Adopting a dog in Bengaluru usually means applying through a rescue, meeting the dog and answering questions about your home and routine. The exact process differs: some groups check the home, while others arrange meetings and follow-up visits. Sarvoham, the one rescue here that publishes a timeline, says its process takes about a week.
This page lists six rescues by part of the city, what each one asks of you, and what the dog costs once it is home.
Where to adopt in Bengaluru
Six rescue groups, each one checked against its own website.
North
- ALAI RescuesKadusonnapanahalli
- CARE in Yelahanka looks after more than 300 animals, many of them blind, old or paralysed, who stay for life. The dogs that can be adopted are on its website with their age and temperament. Its adoption line is +91 81230 38270.
- ALAI Rescues has run a rescue and rehabilitation shelter since 2017 for sick, injured, elderly and disabled street animals, and says it has more adoptable pets than ever.
Central and west
- CUPASomeshwarpura
- Let's Live TogetherRajajinagar
- CUPA runs the Second Chance Adoption Centre, open 11 am to 3 pm every day. It asks you to email a day ahead with the time and reason for your visit. The card above is its office, not the adoption centre, so get the centre's address when you write.
- Let's Live Together places orphaned Indie puppies through foster homes, so you may meet the puppy in a home rather than a shelter. Its coordinator calls you about your living situation before you visit its office or an adoption camp and fill in the form. Its website currently says the adoption donation is ₹5,000, including a starter kit, while its April 2025 puppy document says ₹3,000. Confirm the current amount when you apply.
South and east
- Sarvoham Animal FoundationJ P Nagar
- Dogs Our Best Friends (Maruthy Dog Shelter)Kodathi Village
- Sarvoham Animal Foundation in J P Nagar charges an adoption fee of ₹2,500, which covers the dog's vaccinations and sterilisation. You fill in two forms and an adoption contract, give a copy of your Aadhaar card and proof of address, and have your home checked. It says the whole thing takes about a week.
- Dogs Our Best Friends runs the Maruthy Dog Shelter in Kodathi, off Sarjapur Road. You visit the shelter to meet the dogs, and it may bring the dog you choose to your home to see how you get on. It visits afterwards, and takes a dog back if the home isn't working.
Message or call before you visit. Shelters see visitors by appointment.
How adoption works
A form, a meeting, a home check, then the paperwork.
- Fill in the rescue's form. It asks about your home, your routine, who lives with you and what kind of dog you're looking for. Sarvoham asks for two forms, the second more detailed than the first.
- Meet the dog. Go more than once if you can. A dog on a second visit is closer to the dog you'll live with.
- Home check. Sarvoham checks your home before you collect the dog. Dogs Our Best Friends may bring the dog to you.
- Paperwork and handover. You sign an adoption contract and take the dog's medical records. Sarvoham also asks for your Aadhaar card and proof of address.
- Follow-up. Dogs Our Best Friends makes follow-up visits and keeps the right to take a dog back.
Don't adopt on the day you first meet the dog. A rescue that pushes you to take a dog home immediately, or won't share its health records, is one to walk away from.
What to ask the rescue
What changes once a dog lives with you
Daily walks, a plan for time alone, and fewer last-minute plans.
If these don't work on an ordinary Tuesday, wait. Our guide to daycare, a sitter or home alone covers the working day.
Before the dog comes home
Close the balcony, buy the harness and choose the vet first.
Our guide to moving to Bengaluru with a dog covers societies, landlords and where the vets are.
An Indie or a breed?
Many of the dogs these rescues list are Indies, and Let's Live Together focuses on Indie puppies. Breed alone does not decide whether a dog suits a first-time owner. An adult dog's size, energy and temperament are usually easier to judge than a puppy's, and a short coat generally needs less grooming.
A puppy of any kind is more work: toilet training, chewing, vaccinations and a lot of supervision in the first months. If you work long hours, an adult dog is usually the better match.
What it costs after adoption
Sarvoham publishes a ₹2,500 fee. Let's Live Together's pages disagree, so confirm its current donation. A medium dog then costs about ₹6,300 a month in our example.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Adoption fee, Sarvoham | ₹2,500, with vaccinations and sterilisation included |
| Adoption donation, Let's Live Together | Confirm before applying: its current process page says ₹5,000, while an April 2025 puppy document says ₹3,000; both mention a starter kit |
| Puppy vaccination course at a private clinic | ₹6,499 as a package at Vetic's Bengaluru clinics |
| Food for a medium dog | ₹1,010 to ₹6,090 a month, by brand |
| A medium dog, everything counted, if you walk and bath it yourself | About ₹6,300 a month |
| The same with a walker six days a week | About ₹10,700 a month |
| Daycare | From ₹500 a day |
| Boarding | ₹650 to ₹1,099 a night |
A dog that comes vaccinated and sterilised, as Sarvoham's do, saves you the two largest first-year bills. Our monthly cost guide shows every line behind these figures, and the puppy vaccination guide has the schedule.
The first week
- Bring the dog home at a quiet time, on a harness and a collar.
- Keep exits closed and visitors away for the first few days.
- Feed the same food at the same times, and walk the same route.
- Expect a few accidents. Don't punish them.
- See a vet within the week, with every record the rescue gave you.
- Build up time alone slowly. Don't leave the dog for a full workday in the first week.
If the dog won't eat, panics when left or behaves in a way you don't understand, call the rescue early. They know the dog, and problems are easier to fix before they become habits.
Common questions
Quick answers to what people ask most.
Where can I adopt a dog in Bangalore?
From six rescues we have checked: CARE and ALAI Rescues in the north, CUPA and Let's Live Together in the centre and west, and Sarvoham and Dogs Our Best Friends in the south and east.
Is adopting a dog free in Bangalore?
Not always. Sarvoham publishes a ₹2,500 fee covering vaccinations and sterilisation. Let's Live Together publishes two different figures: ₹5,000 on its process page and ₹3,000 in an April 2025 puppy document. Confirm the current donation, and ask every rescue about fees before you apply.
How long does it take to adopt a dog in Bangalore?
About a week at Sarvoham, if you return its forms promptly. The home check and finding the right match are what take time.
What documents do I need to adopt a dog?
Sarvoham asks for a copy of your Aadhaar card and proof of address, such as an electricity bill or a rental agreement, along with its two forms and the adoption contract.
Can I adopt a puppy if I work full time?
An adult dog suits a full working day far better. If you do adopt a puppy, plan for someone to be home or to visit at midday for the first few months.