RSPCA Derby and District Animal Centre

Lovely people and a clean, comfortable centre for the animals. I found the sweetest cat to adopt.

No longer a walk-in, which is a disappointment.

Heartbroken by poor communication and broken promises I rehomed my dog, Miya, through RSPCA Derby around five months ago after being at risk of homelessness and having to move into a flat that doesn’t allow pets. She was with me for nearly two years and was like family, so this was an incredibly hard decision. Well before I handed her over, I was promised that my details would be passed to her new owner if they chose to contact me. I’ve since been told this was not done and is not part of their process, which left me very upset. Before she was placed in foster care, I was reassured she would not go to a foster home with multiple dogs because she is nervous around them. However, I later discovered she was fostered in a household with several dogs. While I’m sure the foster family cared for her, this was not what I had been promised, and it left me worried about her transition. Communication throughout has been poor, and this has made an already painful situation even harder. I still think of Miya every day and hope she is safe and happy. Update (December 2025): Since posting this review, I have gone through the full complaints process with the branch manager and the Chair of Trustees. In her written response, the Chair of Trustees acknowledged that, in order to reassure me, staff may have given me an inaccurate impression about what would happen after I rehomed Miya through them. However, she has refused to offer any practical remedy in my case. The manager and staff still deny giving the reassurances I describe, even though I have a witness who was present for some of these conversations. I have been told that the branch will not provide me with any updates about Miya, will not pass my contact details to her adopters, and will not share records about decisions that involved me, will not take any disciplinary action, will not here my impact statement. I was denied the chance to make a fully informed decision about her future. I would have chose to rehome her through other means had I known this from the start in order for me to have some form of updates and potential contact. As a result, I have raised a governance concern with the Charity Commission. As someone with a degree in Wildlife Conservation and experience volunteering with conservation NGOs, I find it especially disappointing that a charity using the RSPCA name is comfortable with this level of misleading communication and lack of accountability when it is challenged. Based on my experience, I will not use or support this branch again. I would strongly encourage others to think very carefully before rehoming an animal, adopting or donating here while these practices and attitudes remain in place. There are many other animal charities in real need of support, and I will be directing any future donations and help towards organisations that are more transparent and open with the people who trust them.

Can't recommend Derby RSPCA high enough! What a wonderful experience. We adopted Rizzo (now Pumpkin) yesterday & the process couldn't of been better. Such kind well knowledgeable staff. Thank you so much x

The guys at the centre have been fantastic, welcoming and informative throughout the rehoming journey. Thanks to all of them and the work they do

I’ve been trying to get in touch with them about volunteering or fostering cats since May 2024, and I’ve even filled out multiple forms on their website with no response. Their communication is really poor—good luck getting a reply! I recently applied to another organization, and they called me the very next day. I’d definitely recommend going with smaller groups that actually value volunteers and follow up promptly.

We adopted little Gabriel from the Derby branch it was a very enjoyable and easy process. He's settled in so well with our other 4 fur babies and will continue to enjoy his life to the full. Many thanks again to the dedicated staff

Heartbroken by poor communication and broken promises I rehomed my dog, Miya, through RSPCA Derby around five months ago after being at risk of homelessness and having to move into a flat that doesn’t allow pets. She was with me for nearly two years and was like family, so this was an incredibly hard decision. Well before I handed her over, I was promised that my details would be passed to her new owner if they chose to contact me. I’ve since been told this was not done and is not part of their process, which left me very upset. Before she was placed in foster care, I was reassured she would not go to a foster home with multiple dogs because she is nervous around them. However, I later discovered she was fostered in a household with several dogs. While I’m sure the foster family cared for her, this was not what I had been promised, and it left me worried about her transition. About six weeks ago I went into the centre calmly to make a complaint in person, but I was simply told to send an email. Staff didn’t ask me anything beyond Miya’s name, and the interaction felt very cold at a time when I was already struggling. Communication throughout has been poor, and this has made an already painful situation even harder. I still think of Miya every day and hope she is safe and happy.

RSPCA Derby were lovely and prior to us meeting Twinkle kept us informed as to how she was doing regarding vaccinations and her foster home. When we met her we knew she was the one for us. The adoption process was easy and smooth, the lady we dealt with was lovely and talked us through everything. We had a follow up post adoption email which was nice. The whole process from start to finish was so easy and stress free.

Adopted a beautiful kitten from here who has settled into the home so well. Everything was easy and communication and contact has been great. Couldn’t thank everybody here enough for how well looked after little Pippa was when she came to her forever home