Top 10 'hardest to rehome' dog breeds revealed

New research has revealed a list of 10 dog breeds that are themost difficult to rehome, with some taking up to seven times longer to find a new owner. The survey carried out by the RSPCAshows that, on average, dogs spend about 41 days waiting to be rehomed once they're ready for adoption.

However, larger breeds tend to wait much longer than this. Their size, strength, and specific care needs often make them less appealing to potential adopters, especially those living in smaller homes or with limited experience handling big dogs. As a result, these gentle giants can spend weeks or even months more in shelters before finding their forever families.

The RSPCA is asking people to consider adopting bigger dogs, as they currently have more animals than ever. RSPCA pet behaviour expert Dr Sam Gaines said: "We urgently need homes for big dogs, who can wait seven times longer than smaller dogs to find their forever home.

"We are in an unprecedented rehoming crisis as several large-scale cruelty and neglect cases have led to record numbers of dogs and cats in our care, and we are at risk of running out of space. We desperately need adopters now more than ever, so we can continue to rescue and care for the animals who need us.

"It's the perfect storm with dogs rescued from cruelty and neglect needing longer to recover and needing more specialist homes, and at the same time, rehoming has slowed right across the welfare sector."