Petfinder.com is an excellent online resource for pet adoptions. Petfinder.com is essentially an online platform for shelters and animal groups to list animals that are up for adoption. The site also functions as a great pet search engine for pet owners.
Petfinder.com has a detailed mission:
To use internet technology and the resources it can generate to:
1) Increase public awareness of the availability of high-quality adoptable pets
2) Increase the overall effectiveness of pet adoption programs across North America to the extent that euthanasia of adoptable pets is eliminated
3) Elevate the status of pets to that of family member
(Source)
Petfinder.com is owned by Discovery Communications company, which owns the cable television stations Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Petfinder.com is a non-profit organization.
Site Benefits
Petfinder.com is updated daily, so the pet listings are current
You can search for a specific pet, using these specific categories: Animal, Breed, Location, Distance, Age, Gender, Size, Declawed, Special Needs, Housetrained, Other Pets/Children in Household. These categories allow you to effectively sort through the thousands of pet listing to find a selection of pets that meet your lifestyle needs and wants.
You can search for animal shelters by State or distance, which allows you to find shelters with adoptable pets in your area!
The site provides information on how to start and animal shelter, positive qualities in an animal shelter, and how to deal with a problematic shelter in your area. This information can help you to choose an animal shelter that meets your values, ensuring your pet has been treated well. If you visit a shelter in your area that seems to be mistreating animals then you can find out how to take action on the petfinder.com website.
Petfinder.com classifieds section is for Lost Pets, Found Pets, Pets Wanted and Adoptable Pets (source). The classifieds section is free and monitored by petfinder.com staff. You can go here to see some of the steps taken to ensure the classifieds section is not misused.
Petfinder.com hosts message boards and provides owner resources including information about adoption and pet care.
Visit Petfinder.com to find a pet or use their other great resources! Another great resource you should consider is http://pets.answers.com.
