Adoptable rescue dogs in Melbourne and the surrounding VIC area, refreshed regularly.
Updated regularly from Melbourne and Victoria rescues. Compare, match, and adopt easier.
Answer quick questions about your home, lifestyle and pets, and get personalised dog recommendations
Planning resources and guides to prepare for adoption
Be first to know when new dogs matching your preferences become available
Answer quick questions about your home, lifestyle and pets, and get personalised dog recommendations
Planning resources and guides to prepare for adoption
Be first to know when new dogs matching your preferences become available
1 year 1 month • Border Collie
3 years • Greyhound
Showing 1-9 of 222 dogs
Get notified when new rescue dogs become available in Melbourne. Be the first to meet your future best friend.
See dogs being rehomed directly by their owners in Melbourne, or list your own dog for free.
Looking to adopt a dog in Melbourne? Every dog on this page is listed by a rescue serving the Melbourne area, so you can see what is genuinely available locally without checking each rescue's site one by one. Each profile links straight back to the rescue that has them.
New to adopting? Our Victoria adoption guides cover what adoption costs, council registration and desexing rules that apply right across Victoria, including Melbourne.
Victorian dogs are covered by the Domestic Animals Act 1994. Registration is with your local council, not a state registry: dogs aged three months and over must be registered, renewing each year by 10 April, and a dog must be microchipped before it is registered for the first time. Desexed dogs pay a much lower fee, set by each council.
Victoria also runs the Pet Exchange Register. Anyone advertising a dog for sale or to give away must show the dog's microchip number and a register source number, and you can check that source number before you commit. It is a simple way to spot a scam advertisement.
Unlike Sydney or Brisbane, paralysis ticks are not established around Melbourne, so local tick risk is low; think about tick prevention before trips to the east coast or East Gippsland. The real seasonal danger here is summer heatwaves above 40°C.
Source: Agriculture Victoria (pets)
Browse adoptable dogs by breed. Each breed page shows what is available in Melbourne now, plus what the breed costs to adopt, the health to plan for and the local law.
Adoptable dogs for towns served by Melbourne rescues, with any pets based in that town listed first.
There are 222 adoptable rescue dogs listed in Melbourne right now. Rescue numbers move quickly as animals are adopted, so the count changes between visits.
Every dog on this page comes from Animal Aid, Australian Animal Protection Society, Blue Cross Animals Society of Victoria, Forever Friends Animal Rescue, Geelong Animal Welfare Society, Greyhound Adoption Program (Victoria), Lort Smith, Melton City Council Animal Pound, Mornington Peninsula Shire Community Animal Shelter, RSPCA Victoria, Save-A-Dog Scheme, The Lost Dogs' Home, wat djerring Animal Facility (City of Whittlesea). Each listing links straight to that rescue's own page, where the application is handled.
No. LocalPetFinder is a discovery platform, not a rescue. We bring listings together in one place so you do not have to check each rescue's website separately. Applications, approvals and adoption decisions are handled entirely by the rescue.
No. LocalPetFinder is free. Adoption fees are set by the rescue and are paid to them directly, not to us.
That is up to the rescue. Some rehome only within their local area, others will consider adopters further afield. The rescue's own listing page states their policy — check it before applying.
No. PetRescue.com.au is one of Australia's largest national adoption sites, listing animals from rescues right across the country. LocalPetFinder brings together rescue dogs for Melbourne and the surrounding area, alongside the local rules on council registration, desexing and microchipping in Victoria. The two are separate platforms.
LocalPetFinder lists adoptable rescue dogs from rescues serving Melbourne, refreshed regularly. Adopt A Pet (adoptapet.com) is US-based with limited Australian coverage, and PetRescue lists nationally. Every listing here links straight to the rescue that has the animal, so you apply with them directly.
Yes. Dogs aged three months and over must be registered with your local council, renewing each year by 10 April, and must be microchipped before their first registration. Desexed dogs pay a reduced fee; check your council for the exact amount.
It is Victoria's source-number scheme. Anyone advertising a dog or cat for sale or to give away must display the animal's microchip number and a Pet Exchange Register source number, and buyers can verify that number online. An advertisement without both is a red flag.
