Full Membership is available to registered charities with an appropriate and relevant status and objectives in their country of origin in the UK or Ireland. All Full Members undertake rescue and / or rehoming in the UK and / or Ireland and may, in addition, import. Full Members have the right to vote.

They must meet the following criteria:

– Registered charity and working in the British Isles and/or Republic of Ireland

– Directly involved in and carrying out the rescue and/or rehoming of dogs and/or cats.

– Have read, understood and consider the rescue compliant with the Association’s published Minimum Welfare and Operational Standards. Be ready for an external assessment by ADCH to confirm compliance before admittance to the Association.

– Comply with all current animal welfare related legislation in the jurisdiction within which they operate

– Operate on a non-commercial basis.

– Only import dogs or cats from other territories if these have been legally imported in a manner that meets all applicable transport and health requirements; and have had the relevant vaccinations (including those not necessarily mandatory by the exporting or importing country); and the organisation ensures all dogs are behaviourally assessed and documented as suitable and safe to rehome to a British Isles environment prior to transport; and has a plan in place in case the rehoming of an animal is not successful.

– Not involved in any importation that does not meet the above criteria.

– Sympathetic to and compatible with the values of ADCH.

– Declare that they are not aware of any Trustees or Senior Staff Members with any previous convictions for animal welfare offences.

Before applying for Membership please ensure that you have:

– Checked your eligibility, as above.

– Checked when ADCH is next open for new membership applications; we open four times per year for three weeks at a time. You can sign up for updates on this page.

– Read the Minimum Welfare Operational Standards. It is important that you understand these in the light of your work and that you consider whether your rescue is complaint with each standard. As part of your application you will be asked who in your organisation has evaluated your rescue against the Minimum Standards. This exercise may take an hour or two by someone with detailed knowledge of your operations. You will be asked to state the names of your people who have undertaken this exercise. It is not uncommon for applicants to be uncertain about aspects of this and they should keep a record of areas of possible non-compliance to discuss as part of your assessment.

– Gathered copies of the following supporting information:
– A copy of the organisation’s constitution
– Two years of accounts. Where accounts are not available (i.e. for newly formed organisations), recent bank statements for all bank accounts should be submitted.
– Contact details of two existing Members who can endorse your application.  If you are unable to find two suitable ADCH Members, please provide details of two referees who can vouch for your operational welfare standards (i.e. veterinary practice or local authority).  For veterinary practices, the person giving the reference must be a qualified veterinary surgeon.  Please seek permission from your referee before sharing their contact details with us.

You can find a list of all the possible questions that may be asked during your application below, which may help you gather your figures and information ready to apply.

Please note that a £100 non-refundable application fee applies for membership applications (and re-applications from previous members and applicants).

We are open for Full Membership applications at 4 periods in the year. The remaining opening period for 2024 is from Monday 11 November to Sunday 1 December.

During opening periods, you will find a link to our application form here, as well as in our email alerts.

Want a handy reminder when we are next open for full membership applications? Sign up below for alerts!

We will review your application, and if initial approval is granted by the Trustee Board:

One or two ADCH Assessors will be assigned to carry out an assessment against the Minimum Welfare and Operational Standards. The role profile of our Assessors can be found here.

The ADCH Assessors will contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time and date to carry out the assessment.

We have a Standard Operating Procedure for the processing of new membership applications, you might find this helpful to read to understand more about how the assessment is arranged.

You will receive a copy of the Assessors’ report from their assessment of your organisation. This may include advice or recommended actions.

ADCH’s Standards and Animal Welfare Committee (which is made up of volunteers from our sector) will consider the Assessor’s report and recommendations and make a decision whether to approve your organisation’s membership. You will be advised of the approximate timescale for your assessment report to be considered.

We will advise of the decision made by the Standards and Animal Welfare Committee and provide any feedback. If your application has been approved, we will issue an invoice for the membership fee, which will be issued pro rata for the first year. See more here.

When payment has been received, we will issue your Welcome Pack and Membership Certificate.

If your application has been declined you will be provided with feedback and details of our appeals process.