Lack of transparency in the rescue adoption process on major platforms
My experience using adoption platforms such as Adopt-a-Pet and Petfinder raised concerns about how the adoption screening process works across many independent rescues that list animals through these services.I fully support adoption and believe rescue organizations play an important role in helping animals find homes. However, the structure of the system allows individual rescues and foster volunteers to make final determinations about adopters without any clear indication that there are standardized training requirements, behavioral certification standards, or veterinary-level evaluation involved in those decisions.For prospective adopters, it can be surprising to learn that the people evaluating applications may simply be volunteers rather than individuals with formal training in animal behavior assessment or veterinary medicine. While many volunteers are undoubtedly well-intentioned, the lack of consistent professional standards can lead to subjective decisions that vary widely from one rescue to another.Because platforms like Adopt-a-Pet and Petfinder function as centralized marketplaces for adoptable animals, the public may assume there are consistent oversight standards guiding these evaluations. In reality, the process can differ significantly depending on the rescue or foster group managing the listing.Greater transparency about qualifications, evaluation criteria, and decision-making processes would improve trust for adopters and help ensure that placement decisions are made in a way that benefits both animals and families.
ReganDRyan
Has gone to H___ in a hand basket.
I’ve used Petfinder for years WTF happened. The site/app is is horrid. The IT sucks. It gives me cats when I ask for dogs. Gives me pit bulls when I ask for small dogs. What a damn shame. Don’t even bother. I spent hours trying and gave up. Can’t believe purina screwed them so badly. Total waste of time.
Joanna Karlinsky
Looking for a pup in my area
Looking for a pup in my area, Amy is a foster mom for petfinder, who went above and beyond to try and match me with a future pet. We live in a northern area where there are not a lot of choices. Really appreciate her guidance.
Cindi Knipfer
Judgmental and Rude
The adoption service people are very judgmental and are not familiar with dog breeds. Pretty sad for adoption service. Unprofessional and down right RUDE. They think they know everything and everybody. Please do not use this service. They will not update as well.
Deborah Thompson
Awful app
This app is the most frustrating I have ever encountered. It directed me to change my password 3 times. Every time I did, the app did not recognize the new password. There are dogs and cats depending on being adopted. This app not only doesn't facilitate that, but it alienates its users who are forced to give up. It's 2025. Do better for these animals. The kitten I wanted was unattainable and I finally had to give up. I dont know which stuffed shirt talked you in to this app, but they should be fired. I know I'm not the only one. Again....do better
Michelle Hofacre
Website doesn’t work properly
I normally don’t write reviews but I just had to. The website NEVER WORKS. I have tried to like it but it keeps freezing or not loading properly. I have tried to add pets to my favorites but it won’t do it, and when I think it did, I would open up my favorites and they were not added. There are a BUNCH of pets listed that don’t have photos of them which I feel should be required. It is a shame because I do feel like the website has potential.
Anonymous
Worst app Ever!
Every time I use this app, same photo 3 or 4 times... The filter doesn't work. Put in miles and it sends me to Canada for a pet. Garbage! Worst app!
anonymous
BEWARE!
I regret not checking the reviews before using PetFinder who advertise vetting of all the shelters who utilize them but I don’t believe it. This is the first and last time I will use an online pet service. Having owned pets my entire life I tend to focus on animals needing a forever home. Too many homeless pets to consider financing breeders. I recently lost my cat and having had no luck with the two local shelters where I live (the demand for indoor pets far exceeds the availability here) I turned to PetFinders. I chose two private rescue “sanctuaries” within southern Az and applied for a small dog from both of them. The application process was extensive for both, adoption fees ridiculously high and transparency was one sided. They require to know everything about me but provide nothing from themselves except photos of needy animals and market strictly for donation. One delayed me for two weeks, charged an application fee and demanded I meet them at a park location. No facilities or legitimate social media or website information. The other required less processing but were dishonest on their pet description (age, housebroken etc.) I was given an address to go to 65 miles from my home. When I arrived I discovered the location, the owners and what few animals I saw were dirty and lacking even the basics… water bedding or housing facilities. I asked to see the other small dogs advertised but was not permitted. The little dog I adopted was dirty smelly and her breath reeked. I was told she was 3 years old but her muzzle is white, she is housebroken but won’t use a pee pad or go outside. She’d just had a litter of pups and I suspect was being used as a breeder for a long time. I paid $300, brought her home but cannot believe this is an approved shelter facility as Petfinder advertises. The place was a literal dump yet the owner had a very expensive motorcycle he was sitting on along with a surly attitude. The other Sanctuary is run by anonymous owners, with no location listed doesn’t do home visits but wants photos and references. It appears they house their pets all over the State and will only do a meet and greet at a Tucson park. The fees are ridiculously high for animals essentially unadoptable by most standards. They are playing on people’s sympathies without any accountability or transparency of themselves. The whole entity smells of deceptive practices and should be investigated.
Robin Potter
Pet Finders and many other animal…
Pet Finders and many other animal rescue applications are ridiculous and an invasion of privacy. We are a retired couple with many family members in our lives. Someone is always home and we can well afford to care for any animal that we’ve had and we’ve had numerous animals and take very good care of them.In our opinion if a person answers all the questions PetFinder asks they opening themselves to theft and harm.Some people who work and/or volunteer at animal shelters have questionable pasts. Not all by any means but definitely some. We know this for a fact. To answer all the questions on animal rescue/shelters, you are giving private information to the questionable few. We won’t do that.So, this loving couple are unable to help animals that need a good home, all because of this invasive adoption questionnaire.Most of the questions required are little to no help in finding qualified homes for these poor animals.Think about all of the above before you complete their applications. You are better to be safe then sorry.
Karen Hagener
The Petfinder site is just awful
The Petfinder site is just awful. Supposedly, they've just improved it, yet it's actually worse, not better. It's almost impossible to change choices we've made in our profile even though we want to. And there's no way to indicate that we would consider TWO types of dogs (e.g., adult and senior). We can only choose one of those. It's just horrible. And, it's slow.
Tom Lutzy
Petfinder for 10+ years had offered a…
Petfinder for 10+ years had offered a API for non profit organizations and shelters to list their adoptable animals on their website as well as on Petfinder.Petfinder recently decided to give 2 weeks notice to inform they would be deprecating their API in favor of a widget. You could reach out for more technical solutions in which I did to see if the current or new API could be leveraged to which I was told no.So their widget is in progress, offers no real solution for shelters who have been using their API for years to help find homes for animals and opted to give less than 2 weeks to find a solution which isn't feasible for so many given that they are volunteers.The widget is a terrible user experience, taking visitors from your shelter site and bringing them back to Petfinder then only to select a pet to adopt and bouncing you back to the website you started from. The whole process is a mess and the development team at Petfinder should be ashamed at the lack of notice, no real solution and lying about their "widget" being more user friendly which it's not. They effectively broke so many shelters adoption flows as a result and one can't help but think it's due to the Purina takeover and large corporate oversight.Our shelter is in the process of creating our own API system now as a result and won't be bothering to utilize their widget going forward as it offers a sub par experience.
Madswede
Petfinder merged with Purina.
Petfinder merged with Purina. What more needs to be said? Corporate plays on the emotions of potential adopters. While PF used to be a respected rescue site, it has now become just another commercial enterprise trying to source your data.You literally cannot even search for a pet w/o forking over all your demographics to Purina. When you try to log back into PF, there is a bombardment of Purina spam. It is absolutely nauseating. In addition, of all the corporations I will Never support, Purina is at the top of my list.The products are just horrible.
Sandie
Why must they lie
Why must they lie? I was looking for an elderly neglected dog in my hometown here in Maine to adopt and up came an 11 year old dog named 'Larry' listed as being only 6 miles away. I immediately applied just to find out he was in South Carolina. I stuck by Larry and they accepted my application, told me that he recently had surgery and will contact me as he makes progress. Patiently waiting and never heard back so I searched the internet. They listed him in November just to find out he was adopted in October. I am furious and will contact the Better Business Bureau. Also several humane societies from across the country told me that they don't even look at Petfinder applications. Don't use their site!!! Big mistake.
shred
Not impressed with this app or the…
Not impressed with this app or the adoption process in general. After my dog of 16 years passed away I tried to find another companion through adoption as there are so many dogs in need of a home. I have had no success, no responses to any inquiries over the dogs I have been interested in.... so looks like I will have to go to a breeder after all.
Olivia
Got to be a Scam
This site has to be a scam or a front for something else. Nobody ever gets back to you about any animal. You end up waiting for weeks only to find you wasted your time. I think they only want to get your data to resell it of get you onto an email list of never ending next steps.
Arpad Csorba
Saw a picture online of a puppy
Saw a picture online of a puppy, called about the puppy and she said to apply now which I did. I supplied all the information and my vet information. I also called my vet to let them know petfinder was going to call. From what I was told, they had 75 applications which was a lot. I would definitely use petfinder again because of the care they took. My puppy was transported all the way from Texas to Virginia. Wishing all the best in your search!!
Pamela Grimes Kida
This place is worthless
This place is worthless, I tried to get 3 different cats at different places..all responded with, they don't have that cat. Or you live too far away (I live 1 1/2 hour away.) Wad told to find a local shelter. Duh. I did and they don't have any cats. Worthless waist of time and Temu and purina adds in it..scam!
Judith Mueller
I do not believe Petfinder is a…
I do not believe Petfinder is a legitimate company. I have applied for several dogs that were listed, but I've always been denied. This for a period of over a year. I do not trust that the dogs listed are really available. Not satisfied with Petfinder and will purchase a dog from a breeder.
Stephanie Heckert
Petfinder is NOT Concerned About Helping Rescues Find Homes
Petfinder makes it difficult to impossible to list a foster animal. They make the process so difficult that they frustrate small rescues that are overwhelmed and just trying to help home rescues. We applied and sent every document they required. They take days to respond and then tell you something else you have to do for the process. We gave them our application for adoption which meets all of their requirements and they sent us an email saying our spay neuter policy wasn't good enough. When I replied in frustration and quoted our policy and asked them why they take so long to reply and make the process so difficult, this was their response: "We have determined that your group is not eligible for Petfinder membership at this time. Our Terms of Service state that eligibility for membership is determined at the sole discretion of Petfinder." We expected this response because we finally looked up their reviews because it was such a horrible process for us and their reviews are mostly very bad,
DustyBoo Rescue Crew
Petfinder company is terrible
Petfinder company is terrible. I told them I wanted this dog, but they didn't care at all. Not helpful at all. A waste of time. They did not give me this dog at all. Terrible service. Terrible way to do business. I will never use this company again. I gave them a zero stars rating. I do not recommend it
Rosalie Koire
