Petfinder.com - Adopt A Pet & Help A Shelter

Are you looking for a new pet? Petfinder is an online searchable directory of adoptable pets. You can learn before you adopt, search for adoptable pets, find adoption groups, post a pet classified ad, or sign up to be a volunteer. Pet seekers can enter their search criteria, such as size, gender, breed and age, and get back a list of adoptable pets ranked in proximity to the searcher's Zip code. It gives potential adopters a photograph, a description of the animal and contact information. Since Petfinder is updated on a daily basis, you can keep checking back or save your query so they'll send you an automatic e-mail when new pets are added that match your search. You can also search by using the breed list or look for a pet in the classified section. Have you lost a pet? You can post a free ad at the classifieds as well as in the “lost and found” section of the message board. Petfinder is free to use. Animal shelters and rescue groups can register to join Petfinder.com online and can start entering pets the same day.

“Over 180,000 homeless pets in over 8,000 animal placement organizations across the U.S. and Canada have their own homepages, thanks to one of the most unifying initiatives to ever hit animal welfare — Petfinder.com, the oldest and largest searchable directory of adoptable pets on the Web. Shelters and rescue group members also have their own home pages on the site. Many of them attribute over 50% of their adoptions to Petfinder.com. Some have reported that their euthanasia rate dropped significantly within months of joining Petfinder.com. They also report that Petfinder.com adoptions are more successful, with fewer pets returned. This may be because the adopter's choice is more informed.”

Many people find visiting shelters traumatic, especially those who feel guilty when they can’t take all the pets home. Petfinder allows you to focus your search from home, which makes finding your new best friend much easier.

Will Petfinder be able to make enough money to keep it going? Is this form of finding adoptable pets making a huge impact?