Petfinder FAQs: How It Works, Who We Are, and How to Get Help

Yes, Petfinder is legitimate, safe, and trustworthy. We are one of North America’s largest pet adoption communities and platforms, connecting millions of adopters with thousands of animal shelters and rescue organizations. Each organization on Petfinder must complete an application and screening process before listing pets. Adopters work directly with the shelter or rescue, but Petfinder is committed to providing a trusted platform that helps more pets find loving homes.

No, Petfinder is not an animal shelter or rescue organization. It is a platform where potential pet parents and shelters and rescues in the United States, Canada, and Mexico can connect. It’s free to use. Petfinder’s mission is to end the euthanasia of adoptable pets by providing the most successful and largest platform to share pets online.

Petfinder is part of Purina, a company guided by the belief that pets and people are better together. Purina and Petfinder work together to support pet adoption, animal welfare, and organizations working every day to help find pets loving homes. Since 1996, Petfinder has helped over 40 million pets find forever homes.

If you are an individual interested in finding a pet on Petfinder, it is free to search and use. There are no fees to browse adoptable pets, save favorites, or contact shelters and rescues through the site. Adoption fees are determined by the individual shelter or organization, and those fees go to support the care of pets in their programs.  

Petfinder is also free for animal shelters and rescue organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Petfinder is discontinuing its mobile app on October 15, 2026, to consolidate all pet adoption tools, search filters, and updates into a single web platform at Petfinder.com.

Consolidating onto Petfinder.com allows for:

• Faster feature rollouts: New search capabilities and shelter updates deploy instantly without requiring mobile app updates.
• Expanded search tools: Broader adoption filters and out-of-town pet listings that were unavailable in the mobile app.
• Unified experience: Seamless search functionality across desktop, tablet, and mobile web browsers. 

The Petfinder mobile app will permanently close on October 15, 2026.

You can search for adoptable pets on mobile by visiting Petfinder.com in any standard web browser, such as Safari or Google Chrome.

All saved pets, custom search alerts, and account profile information are stored at the account level and will automatically appear when you log into Petfinder.com.

No, you do not need to create a new account for Petfinder.com. You can log into Petfinder.com using the exact same email address and password associated with your Petfinder mobile app account.

When you sign in using your existing app credentials:

• Saved pets automatically transfer: All your favorited animals, saved custom searches, and profile information remain linked to your account.
• Seamless transition: You can pick up your search on any web or mobile browser right where you left off in the app.

Yes! You can easily pin Petfinder.com right to your home screen:  

iPhone (Safari): Tap the “Share” button, choose “Add to Home Screen.”  

Android (Chrome): Tap the Three Dots Menu, choose “Add to Home Screen.”  

Petfinder is first and foremost a community of animal lovers, and you are welcome! It’s also a searchable database where shelters and rescues list adoptable pets. You can browse based on location, breed, species, age, and size of a pet, and then view individual pet profiles to learn more about them. Once you decide on a new forever friend, you’ll click “Adopt Me” and be able to see the organization’s requirements and application for adoption. Each shelter or rescue handles its own application, screening, timeline, and adoption process. Petfinder does not process adoptions. If you don’t know where to start, try our pet adoption quiz. Answer a few simple questions and see which cute faces you match with in under a minute.

Yes, you can save pets and get alerts for new listings on Petfinder. To do so, create a Petfinder account first. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to “heart” any pet you see that you’d like to save. To get alerts for new listings, click the “bell” icon next to your search results or use the Petfinder app to create an alert.

Yes, if you see a pet on Petfinder, it is still available for adoption. Contact the individual rescue or shelter if you have further questions about the status of the pet. If the profile says “adoption pending,” the animal has an adoption application pending. Contact the shelter for more information. 

Petfinder does not update its pet listings; each individual shelter or rescue organization is responsible for updating pet listings and responding to applications and inquiries.

Each shelter will have a way to get in contact, whether through a direct email or link to its website. You should reach out to each organization directly for any pet you are interested in, and their volunteers will be able to update you on the status of the pet, the application process, fees, and more.

No, contacting a shelter through Petfinder does not put a pet directly on hold. Each shelter or rescue organization has its own process, requirements, and timeline for adopting a pet. The organization will notify you directly if a pet you have requested has been put on hold in your name.

You are applying to the shelter and rescue directly. Petfinder is a platform and community to connect adopters with adoptable pets. Each shelter or rescue directly manages its pets and will have individual requests and requirements.

“Out of Town Pet” means that the pet is cared for by an organization outside of your local area. If you see a pet you like marked as “Out of Town Pet,” contact the shelter to get its policy on out-of-state adoptions, transportation, and other requirements.

“Adoption pending” means that the pet you favorited and saved has pending applications per the shelter or rescue. You can periodically check the pet’s status or reach out to the shelter or rescue to get more information about where the pet is in the adoption process.

No, Petfinder does not transport animals or arrange adoptions. Petfinder is a platform that helps connect would-be adopter pet parents with shelters and rescues. Each organization manages its own adoption process, including transportation.

If you want to post a pet for adoption on Petfinder, you must be a registered organization. That includes municipal shelters, private shelters, rescues with animals in direct care, and vet clinics that are rehoming pets. Private individuals looking to rehome their pets are not eligible. To list a pet on Petfinder as an organization, apply for membership at pro.petfinder.com/register, review the rules of conduct, submit a vet verification form, and complete an application. Approval typically takes 3 to 5 business days.

No, private individuals cannot post or list a pet for adoption on Petfinder to rehome a pet. Individuals, networking or referral-only groups, show or hobby breeders, for-profit placement organizations, non-North American organizations, and organizations without an adoption contract are not eligible. Only municipal public shelters, private shelters, rescues with pets in direct care, and vet clinics that rehome pets are allowed to post on Petfinder.

No, Petfinder does not list dogs from puppy mills. Only municipal public shelters, private shelters, rescues with pets in direct care, and vet clinics that rehome pets can list pets on Petfinder. We do not allow individuals looking to rehome a pet, networking or referral-only groups, show or hobby breeders, for-profit pet placement companies, organizations without an adoption contract, or organizations outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico to post pets.

Need a hand? Potential pet parents can start a conversation with our support team to help answer questions about the pet adoption process, shelters, and more. They can also answer questions that shelters and rescue organizations might have about posting pets.  

Sorry to see you go, but we hope it’s because you found the perfect match! If you need to submit a request to change or delete your Petfinder account, you can call us toll-free at 1-800-778-7462 or use this form. California residents might need additional information to verify.