• PetFinder

PetFinder

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Overview

PetFinder has a rating of 1.38 stars from 342 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about PetFinder most frequently mention good home, local shelters, and loving homes problems. PetFinder ranks 12th among Lost Pet sites.

  • Service
    71
  • Value
    50
  • Shipping
    21
  • Returns
    21
  • Quality
    43
Positive reviews (last 12 months): 10.3%
Positive
4
Neutral
0
Negative
35
25
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What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

No positive highlights yet

Critical highlights

  • I've applied for several dogs that said AVAILABLE on Pet Finder with no response at all!
How would you rate PetFinder?
Top Positive Review

“Not their fault!”

Elvira Y.
11/26/23

PetFinder does serve a purpose. You need to understand that they are only the middle man between you and a shelter/rescue. I finally found a pet through them, but only was able to adopt once I send applications to the rescues direct. Even then my first attempt was horrible. Even MULTIPLE applications resulted zero responses. The pet is still available on the rescue site today. After over 2 weeks later we tried for another dog with another rescue, again thru PetFinder. I had a response within 24 hours. Vet check was already done, home visit took place a couple of days later, meet and greet the pet again after only a couple of days. We had the exact issue with a company called AdoptaPet. Some Rescues/Shelters are simply much better than others. Don't blame PetFinder.

Top Critical Review

“Hello? Is there anyone out there?”

Kathryn D.
2/23/24

I've applied for several dogs that said AVAILABLE on Pet Finder with no response at all! My husband and I own our home and have a nice big yard. We've owned pets for over 20 years and can easily get our Veterinary's recommendation. We are in our mid forties… not too old to own a dog so hopefully it's not that! We're also financially stable so it's not that. What is going on with pet finder? This website needs serious updating! I hope another site comes along for the benefit of all the pets that are looking for a good home!

Reviews (342)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

pet finder (22)
Thumbnail of user elviray6
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
November 26th, 2023

PetFinder does serve a purpose. You need to understand that they are only the middle man between you and a shelter/rescue. I finally found a pet through them, but only was able to adopt once I send applications to the rescues direct. Even then my first attempt was horrible. Even MULTIPLE applications resulted zero responses. The pet is still available on the rescue site today. After over 2 weeks later we tried for another dog with another rescue, again thru PetFinder. I had a response within 24 hours. Vet check was already done, home visit took place a couple of days later, meet and greet the pet again after only a couple of days. We had the exact issue with a company called AdoptaPet. Some Rescues/Shelters are simply much better than others. Don't blame PetFinder.

Thumbnail of user alexisr512
1 review
1 helpful vote
July 18th, 2023

Most of the issues people have complained about are the fault of the shelter, not Petfinder. Petfinder is not a shelter. It does not house the animals. If you don't get a phone call or email, it is the fault of the shelter. Petfinder only posts the info the shelters give it. Once you inquire about a pet or apply to adopt one, it's out of their hands. Years ago, I adopted a dog I found on Petfinder. Now I'm looking for another dog.

Products used:
I adopted a dog I found on Petfinder

Thumbnail of user evac65
2 reviews
1 helpful vote
February 19th, 2019

Thank you that I have new best friend in my life. Now I'm not alone because my cat is always with me :)

Thumbnail of user alexab95
1 review
11 helpful votes
October 7th, 2022
Verified purchase

Now that I have your attention. Did you come here to write a bad review because you didn't get that cute animal you found on Petfinder? Then this is for you, because you clearly do not understand what petfinder is and how it works.

Petfinder is a third-party go between for shelters and people looking to adopt. Petfinder does not choose who gets the adoptable animal or if/when an interested party gets a response from the shelter. Giving Petfinder bad reviews because you didn't get the animal you wanted or a response from the shelter, is like blaming Facebook because you sent someone a friend request and that person denied it. It isn't Facebooks fault the other person rejected your friend request.

Also, don't inquire about an animal through Petfinder, most shelters don't actually see Petfinder inquiries, again, not Petfinders fault. If you are interested in an animal go to the shelter details, pull up that shelters website, find the adopt section on their website, and fill out the shelters adoption application. Once you see an animal you're interested in on Petfinder, go directly to the source (the shelter), cut out the middle man (Petfinder). Your application will be guaranteed to be looked at and get seen by shelters much quicker this way.

In 2013 Petfinder wasn't around, and shelters didn't really post their adoptable animals online (It would have saved me a lot of time and gas if it was around back then). If Petfinder still weren't around today, you'd have to spend months looking at a long list of individual shelter websites and all their adoptable animals for a chance to find even one animal that matched your search criteria, especially if you're looking for a specific species, breed mix, and/or age group (for example, a husky mix puppy). Then if someone else beat you to it, you'd have to repeat the process.

Thanks to technological advances like Petfinder, finding a puppy is much easier. However, along with the wider reach of technology also comes more people aware of that puppy's existence and more competition to adopt that puppy. Lets not forget about the fact that during the pandemic, demand for adoption sky rocketed.

Petfinder is only a virtual centralized location service, used by hundreds of shelters across the USA & Canada as a platform to share the animals in their care and hopefully expedite the adoption process for their adoptable animals. Stop blaming Petfinder because you were turned down by a shelter. You would have very unlikely known that animal existed in the first place, if it weren't for Petfinder.

I am not affiliated with Petfinder. I did however adopt a puppy in 2016 and in 2021. They are my everything and i would never have known about them if they weren't listed on Petfinder. Instead of wasting my time and energy searching through animals I wasn't interested in, I was able to put in my criteria and have it immediately narrowed down to strictly what I was looking for, and from many more shelters than I would have found by myself.

Products used:
I adopted a puppy in 2016 and in 2021.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user jackieh116
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
June 26th, 2018

When I lost my fur friend I found a great empty space in my heart. I looked at all the dogs in need of a forever home on Pet Finder. You need to register at Pet Finder before you can get a response. But once you do, they will notify you when dogs you are seeking come available. I requested information on several dogs and within a few days got a response. You have to remember that most of these puppie-dogs are in a foster home with working people and be considerate of their time. The foster mom of the small puppie that I was most interested in let me know that she is not quite ready for adoption because she is not eating well and we made arrangements to see the puppie at a later time so that the puppie could decompress. I am quite pleased at the consideration that the foster mother has for the puppie. I know that when the puppie is ready for friends she will call me. I will let you know how it goes when I can get the puppie. I am very excited and hopeful that it will be a good fit.

Tip for consumers:
you need to read the directions, you need to make correct applications, you need to e patient.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user sharony10
12 reviews
13 helpful votes
June 26th, 2016

I have gotten two dogs with petfinder with good resulta

Thumbnail of user kaitys
5 reviews
8 helpful votes
Thumbnail of user sammiec1
3 reviews
14 helpful votes
December 26th, 2011

Petfinder.com is a great site to find a new best friend. They have lots of ads for puppies, dogs, and cats that are waiting for a good family to come and adopt them. Rather than buy a puppy from a breeder, why not show some love to one of these guys that needs it?

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About the business

Petfinder has helped more than 25 million pets find their families through adoption. Search our extensive list of dogs, cats and other pets available for adoption and rescue near you.

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