The short answer
Do three things in order. First, see your GP or an allergist to confirm the allergy and whether the dog is actually the trigger, because many people who blame the dog react to pollen or dust instead. Second, try the household changes that cut exposure: keep the dog out of bedrooms, wash bedding hot, use HEPA filtration, and bathe the dog regularly. Do not count on swapping to a “hypoallergenic” breed, because none truly are. Third, if a diagnosed allergy is genuinely affecting health despite all that, rehoming is the caring choice, and you can do it kindly by rehoming owner-to-owner or surrendering to a welfare organisation, and transferring the microchip through the NSW Pet Registry.
If you do need to rehome
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List your dog free →A pet allergy is a real reason, not a failure
If someone in your home is reacting to the dog, that is a genuine health issue, and it is understandable to feel torn. This is especially heavy when the person affected is a child with asthma or eczema, where the stakes feel higher and the guilt cuts deeper. You are not a bad owner for taking it seriously.
What this guide asks is only that you work through it in the right order. A permanent decision made in the first anxious week is harder to get right than one made after a diagnosis and a fair attempt at managing the exposure. Sometimes that process ends with keeping the dog. Sometimes it ends with rehoming. Both can be the right answer, and doing it thoughtfully is what matters.
Step one: get the allergy properly diagnosed
Before anything else, see your GP, and ask about a referral to an allergist if symptoms are ongoing or involve breathing or skin. This matters more than people expect, because the dog is not always the culprit. A large share of what feels like a dog allergy turns out to be pollen, dust mites, or mould, and the family pet is either innocent or only a small part of the picture. Testing sorts this out.
This is a health question, so the medical decisions belong with your doctor, not with a website. We will not suggest medications or treatments here. What we can say plainly is that rehoming a dog before you know what you are actually allergic to is a decision made blind, and it is one you cannot easily undo. Guidance from the RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase also encourages owners to explore management before rehoming where it is safe to do so.
Step two: household changes worth trying
The proteins people react to come from a dog's dander, saliva, and urine, and they settle into carpet, bedding, and soft furnishings. The aim of every step below is simple: less contact, and fewer allergens in the air. These are household measures, not medical treatment, and they work best alongside advice from your doctor.
| What to try | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Keep the dog out of bedrooms | The allergic person spends hours there; a dog-free bedroom is the highest-impact change. |
| Wash bedding hot and often | Dander settles into soft furnishings; hot washing clears it from your bedding and the dog’s. |
| Run a HEPA air purifier and vacuum | HEPA filtration captures the fine dander that stays airborne and settles into carpet. |
| Bathe and brush the dog regularly | Done outdoors and by someone not allergic, it lifts loose dander before it spreads indoors. |
| Wash hands after contact, favour hard floors | Reduces protein transfer to your face and gives dander fewer places to settle. |
Give these a fair run, ideally a few weeks, rather than judging them after a day. If symptoms clearly ease, you may have a workable arrangement. If they do not budge and a doctor has confirmed the dog as the trigger, that is useful information too, and it points toward rehoming with a clearer conscience.
The “hypoallergenic breed” myth
It is tempting to think the answer is to rehome this dog and get a “hypoallergenic” one instead. It usually is not. No dog is truly hypoallergenic. Low-shedding breeds such as poodles and some poodle crosses spread less loose hair, so the home stays visibly tidier, but they still produce the dander and saliva proteins that people actually react to.
The risk is real and sad: an owner rehomes a dog they love, brings home a low-shedding breed on the promise it will be different, and reacts just as badly. If you are allergic, the reliable levers are diagnosis and exposure management, not the search for a magic breed. Understanding this can also change the decision entirely, because it removes the false hope that a swap will fix the problem.
When rehoming is the right call
If the allergy is diagnosed, the dog is confirmed as a genuine trigger, and it is still affecting health despite an honest attempt at management, then rehoming is the caring choice. Choosing your family's health, or a child's, is not letting the dog down. A dog is better off in a home where nobody is unwell than in one where its presence is quietly making someone sick.
Not sure whether you are at that point yet? Our honest self-assessment walks through the questions so you reach the answer yourself, and our things to do before rehoming guide covers the practical preparation once you have decided.
How to rehome kindly if the allergy is genuine
You have two responsible paths, and both are legitimate:
- Owner-to-owner rehoming. Your dog stays in your home the whole time. You list it, screen the people who apply, choose the family you trust, and hand the dog over directly with its records. There is no fee and no shelter stay. On LocalPetFinder, listing is free. See our guide to rehoming a dog for free.
- Surrender to a welfare organisation such as RSPCA NSW, Animal Welfare League NSW, or Sydney Dogs and Cats Home. They take custody and rehome the dog through their own process. Ring ahead, since most take surrenders by appointment, and a fee is common. Our surrender guide covers this route in full.
Whichever you choose, be honest that the reason is an allergy in the home. That honesty reassures adopters that nothing is wrong with the dog itself, which makes it more appealing to good homes, not less. Gather the dog's vaccination, desexing, and medical records, and write a short note about its routine and personality for the new family.
A modest rehoming fee plus real screening keeps your dog far safer than a free listing. Our guide to screening adopters covers how to choose a family safely, and our settling-in guide helps the handover go smoothly for the dog.
Do not rush into a free-to-good-home ad
An allergy is a sympathetic reason, so there is no need to give the dog away fast. Posting a dog as free on open classifieds such as Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace attracts the small number of people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons. A modest fee plus screening is far safer, and the screening matters even more than the fee. Our guide on free-to-good-home risks covers what to watch for.
If the allergy is genuine, rehome your dog kindly
Owner-to-owner rehoming on LocalPetFinder is free. Your dog stays with you until adopted, you screen the people who apply, and you choose the family. No surrender fee, no shelter.
List your dog for free →Related guides
A no-judgment framework so you decide with evidence, not panic.
Where to go, what it costs, and how free owner-to-owner rehoming compares.
The records, notes, and steps that set the dog up for a good handover.
Why a modest fee plus screening keeps your dog far safer than a free listing.
Frequently asked questions
I am allergic to my dog. Do I have to rehome it?+
Not necessarily, and not straight away. A pet allergy is a real medical reason, but it is often manageable, and it is worth being sure the dog is the actual trigger before you make a permanent decision. Start with your GP or an allergist to get the allergy properly identified, then try the household management steps that reduce exposure. If a diagnosed allergy is genuinely affecting your health or a family member's health despite those steps, rehoming is a caring and reasonable choice. The order matters: diagnose first, manage second, rehome only if you need to.
My child is allergic to our dog. What should I do first?+
See your GP, and ask about a referral to an allergist if the symptoms are ongoing or involve asthma or eczema. A child's asthma and skin symptoms deserve a proper medical assessment rather than guesswork, because the trigger is not always the dog. Once you have a clear diagnosis, you and your doctor can weigh up whether household changes are enough or whether rehoming is the safer path for your child. This guide covers general management, but decisions about a child's health belong with your doctor, not a website.
How do I know the dog is causing my allergy and not something else?+
You often cannot tell from symptoms alone, which is exactly why a proper diagnosis comes first. Many people who assume they are allergic to their dog turn out to react to pollen, dust mites, or mould, and the dog is either not the cause or only part of it. Your GP or an allergist can identify the real trigger through testing. It would be heartbreaking to rehome a dog and then find the sneezing continues because the cause was the grass outside. Get the diagnosis before you act on it.
What household changes reduce dog allergens?+
The proteins people react to come from a dog's dander, saliva, and urine, and they settle into soft furnishings, so the aim is to reduce contact and keep them out of the air. Keep the dog out of bedrooms, especially the bedroom of the allergic person. Wash bedding and the dog's bedding often in hot water. Run a HEPA air purifier and vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly. Bathe and brush the dog often, ideally outdoors and by someone who is not allergic. Wash your hands after handling the dog, and favour hard floors over carpet where you can. None of this is medical treatment, and none of it replaces seeing your doctor.
Are some dog breeds hypoallergenic?+
No dog is truly hypoallergenic, and this is the single most common misunderstanding. Low-shedding breeds such as poodles and some poodle crosses spread less loose hair around the home, but they still produce the dander and saliva proteins that people actually react to. Swapping your dog for a so-called hypoallergenic breed is not a reliable fix, and it can mean rehoming a dog you love only to react to the next one just as much. If you are allergic, focus on diagnosis and management rather than on the idea that a different breed will solve it.
When is rehoming the right choice for an allergy?+
When the allergy is properly diagnosed, the dog is confirmed as a real trigger, and it is genuinely affecting health despite honest attempts at management, rehoming becomes the caring decision rather than a failure. This is especially true where a child's asthma or eczema is involved and a doctor has advised reducing exposure. Choosing your family's health, or your own, is not letting the dog down. Doing it thoughtfully, with an honest handover to a good home, is an act of care for the dog too.
How do I rehome my dog kindly if the allergy is genuine?+
You have two responsible paths. Owner-to-owner rehoming keeps the dog in your home until you find and choose the new family yourself, and it is free on LocalPetFinder. Or you can surrender to a welfare organisation such as RSPCA NSW, Animal Welfare League NSW, or Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, which will take custody and rehome the dog through their process. Whichever you choose, be honest that the reason is an allergy in the home, gather the dog's records, and transfer the microchip to the new owner through the NSW Pet Registry at handover.
Should I mention the allergy when I list my dog for rehoming?+
Yes, and it helps rather than hurts. Saying the reason is a household allergy reassures adopters that nothing is wrong with the dog itself. It tells them the dog is being rehomed because of the people, not because of any behaviour or health problem, which is one of the most reassuring things a potential adopter can hear. Honesty about the reason makes your dog more appealing to good homes, not less, and it sets the new family up to understand the dog from the start.
Should I just post my dog as free to good home?+
A modest rehoming fee plus real screening is far safer than a free listing on open classifieds. Free-to-good-home ads on sites such as Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace attract the small number of people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons. A small fee signals that the dog is valued and filters out the worst intentions, and the screening you do matters even more than the fee. An allergy is a genuine, sympathetic reason to rehome, so there is no need to give the dog away quickly to the first person who asks.
Do I need to update the microchip when I rehome my dog?+
Yes. Microchipping is mandatory in NSW, and when a dog changes hands you must transfer the microchip registration to the new owner through the NSW Pet Registry. It is a simple online step done at handover, and it matters because if the dog is ever lost, the registry is how it finds its way to the right home. Hand over the dog's vaccination and desexing records at the same time so the new owner has the full history from day one.
Sources
- RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase: responsible rehoming and pet ownership guidance
- Australian Veterinary Association: pet health and responsible ownership resources
- RSPCA NSW: owner surrender process and adoption programs
This article is general information, not medical advice. For any allergy affecting you or your family, see your GP or an allergist for diagnosis and management.