25

Alfie (number 2!) has come into rescue due to his owner passing away. He is 8 years old, castrated and on initial assessment a very friendly little chat. If you are interested in adopting Alfie, please make sure you have sent in an application to adopt form which is on this website and should you be found to match Alfie's requirements you would need to be able to travel to Lytham St Annes to meet him. 

Update: Nov'25 - after a successful meet and greet - Alfie chose his new family and is settling in well.

Sept '25

Lovely Alfie has come into our care as his previous owners were struggling with some aspects of his behaviour. He is 5 years old and castrated. He is currently being assessed at WLRUK HQ so that we have a clearer picture on what is being some of his issues.    

UPDATE: 

Alfie is a very complex little westie, who has the sweetest nature for the most part, however, something in his background brings out unacceptable behaviour, that could deter the most devoted westie lover. He needs a patient and very experienced terrier/westie foster home, that is not intimidated by what appears to be, unpredictable aggression. But there is always a reason for aggression, and it may be Alfie had been allowed to become dominant in his previous home, at an early age. This in turn has developed into “trying it on” in the home. We do not know what the triggers for it are but he certainly appears to have a perceived view of his status within the household. There could also be genetics involved and his basic character/temperament. 

When he is behaving, he works well with commands and loves his walks. He walks well on the lead. He appears to be dog friendly, and people friendly for the most part. It would appear that his problem is mainly in the home. Outside he seems to behave in a normal friendly happy way. His previous owner could even take him to coffee shops etc. It is inside he starts to occasionally show aggression.

UPDATE: 

Alfie continues to have unacceptable behavioural issues, however we are hopefully getting to understand the reasons why because as previously said, there is always a reason for aggression. After numerous vet visits and tests, including full blood tests which showed everything ok, he had some x-rays done on his rear end which showed a problem with the base of his spine and top of his pelvis, which is the result of some trauma at some point in his life.

He is now on pain medication to hopefully help him feel more comfortable. We will be having further MRI/CT imaging done so a more detailed look can be taken with a hope/view to operating when possible. The behavioural issues will not disappear overnight, but we are hopeful that once Alfie is fully pain free, he will settle into the loving sweet dog that he can be - full time!

If you feel you could foster Alfie, with a view to offering him a forever home, and would like more information, please contact Janie on 07593 964289.

Update: after a lot of assessments and work on his behaviour Alfie has shown some signs of improvement, although not consistent. He has now moved to a foster family who are fully aware of his background with a hope that if he settles then this could become his new home - fingers crossed!

Update: Dec '25 - Alfie is making great progress in his long term foster with a view that this may become his permanent hope as he is doing extremely well.

June '25

Shug is a 6 year old neutered male westie whose elderly owner is no longer able to meet his needs. There are some medical issues that need to be assessed, however we believe he is good with other dogs. He will be travelling down from Scotland to WLRUK and we are happy to discuss his situation with anyone interested in fostering or adopting Shug after an assessment is done.

July'25 - great news, after a successful foster, Shug has landed on his paws with his new family and happily settling into his new home.

June '25

Bella is a 10 year old spayed girl who is coming into rescue due to a family bereavement. Whilst we have a potential home identified for Bella, please do make an enquiry if you are interested in adopting/ fostering a westie in the future. As you can see from this page, we regularly have westies needing support and coming into the rescue and it is useful to understand your circumstances so that we can make the perfect match if it happens.

July '25 - Bella settled well into her foster family finding herself living with her new Westie brother and great news is that she has made her permanent home there - well done Bella x

May '25

Molly is 8 years old. She was found straying on the streets. She did need some immediate medical attention when she arrived with us, however that has happened and she is recovering well.  She has a very sweet natured. Whilst she is being assessed if you believe you could offer a home to Molly please send in an application to adopt form which can be found by clicking the link below. 

Update: July '25 - after a successful time in foster, Molly chose to stay put and happily live out her many years ahead with her new family - great news.

May '25

Monty is 15 yrs old and his owner passed away sadly. He is coming into WLRUK shortly but we are keen to settle him as soon as possible into a loving home for his senior years. He is due to be assessed by the vets on arrival so anyone interested in fostering/ adopting Monty please fill in a form and we can provide further information.

UPDATE: Monty has arrived! He has a very sweet nature and is settling in. Off to the vets for a general check up on Tuesday.

April ' 25

Charlie is 15 years old and sadly coming into rescue from a loving home due to a change in the owner's circumstances. He will be assessed at WRLUK and we will provide a further update once an assessment has been made.

UPDATE: May'25

Charlie has arrived at WRLUK and settled in well. He is a sweetheart and gets on well with the other dogs, however he has poor eyesight so will sometimes bump into the others (not on purpose!). There are, and will continue to be, some health issues to resolve/ manage and therefore we are looking for a long term foster home for him where his owners understand that there will be some time and financial investment needed in him, supported by the rescue. There are some immediate things that can be done to ease some pain and discomfort for him and ensure he has the best quality of life. Please get in touch with the rescue if you think you can support with fostering Charlie.

UPDATE: MAY'25 - great NEWS! Charlie has joined his furever home surrounded by love and plenty of brothers and sisters to play with. So happy for you Charlie!

Feb ' 25

We were contacted by another rescue to see if we could help with a group of westies needing to come into rescue due to a change in home circumstances. Abby, 7, is at WLRUK HQ currently being assessed. 

Abby is settling well into foster and is a lovely natured girl. Once she gets over her nervousness she is interested in everyone and everything. She is a real lap dog and loves attention and cuddles. She is fine with other dogs so could be rehomed with another dog, or would be just as happy as the only dog. She will be 8 in April.

Feb ' 25

We were contacted by another rescue to see if we could help with a group of westies needing to come into rescue due to a change in home circumstances. Milo, 10, has joined a family in Nottingham to be fostered and assessed. He is doing very well in foster. His sore and discoloured skin is now clearing up well. He loves walks and walks well on a lead. He socialises well for the most part with other dogs but can be nervous of some. He is quite a character. He will be 11 in May.

Feb ' 25

We were contacted by another rescue to see if we could help with a group of westies needing to come into rescue due to a change in home circumstances.  Amber, 4, has joined a foster family, already with other dogs, and she is settling in well. She is receiving a lot of love and cuddles.

Jan '25: Rosie has just joined us. We don't know a lot about her background other than she is 18 months old. She was subdued and quite smelly however is now safe at WLRUK HQ. We'll update and let you know how she gets on, however looking for some foster options for her if anyone is interested.

UPDATE: well things move fast! Rosie (which wasn't her initial name) has now been renamed to Ivy. Due to our experience of dealing with Westie Rescues, it was felt that the right place for Ivy to go was to join an already established group of Westies. In under 1 week, Ivy went from a timid, sweet little dog who was scared to go outside with other dogs to bounding around the garden with her new family of brothers and sisters, playfully interacting - what a change and delight to see. How fantastic - enjoy your new home Ivy! 

Click on the button below to see all the dogs that have been supported by Westie Lifeline Rescue UK and moved into their furever homes.