Complaint Review: Petfinder.Org

Petfinder is a clearing house, if you will.  It's only a joint database used by many different shelters.  The quality and truthfulness of the information displayed there vary widely.  

We had a successful pet search (I do NOT often use the term "adoption"- Children are adopted permanently by a family and become legal heirs.)   many years ago using Petfinder. On another occasion, the same shelter put down the animal we were looking at before we could finalize the transaction, and on another occasion, the same shelter refused to let us have a pet (even though we have fostered and still foster for other organizations!) 

Each shelter/rescue on Petfinder is a different entity with different rules, and even the same shelter may have new employees/volunteers and may not be a professional, stable organization.  I'm not sure that Petfinder does any kind of due diligence to guarantee that the shelters that advertise there are what they say they are OR that they are professionally managed.  I'm not even sure if all the rescues there have to be recognized non-profit charities.

Unfortunately, the person looking for a pet on Petfinder MUST do the due diligence themselves and be prepared to encounter some roadblocks and unprofessional behavior.  We've been involved with a number of rescuers and I can honestly tell you that there ARE some shelters/rescues out there who are NOT really in the business of finding homes for pets.  At the worst, there are cases of glorified, legal hoarding where the rescue personnel think THEY are the only people who can properly care for animals.  They WILL find some reason to reject almost every application.  There are even people working in these that would rather see an animal put to sleep than go to what THEY consider to be a sub-standard home. I think this is worse in private-foundation rescues (without a board) and in personal rescues that are not tax-exempt, as these have less oversight, but we encountered it in a public shelter.

If you are dealing with a non-profit animal rescue and you are denied a pet for what you feel to be a trivial reason, I would take the matter to the non-profit's board of directors.   If you truly feel that a non-profit rescue is charging ridiculous adoption fees or is really hoarding and NOT placing animals, you ultimately could probably report them to the IRS for not fulfilling their exempt purpose (that of rehoming animals.) This could result in them losing their tax-exempt status.

I am going to copy and paste my very short email correspondence with PetFinder to illustrate why I will not consider adopting through this nonprofit in the future:

Hello,

My family has 2 miniature schnauzers who were recently
diagnosed with heart murmurs and have probably less than a year to live.
So I was looking for a miniature schnauzer to adopt and came across
Snookie. I live with my mother and father in Tupper Lake, NY. I am
female and would be the primary caregiver for Snookie. I am wondering if
she is still available and if she has papers certifying she is a
purebred and whether or not she is fixed and vaccinated. Also, what
price, if any, are you asking for Snookie.


Thank you,
Erin B.

Response email:

We are a dog rescue not a dog shop. I am insulted that you have the
BALLS to ask for pure breed papers.  Please do not email my group again,
i will consider this harassment.

By the way everybody's acting, you'd think nobody here ever took a basic Personal Law class or even watched an episode of Judge Judy! Yes, while Petfinder.com/Petfinder.org is not responsible for the availability of each and every animal in each and every shelter, they are responsible for letting their users know this. Nobody has any insight into the inner workings of PetFinder besides PetFinder. For all we know, each shelter could be electronically linked to the PetFinder mainframe and when a pet's microchip is scanned and their information is changed it updates the information in the system. Without any intimate knowledge of their operations, any reasonable person would deduce that a company as popular as PetFinder would have a way to keep track which animals are no longer available. If they can't be bothered to update frequently, then they shouldn't be in the business.

Anyway, Cathy, I agree with you. It's not that hard for PetFinder to put up a disclaimer that all pets may not be available because status updates come from each shelter. This is basic business, you ALWAYS have a disclaimer about the services you provide, it protects you from being sued. Really, if someone has decided to sue over this, the judge would have ruled for a disclaimer to be put up, effective now, and pain and suffering compensation at the least. At the worst, there could be a class action suit since they are misrepresenting themselves and personally have the knowledge that they can't update but don't let the users know this.

In the end, I'm happy you found a new cat to adopt, Cathy, and I'm sure both you and your pet will lead a happy life.

This really isn't Petfinders fault. It was the shelter who told you that information and who did not set up the properly for you to adopted your cat. Even if they did have a disclaimer that said problems can occur and not all adoptions go smoothly that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen. Not just any old person with an animal to give away can post on Petfinder. I am a worker for this woman who is on Petfinder (she needed to get paper work and pay a fee to become an official foster home and to post on Petfinder), she fosters cats and so do we. If someone e-mails us interested in a cat we contact them right away and ask them to come to the house for an interview. At the interview we make them sign a contract and another form with all their information. We also give all the information about the cat, the cost of the adoption fee, and the process of adopting. And yes that woman asking you to fill out that form was not a loan it was a standard form to learn more about you. Your unwillingness to fill out that form only tells them that you are not interested enough in truly adopting this animal. Of course people can lie on the form but there is a simple solution: check ups. Which is what we do, once the cat goes into the home we will make them update us and even check out the house. You had a bad experience but that happens, you should have a healthy caution of people but if they ask you to fill out a simple form and you complain about it, don't expect to go anywhere. And instead of just complaining here it wouldn't hurt to file a complaint with Petfinder (if you haven't done so already).

If you really want a cat you can contact me and I'll give you the link to our foster site on Petfinder (it's in New York though), because we have to deal with many people who are not qualified because they refuse to pay the fee (which covers the medical bills), they want to take the cat home right when they get there, or they adopt somewhere else after saying that they didn't want to pay the fee yet went to a shelter where they had to pay a fee anyways. So yeah, the ones who want to adopt are not the only victims here but I don't blame Petfinder.

This really isn't Petfinders fault. It was the shelter who told you that information and who did not set up the properly for you to adopted your cat. Even if they did have a disclaimer that said problems can occur and not all adoptions go smoothly that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen. Not just any old person with an animal to give away can post on Petfinder. I am a worker for this woman who is on Petfinder (she needed to get paper work and pay a fee to become an official foster home and to post on Petfinder), she fosters cats and so do we. If someone e-mails us interested in a cat we contact them right away and ask them to come to the house for an interview. At the interview we make them sign a contract and another form with all their information. We also give all the information about the cat, the cost of the adoption fee, and the process of adopting. And yes that woman asking you to fill out that form was not a loan it was a standard form to learn more about you. Your unwillingness to fill out that form only tells them that you are not interested enough in truly adopting this animal. Of course people can lie on the form but there is a simple solution: check ups. Which is what we do, once the cat goes into the home we will make them update us and even check out the house. You had a bad experience but that happens, you should have a healthy caution of people but if they ask you to fill out a simple form and you complain about it, don't expect to go anywhere. And instead of just complaining here it wouldn't hurt to file a complaint with Petfinder (if you haven't done so already).

If you really want a cat you can contact me and I'll give you the link to our foster site on Petfinder (it's in New York though), because we have to deal with many people who are not qualified because they refuse to pay the fee (which covers the medical bills), they want to take the cat home right when they get there, or they adopt somewhere else after saying that they didn't want to pay the fee yet went to a shelter where they had to pay a fee anyways. So yeah, the ones who want to adopt are not the only victims here but I don't blame Petfinder.

In response to several replies:

First of all, there is no one who has adopted FROM finder.com/org Petfinder is merely a directory listing of shelters and rescue groups. I'm not sure if they screen groups or not.

It's not uncommon for rescue groups to require detailed applications. They're trying to make sure the animals don't end up back in a shelter. Yes, there are some rescue groups that are so stringent that no one could adopt from them, but they're a rareity.

A word of caution to anyone utilizing the classifieds there to place an animal: DON'T. The only responses you'll get are something along the lines of "bunchers" or worse.

This email is in reponse to Cee's comment. I am requesting the name of the pet finder organization, address (minumum of a street), city and state and if available, a phone number with area code of this organization. If you do not feel comfortable publicly giving the information, you can email it directly to my email address: ********************** ((( ROR REDACTED E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR SECURITY PURPOSES ))))

Sincerely,
Veneta

Suzi-Q is the dog we found on Petfinder and drove a total of 1,000 to adopt and bring home. After finding her on Petfinder, I contacted the shelter in TN, talked to the volunteer via telephone (whom I found quite nice), filled out the application (which was long but I did not have problem with). My husband and I were both extensively interviewed via telephone and e-mail (which we had no problem with), and then 2 weeks later drove from Chicago, IL to Tennesee to pick up our new doggies. She is a loving mix of Great Pyraneese and Border Collie. She was an angel in our suv, along with our other large dog (also Pyraneese mix). The last 2 hours home we were in a severe snowstorm and I held her in my lap.

Cathy: my point is this...it is YOUR responsibility to give shelters any info they want if you really want to find a pet that you can adopt and love the rest of its life. They ask questions for a reason. A good reason.

My husband and I feel fortunate to have found such a loving dog and we enjoy telling people how we traveled nearly 1,000 miles total to adopt her.

Adopting an animal is not about US but about the ANIMAL and saving its life and giving it a good, loving home.

I praise all the other who have adopted.

I have worked with several shelters that are listed on PetFinders and I have adopted a cat through one of them. First, I would never choose to adopt an animal that was 200 miles away. You can search anywhere on the site, but you can also choose to search just your area. I don't see anything wrong with the application, most places have very extensive applications to adopt pets. It's there way of making sure that you are going to give the animal a good home.
Petfinders simply offers a site to let you search for a pet. The actual adoption goes through the shelter or individual offering the adoption. Any problems that you have should be addressed with thoe offering the adoption, not the site that simply lets you find them.

I have a cat advertised on petfinder, and have received two inquiries on him. It is not up to petfinder to approve/deny his placement for me, but up to me as a loving, caring person. I take in strays and find them new homes when an owner does not come forth to claim them. Of the two responsed I have received thus far, one is in Canada, so no, this cat will not be going out of the country. The other response was of a dubious nature, so no, this cat will not be going there, either. as for a large asking price, I am only requesting $15, which will be given to a local shelter, and I asked that if the adopting party cannot at ny time keep Misters Whisters, that he be returned to me, and they would be refunded the $15 from my own pocket. So, not everyone on petfinder is bad, and I'm not stating that to anyone in particular, but just stating it. Thanks for reading.

P.S. Sorry for any typos... my keyboard sticks at times, and I will be purchasing a new one soon. :)

I've adopted 2 animals off of Petfinder in the last few years and its been great. Many of the shelters who advertise on Petfinder have a disclaimer that says you should call and make sure the animal you are inquiring about is still available. Its not up to PetFinder to make that disclaimer. Also if you don't like the shelters there's the "classified ads' section where individuals post their pets for adoption, which is how I adopted my dogs. PetFinder is just an open space for shelters to advertise and they have no liability as to the shelters who use their domain.

First let me say that it is unfortunate that you spent $300 on cat supplies for a cat that you wanted 200 miles away. At least they emailed you before you actually drove the 200 miles. My guess is that the next cat you adopt won't mind that the supplies were meant for ANOTHER cat!
I do have to ask this question though, how can you want an animal that you have never met? Just curious.

I have been involved in rescue for 15 years and have worked at an animal shelter for 7 years. We, as animal care givers, have the ultimate responsiblity to the animal to find responsible homes. Using an application is pretty much a STANDARD method of acquiring information from someone that wants to adopt. Applications are fair, in other words, EVERYONE has to fill one out so there is no discrimination. It helps the shelter/rescue group determine which pet would be best for your particular family/home.
If you live in an apartment and no one is home all day and you want a barking Basset Hound, then your neighbors are going to complain. If you have little kids and the dog you want hates kids then someone is going to get bit. Where do these animals end up?

We want to find homes for the animals in our care but we want to find GOOD RESPONSIBLE HOMES. We are not talking about finding a home for a TV or car here. They are living, breathing, feeling creatures and we are responsible for what kind of home we put them in. Most of the time, the animal has already had an irresponsible home.

To not ask for a completed application would make us no better than the people handing out free puppies in the Walmart parking lot...they just need to "get rid of 'em cuz their mama dog got pregnant again" and they don't care who takes them. Could be feeding the pups to a snake for all they care.

PETFINDER has been a Godsend to all the homeless animals. It has truly been a life saver. Petfinder is not at fault here.

You have a right to be disappointed that someone else adopted the cat you wanted, but never met, and therefore never bonded with. But don't blame Petfinder.

But you should be happy for the cat... that he/she found a wonderful home (probably because of Petfinder) and did not have to die in room number 9 like millions of others across this country because of irresponsible homes that do not spay and neuter. There are hundreds of homeless cats out there close to where you live. Go adopt another cat and give it a great home. VOICE your anger towards the people who abuse animals and breed irresponsibly and puppy and kitten mills. THEY are the bad guys.

Walk in our shoes to understand why we ask questions. See it for yourself and it will be clear. Volunteer at your local shelter.

First of all, Petfinder is just a gathering house for the humane societies. However, I must say that through Petfinder I got in touch with a wonderful organization here from which I adopted our beautiful cat. The organization was so helpful that I have been making donations and trying to help out whenever I can.

I too, have problems with a group on Petfinder. I am currently in a lawsuit with a rescue group. I adopted an animal that I found on the site. 3 weeks after I had the animal in my home, they decide that my home is unfit. They said that my male dog is a danger to the new dog. They are suing me for hundreds of dollars and I am suing them for the dog back. They knew I had a male dog from my application and from the home visit. How did my home go from a "well loved home" to a danger within days?

I will not use Petfinder anymore. I will only use my vet or local shelter to adopt (when I adopt again). No more will rescue groups get my donations, only shelters ran by the district.

I have to tell you, I run into people like you to often and it makes my job so much harder when I deal with someone that is screaming at me over something so minor. Ok great you want your pet, go to your local shelter. Don't bother the web folks, it is obviously not working for you. Personaly you are sending up so many red flags it's scary. I would be very hesitant to adopt out to you. Animals come in and animals leave, as a rescue I have many people that inquire about each animal, some I've had as many as several hundred emails on one animal.

The first person with a completed/approved app, gets the animal, minding it's also the right person for it. So someone like you comes along you want the animal but you drag your feet and when you show it's gone so your all mad about it. And also $150 for two mustangs is darned cheap, considering the state sells them for $150 each. My bottom dollar adoption fee is $350 and it varies depending on my expenses into each individual. I have to geld them it's another $150, my vet charges me $164 so your getting the deal, not me. Coggins and health to leave state add another $100. So to me, $150 for 2 horses, that's the deal of the century. And your whining, I just don't get it.

I got into this site again because of the automatic notice that my comments had been posted and I thought I should read the rest of the thread.

Upon reading between the lines, I think what we have here is a person who in the judgement of experienced animal welfare people is not a good pet adopter, who was TURNED DOWN by all the local shelters, and had to turn to the internet to find some less experienced group to take advantage of. Beware of anyone wanting to adopt a pet through the internet or from out-of-town. There may be a very good reason they cannot adopt closer to home. Certainly a person who objects to a standard adoption form and standard background checks probably has something to hide.

So she found a less experienced group to adopt from and she SAYS all is fine. That's HER opinion, of course.

I advertise with Petfinders. I do not return calls for kittens after the kittens have been adopted. I get 12 calls a day and it costs money on my cell phone. I don't owe you a useless call to say, "All gone".

Petfinders is just a big electronic bulletin board to facilitate finding homes for animals. The people advertising there work our butts off to save animal's lives, not to cater to some whim of someone who does not care that the animal found a good home, but only about finding the "perfect" TOY for themselves. Whoever comes to offer a good home first gets the animal, any other way and the animal loses. We do not provide this service for PEOPLE, it is for the animals!

And, frankly, any reputable pet adoption group, local or on the internet, would never adopt to someone who gave a pet up in the past. We look for forever homes for our animals which is what they deserve. I have a policy that I will never adopt to people who want "a cat to match the couch." There are millions of pets needing homes and if you were a good pet owner you would learn how to love whichever one needs a home the most. You would never need to drive 200 miles to adopt a pet when there are thousands if not millions right on your own doorstep needing a home. If you can't be happy with one of those, you can't be happy with a pet, because no pet, nor human is perfect, especially not you!

Petfinder.com is a WONDERFUL service offered to anyone looking for a pet with access to the internet. Petfinder can focus All of the homeless pets across the country into one site... so if you are looking for an unusual breed, but don't want to patronize the breeders and would rather rescue a dog who might not otherwise get a home, petfinder can find it for you.

I am the contact person for a shelter in Missouri. I am the one who recieves inquirys about the animals in our shelter from petfinder.com. I can tell you that I do my best to keep up with them all.

I can also say that ALL shelters and rescue groups require an application like the one posted by CATHY to be filled out. In many cases, it is state law. As a shelter, we will not let ANY animal go out the door to someone who is not ready or able to care for a pet. If Cathy cannot deal with the application proceedure that is used in order to adopt, then it does not sound like she needs to be adopting.

To Cathy,
The form you posted on this site and complained about is used with many different adoption agencies not just Petfinders. In May of 2003, my husband and I went to our local Petsmart to an adoption day with the Lost and Found Dog Rescue League. We fell in love with a little black and white dog that they had named Holly. They said she was a Rat terrier but she ended up being a Smooth Coat Jack Russell, we already have a male rough coat Jack Russell mix and were looking for a companion for him. The form we had to fill out was identical to what you had to fill out. Our adotion fee was 200.00. Did we think that was outragous? NO! Because they had spayed her and given her all of her shots. She came to us completely healthy and ready to go. By the way she was listed on Petfinders but with no picture because she was just processed the day before!!!

It is a situation of first come first serve basis. While we were filling out the application another family came to see "Holly" and were told she was being adopted at that time. It is not Petfinders fault at all. You take your chances with them, which is why we went to the local adoption that was close to our home. These agencies care very much about these animals that they are placing because many like Holly have come from abuse, neglected homes and they do not want the animal to be put into the same situation. They also want to make sure you understand the care needed for the animal. We were specifically asked certain questions as to diseases that dogs may get and how they can get them. If we did not know the answers we could not adopt! It is basic dog ownership knowledge that you would know thru owning a dog and taking to a vet on a regular basis for vacinations. And yes the do follow up on how things are going afterwards. We had 4 phone calls from the agency to see how Holly was fitting in with our other dog Felix which was perfect. I can tell you that if we had a bigger place we would adopt again for another terrier to add to our family. This was a wonderful experience and knowing that they cared about the animal to follow up, make sure they were vaccinated and had been spayed or neutered prior to placement meant a lot to us.
You do not seem to be the type of person that really wants to have a cat. It is more than just a pet, these animals become part of your family and need to be treated as such. Filling out these forms should just be a breeze to you and not a big thing!

Fur kids mom

I just went through a similar experience that the original author is speaking of and I too went back to PetFinder.com and asked them if they would do something to make sure to warn people to be careful of those who are advertising on the site. I know, I know. It's up to us to be responsible for ourselves. But I can only speak for myself. When I got to the site, my eyes were full of stars...all I was thinking was "I'm going to get my doggy!" oh boy. I wasn't thinking, "ok, be careful" you are about to be making a decision that involves another human being and humans are inclined to abuse, ripoff and take advantage of each other...even over dogs! So I didn't take care. I didn't watch the red flags. I was ripped of for the $200 adoption fee and they took the dog back all within 5 days. The rescue place misrepresented the dog in the ad. My honest feeling as I look back is they were only out to get my money and used the dog to get it. I'm sad I lost the money. Sad I was that stupid not to see it coming. And especially sad I still don't have a dog. This woman is still free to "do it" to another unsuspecting dog lover who no doubt will be contacting her on via Petfinder.com.
No, it's not PetFinders.coms fault. But, there must be a way to warn pet lovers. For example, in our local paper, they always post a warning about in the dog and cats column. Even though we all know we should beware, it's nice that it's there because everytime I look at those ads, I glance over that warning and it reminds me to be careful...that's all...just a little help Petfinder.com...otherwise it's a wonderful service and I will be using it again...just being way more careful. If not for us stupid humans...pets would all have it alot better in this world. :)

I am glad so many people have had great luck with Pet Finder or should I say so many pets had great luck. To Cee glad you found the cat you wanted. To address your concern... I have a life, a devoted man, a loving family AND a shelter of my own I run, but thanks for your suggestion. I in no way meant for you to feel hated, just pitied and viewed in a proper light. If you really wish for the same thing to happen to all that think you were a bit naive... Well anyway I hope this new cat is everything you were hoping for.

I RECENTLY ADOPTED A LABRADOR RETRIEVER FROM PET FINDERS. I WAS AMAZED AT HOW ORGANIZED THIS AGENCY IS. THE DOG WAS ACCURATELY DESCRIBED, HE WAS DELIVERED ON TIME FROM ALABAMA. UPON HIS DELIVERY I RECEIVED AN ENVELOPE WITH HIS MEDICAL HISTORY AND PAPERS. I HAVE NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY. IF ONLY FOR PROFIT COMPANIES RAN AS GOOD AS THIS VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATION RAN.

I sent this complaint in last year after a very traumatic experience. I hope the same thing happens to those who have been abusive in their 2 year old immatuure comments.

I saw a cat I wanted. I went and got it. If there had been a cat I wanted locally I would have gotten it. I could have bought one if I wanted, but wanted to adopt an adult spayed animal.

Don't send me anymore of your stupid sick puppy animal shelter advice or comments. Take what I said as the way it is with volunteers who have mixed signals in what they are doing.

To Allyson in Tx. get a life. Anyone sitting at home at this time of night harrassing people about stuff like this has -0- going on but HATE!

Go meet a man or something. Run an animal shlter yourself.

This is for Cathy and anyone else who believes the fault ALWAYS lies with others. Use some common sense. Why should they hold an animal for you? If you gave them a credit card over the phone how would the even know it was yours? If you "promised" to be on your way how do they know you'll show up? If you think it is so easy to run a animal shelter why don't you volunteer? If the web site is at fault and it's so bad, make a new one. Since choosing an animal is so impersonal to you, you should be great at it. Maybe you might understand that ALL people have faults and things happen. You might be the best cat person in the world, but not knowing you I would never turn down a guaranteed home for a cat in the hopes you are a person of your word and will be there when you said you would. You need to understand it's not about you. When you do that, you might use some common sense and realize a third party can never make a guaranty about something they have no control over. If you were on that web site and a pop up ad about refinancing came up and you took advantage of the offer only to be turned down is it the web site's fault? By your mind set it must be.

Unlike the rest of these people I'm not sorry you got "ripped off". I'm grateful the cat in queston got a home with someone who they met. Someone who had a connection with him/her that did not involve "I saw you one the web and had to have you." Animals of any sort are not like buying shoes, if they were everyone would be great pet owners, or should I say collectors.

To the lady who has a perfect environment to adopt a lab in Ca. I was a lab rescue person at one time and became burned out because this is the number one breed dog in shelters-

Labs and mixes are overbred for profit and then dumped when they don't sell- I hope look locally and take your time- if you don't limit yourself to a color or purebred, or puppy,you should have dozens of dogs to adopt.

- Most shelters run by the county do not have many qualifications other than the dog be altered with in a certain amount of time. Good luck in your search.

To the first writer who drove 200 miles-most of the shelters and rescues have at least twice as many cats as dogs-

Maybe the person at the end of the phone made a mistake in communications with other workers(it happens)but I can't understand why you would drive so far for a specific cat- when there are so many locally-

The most important issue in rescue is to have the pet altered and to get a permanet home-Some rescues frown of out of towners as they feel they can't follow through on the pet as well- in either case- it is unfortunate this occured.

But the thousands of pets this site has saved outweighs any negative issues that may and will arise from any situation when human error is possible.

To Cathy:
I'm sorry, but your original report was VERY indicative of pity-mongering. I love animals myself and i'd be horribly upset if i had trouble adopting one - but you are grasping every available straw in order to blame Petfinder, and ignoring the numerous other comments from others that Petfinder is merely a "yellow pages" type site that individual animal shelters submit listings to. Would you sue the Yellow Pages because you got bad pizza from one of the listed restaurants?

Petfinder is meant for convenience, but they guarantee NOTHING to anyone, that you will find a pet or that there will be no complications - you cannot expect them to act as judge and jury to those thousands of animal shelters' practices. If you are very desperate to adopt an animal, do as many others have recommended and go to your local shelter - it would be much faster that way. I sincerely hope you have better luck soon when you've calmed down from all of this.

I, too, have been trying for about 4 months to adopt a lab. I have filled out numerous applications and have been deemed unfit to adopt. I am a single mother of a 12 year old girl. I own my own home with a large fenced in yard. We live 2 houses down from a large park in a very nice neighborhood. We have two cats that are both 9 years old. We've had them since they were babies. (Wonderful animals, by the way) My daughter and I have so much love to give the new family member we have so longed for. I bought the crate, the bed, the leash, the bowls, have reservations for private in-home obedience training, had my 5 ft fence made into a 6 ft fence, and bought a new Nissan Pathfinder to accomodate our new family member. Unfit? I'd sell my body on the street to make sure my cats were well taken care of and I'd do the same for any of the dogs that I have tried to adopt. If they at least gave us the courtesy of the home inspection, I'm sure that they would have been more than satisfied that we could provide a warm and loving family environment. However, because I have been given the run-around so many times, I have given up. Too bad. There is one more dog that will be put down due to bad judgement. At this point I think I'd have better luck adopting a child.

I have used Petfinder many times to find a pet I wanted. I started out with goldfish, and since have acquired many exotic and valuable animals, some for pennies on the dollar. Some I am able to resell, some I keep.

Among those me and my brother currently own are a parakeet, a rhesus monkey, a gila monster, seven ferrets, a ptarmigan, a male and female wolverine acquired separately which we hope to breed, and a badger.

As soon as we get a tank built and Petfinder.org inspects it we will have a manatee. Among those we have been able to sell are a golden eagle, a boa constrictor with a litter of rabbits (for food, I guess), an orangutan, sea monkeys, a lobster, a quarterhorse (to a glue factory) and a lynx. It's better than eBay!

To Petfinder's credit, they don't sell to just anyone as the original poster proved. My cousin Boner had orders in for several small critters but they found out he attended Black Masses.

Hi,

This is Cathy the original author.

All I asked after my experience, was to have PetFinder.org to print a disclaimer to acknowledge the pets that may or may not be available at the time of inquiry.

Also,that Petfinder.Org advise that an application is required for a potential adoptive "parent(s)" qualify for the pet ownership, and make available the application at the site.

When I inquired, neither of these situations were addressed by Petfinder.Org. Had I known this I probably would have dicontinued my search there.

They have responded to this complaint saying they are "not to blame" along with others stating the same thing,taking the defensive regardless of the facts that I have given. However, Petfinder.org has either not read the continued updates to this forum, or has chosen to do nothing about it.

I have been called a bad pet mother,etc. by people who don't even know me.

For those who are so concerned about petfinder.org
and/or petfinder.com enter each in your browser address, and see what you get.

Those that have so much time to devote to comments here, may be computer gurus that can help these humane socities keep there websites updated, and help answer emails for the societies.

To me this is a step in the right direction to keep Humane Societies from losing potential adoptive parent(s) for these animals.

FYI I am now the lucky adoptive parent of a Beautiful Persian cat that is really sweet, enjoys being in my home, and has the run of the house.

If Petfinders.org will consent to print these disclaimers I am willing to devote my spare time to help update the humane societies inventory of pets, and help answer the emails. ARE YOU? If not make no more comment on this complaint as I am pretty tired of responding.

Have a good evening ladies,

Cathy

First off, Petfinder.com and Petfinder.org *ARE* the same thing. They take you to the same website. That is what Cathy is using. If she were using PetfinderS.org, she would find cats in a California shelter that would then forward her to Petfinder.com, where they list their animals too. Apples = Apples.

After reading your last comment Cathy, you cannot possibly blame Petfinder.com for your problems. You are treating the adoption of a living, breathing being with a soul and a personality like it is some used piece of furniture that you are taking off of someone's hands. The foster parent has every right to ask you to fill out the application. She is right, it is shorter than most forms. It is obvious that you are difficult to work with and have probably shown that attitude in your dealings with these pet sanctuaries. I wouldn't give you a pet rock to take care of...and it is obvious that you have never had a cat in the past. No responsible cat owner would refuse to fill out an application for adoption. It is industry standard. All reputable breeders and shelters have the same form.

I can only hope that you can find a houseplant that is suited to your unbelievably selfish needs.

I have three things to say:

1) To the person who noted that petfinder.org is different than petfinder.com: They point to the same website.

2) To the person who was denied because of kids: I volunteer for a local animal rescue and often review adoption applications. I have in the past denied an applicant because they have younger kids. I try to explain when this happens that it is not that they would be bad pet owners, but the particular dog they were interested in would not do well in an environment with kids. With some dogs, the risk of bites becomes too great. If the animal has shown any signs of aggression towards kids, I won't allow that dog to be adopted to a home with kids. That's not to say that I wouldn't adopt this other dog over here to that very same family. We try to match a dog personality to the new family's personality.

3) To Cathy: As mentioned above, I volunteer with a local rescue. We are staffed entirely by volunteers. We don't make a profit from our adoption fees. Pet care is expensive. We have an application very similar to what you posted later. We use petfinder.org to get additional exposure to the world. We have no other affiliation with petfinder.org, and petfinder should not be blamed for a rescue/shelter's mixup. As for the organization, have you ever tried to have accountability with a volunteer? They are a volunteer, not a paid employee. As for your purchase of all that cat stuff, won't that still be useful for any cat you adopt? I personally don't think any animal should be adopted without an in person meeting. It's also very difficult to pass up a good adoption on the promise of someone to come next week. We've had many people say they will drive from Denver (60 miles) to the adoption fair on Saturday, but they never show up. I would be very sceptical of someone driving 200 miles.

You might have tried the "info" link from the navigation bar on the left. There the describe that the individual rescue/shelter is responsible for maintaining their portion of the database. They describe what they do. The individual rescue/shelter is fully responsible for replies and adoption criteria.

I think petfinder.org provides a wonderful service to the country.

I have three things to say:

1) To the person who noted that petfinder.org is different than petfinder.com: They point to the same website.

2) To the person who was denied because of kids: I volunteer for a local animal rescue and often review adoption applications. I have in the past denied an applicant because they have younger kids. I try to explain when this happens that it is not that they would be bad pet owners, but the particular dog they were interested in would not do well in an environment with kids. With some dogs, the risk of bites becomes too great. If the animal has shown any signs of aggression towards kids, I won't allow that dog to be adopted to a home with kids. That's not to say that I wouldn't adopt this other dog over here to that very same family. We try to match a dog personality to the new family's personality.

3) To Cathy: As mentioned above, I volunteer with a local rescue. We are staffed entirely by volunteers. We don't make a profit from our adoption fees. Pet care is expensive. We have an application very similar to what you posted later. We use petfinder.org to get additional exposure to the world. We have no other affiliation with petfinder.org, and petfinder should not be blamed for a rescue/shelter's mixup. As for the organization, have you ever tried to have accountability with a volunteer? They are a volunteer, not a paid employee. As for your purchase of all that cat stuff, won't that still be useful for any cat you adopt? I personally don't think any animal should be adopted without an in person meeting. It's also very difficult to pass up a good adoption on the promise of someone to come next week. We've had many people say they will drive from Denver (60 miles) to the adoption fair on Saturday, but they never show up. I would be very sceptical of someone driving 200 miles.

You might have tried the "info" link from the navigation bar on the left. There the describe that the individual rescue/shelter is responsible for maintaining their portion of the database. They describe what they do. The individual rescue/shelter is fully responsible for replies and adoption criteria.

I think petfinder.org provides a wonderful service to the country.

I have three things to say:

1) To the person who noted that petfinder.org is different than petfinder.com: They point to the same website.

2) To the person who was denied because of kids: I volunteer for a local animal rescue and often review adoption applications. I have in the past denied an applicant because they have younger kids. I try to explain when this happens that it is not that they would be bad pet owners, but the particular dog they were interested in would not do well in an environment with kids. With some dogs, the risk of bites becomes too great. If the animal has shown any signs of aggression towards kids, I won't allow that dog to be adopted to a home with kids. That's not to say that I wouldn't adopt this other dog over here to that very same family. We try to match a dog personality to the new family's personality.

3) To Cathy: As mentioned above, I volunteer with a local rescue. We are staffed entirely by volunteers. We don't make a profit from our adoption fees. Pet care is expensive. We have an application very similar to what you posted later. We use petfinder.org to get additional exposure to the world. We have no other affiliation with petfinder.org, and petfinder should not be blamed for a rescue/shelter's mixup. As for the organization, have you ever tried to have accountability with a volunteer? They are a volunteer, not a paid employee. As for your purchase of all that cat stuff, won't that still be useful for any cat you adopt? I personally don't think any animal should be adopted without an in person meeting. It's also very difficult to pass up a good adoption on the promise of someone to come next week. We've had many people say they will drive from Denver (60 miles) to the adoption fair on Saturday, but they never show up. I would be very sceptical of someone driving 200 miles.

You might have tried the "info" link from the navigation bar on the left. There the describe that the individual rescue/shelter is responsible for maintaining their portion of the database. They describe what they do. The individual rescue/shelter is fully responsible for replies and adoption criteria.

I think petfinder.org provides a wonderful service to the country.

I have three things to say:

1) To the person who noted that petfinder.org is different than petfinder.com: They point to the same website.

2) To the person who was denied because of kids: I volunteer for a local animal rescue and often review adoption applications. I have in the past denied an applicant because they have younger kids. I try to explain when this happens that it is not that they would be bad pet owners, but the particular dog they were interested in would not do well in an environment with kids. With some dogs, the risk of bites becomes too great. If the animal has shown any signs of aggression towards kids, I won't allow that dog to be adopted to a home with kids. That's not to say that I wouldn't adopt this other dog over here to that very same family. We try to match a dog personality to the new family's personality.

3) To Cathy: As mentioned above, I volunteer with a local rescue. We are staffed entirely by volunteers. We don't make a profit from our adoption fees. Pet care is expensive. We have an application very similar to what you posted later. We use petfinder.org to get additional exposure to the world. We have no other affiliation with petfinder.org, and petfinder should not be blamed for a rescue/shelter's mixup. As for the organization, have you ever tried to have accountability with a volunteer? They are a volunteer, not a paid employee. As for your purchase of all that cat stuff, won't that still be useful for any cat you adopt? I personally don't think any animal should be adopted without an in person meeting. It's also very difficult to pass up a good adoption on the promise of someone to come next week. We've had many people say they will drive from Denver (60 miles) to the adoption fair on Saturday, but they never show up. I would be very sceptical of someone driving 200 miles.

You might have tried the "info" link from the navigation bar on the left. There the describe that the individual rescue/shelter is responsible for maintaining their portion of the database. They describe what they do. The individual rescue/shelter is fully responsible for replies and adoption criteria.

I think petfinder.org provides a wonderful service to the country.

For the people who were rejected from adoption, did you ask if your kids were the criteria with which you were disqualified? Just curious. For the record, Petfinder.com has NOTHING to do with qualifying you for adoption of a pet. They merely provide a central spot for humane societies and shelters to list potential adoptees.

Petfinder is not the one to blame if shelters did not get back to you. Consider that some shelters have hundreds of animals that need food, water, some need to be walked, cages, litter boxes and kennels to be cleaned by a limited numbers of paid employees and volunteers. Is it more important to tend to the animal's immediate care or to your email? If you want to adopt a new furry family member, don't do it over the net. Go visit the animals and find the right fit for your family. Better yet, go to the humane society and visit the animals who are scheduled for euthanization.

For Cathy, the original poster...Do you blame the mailman for bringing you a bill? Then why would you blame Petfiner for the actions of a shelter? The fact that you would make a decision about an animal addition to your family based on pictures and descriptions you found on the net tells me that maybe you wouldn't be such a great pet mother to begin with. Your displaced ire is a waste of time. Instead of complaining, why not go volunteer to work at your local shelter. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the pollution.

Petfinder is not to blame for these situations. Lack of responsible pet ownership, leading to a nationwide epidemic of orphaned animals is to blame. Petfinder is simply doing the best they can to help.

I decided to make one final attempt to adopt a pet through the Petfinder.org website. Below are the emails exchanged between myself, and the humane society.

Please read through it as it is backwards as emails are in responses.You then have to decide for yourself if you want to use this web site as a means of attempting to adopt a pet.

Caroline wrote:

Cathy,

Our application is actually far less detailed than many other groups in the area. We ask that everyone fill out an application, whetherthey contactus via e-mail, telephone or in person. THere are many reasons for the application - mainly, assuming that the applicant is honest (and most are), is to make sure that they are the rightmatch for the pet they are inquiring about. We do verify address, if a pet deposit has been paid, if pets are allowed, and we will contact a vet for references. We do not adopt to homes with intact animals, we do not adopt if a pet deposit has not been paid on a rental, we check for previous responsible pet ownership, we only do local adoptions . WE look for a variety of things and sometimes we even do pre adoption home visits.

We ask aboutthe health of the cat for a variety of reasons. If the cat becomes il l with something like URI within 10-14 days of adoption, we do our best to assit with vet bills aAlthough we never guarantee the health of an animal, we do not knowing adopt out sick or exposed pets and we need to know if one does become sick soon afteradoption. If an animal is later diagnosed with something we should have caught, or could be detrimental to othercats in the fosterprogram, its important that we know that.

Dante lives at my house and is part of my family until a new home is found for him. I will do everything I can to ensure that he gets the right home. I am sorry you have had a bad experience before but that is notmy fault. This is our policy and we do not make exceptions to it. If you cannot understand that I have cats interest at heart, and do not want to complete the application, that is fine, but we will not consider adopting to you without it.

Cathy wrote:
This looks like a mortgage loan application. I inquired to adopt a pet. If I was not in a position to do so I would not have contacted you.

I already have had one really bad experience trying to adopt a pet through the internet, after being told by a SC humane society a cat would be held for me for a week until I could come pick her up. I then received an email that the cat had already been adopted, and they would contact me if there was any change. This happened after I offered a credit card deposit. I also spent $300 on Pet Taxi, kitty condo, toys, brushes, food, catnip, and all the extras.

They did not ask me to fill out an application though, this is a new twist.

I also found out that someone else had a bad experience after filling out an application that they were told they were not suitable because they had to give up their dog to a friend when they left the state because the dog had a severe skin rash, and the vet advised not to take the dog to a hot climate. The fact that they had children was also a detriment. They finally went to a local shelter, and adopted.

All I'm willing to say is that there are no negatives in my case that would adversely affect any pet I chose to adopt or purchase.

Let me ask you this? What proof would you have if someone gave false info on their application knowing they in fact had a detrimental to the pet situation, and you did not check it out or investigate the information they submitted? How fair is that to those who have no issues that are not investigated either? Also are you just loaning this cat to me? You ask in the application if I would notify you if the pet develops any health problems or illnesses. Does that mean you will pay the vet bills or take it back?

I'd say that someone who is inquiring on a computer as opposed to a phone call or visiting in person is probably a good indication that they have a middle to upper class life style. Someone who is even willing to adopt a pet get it out of that cage, and care for it probably is a pretty good egg.
----- Original Message -----
From: Caroline
To: Cathy
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 10:53 PM
Subject: Re: Pet for Adoption on Petfinder (Dante Id )


Hi Cathy,

Dante is stil availble and just waiting to go home. His adoption fee is $85 and he is fully vetted for the year. If you are interested, please complete and return the folliwng application.

Name:
Current Address:


Home Phone:


How long have you been at the above address?
Do you own your own home or rent?

Do you live in a House / Apartment / Condo / Mobile Home
/ Duplex /
Townhouse / Friend / Family Member

If rental, are cats/kittens allowed?
How many?
Is pet deposit paid? Yes No
What is your landlords name & phone number?
Why do you want this cat? Gift/Companion/Barn Cat/Friend for another
pet/Breeding/Childs Cat/Family Pet

Are there any children in the home?
If so what are their ages?

Who will be responsible for the daily care of your new cat/kitten?

Are you 18 years of age or older? Yes No

How many people live in your household?
Do you currently own any pets?

If yes, how many cats? their age(s)? How many
other pets?

What is your veterinarians name or the clinic name?
Are your current pets up-to-date on their vaccinations/or
will your
new pets be up-to-date?

Are your pets spayed or neutered or will your new pets be
altered?

If no, why not?

Are your current cats declawed?

Will your new cat(s) be declawed?

Where do your current cats live or where will your new cat(s) live Indoor Outdoor Both


Where do your current cats sleep or where will your new cat(s) sleep? Indoor Outdoor Both

How do you feel about cats living strictly indoors?
How many hours a day will your new cat(s) be left alone?

Would you consider adopting a companion for your
cat/kitten?

What arrangements will you make for your kitty if you need to be away from home overnight?
Boarding Pet Sitting Other, please explain
How will you handle scratching or destructive behavior?

How do you feel about declawing?
Have you ever had to give up a pet before?
If yes, why & what did you do with the animal?
What happened to your most previous cat?
Have you had a cat die on your premises in the last 3 months of Leukemia, Distemper, FIP, or unknown causes?
If yes, please explain cause of death
Are you willing to go to the expense and trouble of taking your new cat to a veterinarian for full preventative and medical care at least once a year?

Is anyone in your household allergic to cats or have asthma?

Will you notify us if the kitty develops any health problems or illnesses at the onset of the problem?

If you are unable to keep your cat for any reason will you return the cat to us?

Cathy wrote:
If he is still available I'd like to take him home.

If I may interrupt everyone here for a while and may notice that Cathy is talking about petfinderS.ORG and everone else is answering her with perfinder.COM!
Read people,those are TWO DIFFERENT websites and organisations!

After several months of seeing the rebuttals come in on my report I thought I would share some info. I was not looking for pity, restitution, criticism, or revenge. I simply stated the facts about my experience with the website owned by Petfinders.org.

Since there is a rebutal from them disclaiming responsibility citing "untrained personnel at the Humane Society" (affiliates), one would think they would have printed a disclaimer at their site that my experience is a potential problem. I was simply reporting an incident
of bad business. This is bad business anyway you look at it, and unfamiliar people visiting this site should be made aware. The fact that other rebuttals that have issued a good experience is a mute point. Whether trained or not a person's word is their bond.

Certainly volunteers would know that.I even offered a credit card deposit on the cat to insure they would hold her, and was told it was not necessary. I used this site as it was a convenient way in order to find a pet that needed a home. I accepted the responsibility for taking a risk that the pet may have issues. The rebutal regarding "need to go to local animal shelters to hold the pet" is not the answer to
discovery of an issue, which is also a mute point.

One would think that PetFinders.Org would use this info as a learning experience to improve
communications regarding their affiliate Humane
Societies to potential adoptive pet owners, or
discontinue referrals to those in any event of this nature.

I also had a bad experience with petfinder.com
We looked into several dogs and emailed the responsible person.From 25 out of 28 we never got an answer, even calls were not returned. The one that did reply found us not to be suited based on the fact that we used to have a dog and had to give him up. We had the dog when we lived up north and he had severe skin allergies so the vet agreed that it would be a bad idea to move him with us to GA. The dog is with a friend of ours and has a good life,so I don't know what those peoples problem is!

Later we made several more attempts to adopt a dog through petfinder and got some responses,all negative,everyone thought that we were not the right people because.........get this....we have KIDS!Well,whatever then.....we gave up and adopted a dog through someone local!

Petfinder.com might not be responsible but the people who advertise there should clean up their act.how can you judge someone through the INTERNET!If you don't even bother doing the home inspection and forget about it!

I've worked with Petfinder in the past and volunteer at a local shelter. I *am* sorry that you lost the pet that you were interested in, but there may be a better way to find your perfect pet. If you look in the yellow pages or on Petfinder, you will find shelters close to your home. You can call ahead and set up a time to go in and meet some kitties who need a home. That way you know the kitty's personality a little better and can make a decision based on the type of pet pal you want. For example, do you want a lap cat or a shadow? An active kitty or a docile adult? It sounds like you have all the things you need to give a cat a great home. I wish you the best and hope you find the perfect companion.

While it is a shame that you had bad luck. It is not petfinder's fault. Petfinder is a site that helps all the rescues as well as individuals get these animals homes so that less will be put to sleep. I am not sure which section you looked in but the classifieds can have some pretty nasty folks on there. BUT there are also some good too As with anything CHECK things out never take thigs at face value. Also they have lists of rescues you can contact in your area ask to visit There are pets in every city and I would venture a bet that the cat you were going 200 miles after there are 10 more in your home town's shelter ready to move to a home before taking that final death march. I would be more then happy to help you search for a pet if you like IN your area BUT I can almost guaruntee if you go to your shelter that will NOT be needed there are just too many in this world put down each day and if not for petfinder and the rescues on it there would be plenty more. I know some act like they are the Rescue Police but there really are some great ones there. Just look past the fanatics and the Power Queens and find the REAL animal lovers there are good and bad in everything you just have to look through the mess to get to them.

Petfinder.com is not responsable for your experience. I personally do the updating on petfinder.com for a shleter in my area, and I am a volunteer. The point of petfinder is to give people an idea of the kinds and types of animals that are available throughout the nation. It is merely a guide, not a catalog. I know my shelter (in NJ) has adopted out animals as far away as New Mexico. I think that you unfortunately contacted some disorganized shelters (and who can blame them, there are so many animals without homes), however, petfinder.com is really not the cause of your problem, the individual shelters are.

I wanted to address two items with regard to this complaint.

1) It was most likely an oversight by a volunteer at the facility in telling you that the animal would be held. Most shelters are staffed by many volunteers and unfortunately, the training for them is not as good as it could be for normal paid employees. They also have the best interests of the animals foremost in their mind which leads me to my second point.

2) Although it is tempting to look online when attempting to adopt or purchase an animal, the online sites cannot guarantee temperament or personality. You may drive 200 miles to find out that the animal you wanted has a personality you can't stand. It is really best to visit local shelters on a regular basis to make sure you can do an interview and hold an animal right away. In addition, babies and purebreeds are quickly adopted, which is why they are seldom held. Imagine if you put a hold on a pet, and then a week later decided you had changed your mind. Now the Humane Society would have to pay for the extra care for that animal (and possibly destroy others that they did not have room for) when their budget is so tight to begin with. That is the reason for the first come first served policy.

Many mixed breed animals are preferable to their purebred counterparts, in temperament and health, not getting many of the genetic predispositions that a purebred would have and since Humane Society's generally do not allow an animal to be bred, I hope you can find another cat that you will love and will love you.

I am anamimal lover and to hear such a thing is just terrible. I too was searching to adopt a pet (dog) in Sept. 2002 and came across petfinder.com I search the by breed and basically was directed to shelters near my area. I located a shelter near me, called them concerning a dog I was interested in and was told to come in because adopting a in person was on a first come first serve basis. I did and he was still there, I was told to fill out a application to see if I qualified to be a apotive parent and I made a donation which covered his neuturing surgery and took him home a week later. I didn't have any problems.

Once again, I am sorry you have a terrible experience but I feel petfinder.com wasn't the one to blame for your incident because it provides you a service of locating shelters (at least the site I went on)that currnetly have the kind of breed and or kid of animal you are seeking to adopt. It must of been the shelter you were looking to adopt from that was not top notch.
Thanks,

I am anamimal lover and to hear such a thing is just terrible. I too was searching to adopt a pet (dog) in Sept. 2002 and came across petfinder.com I search the by breed and basically was directed to shelters near my area. I located a shelter near me, called them concerning a dog I was interested in and was told to come in because adopting a in person was on a first come first serve basis. I did and he was still there, I was told to fill out a application to see if I qualified to be a apotive parent and I made a donation which covered his neuturing surgery and took him home a week later. I didn't have any problems.

Once again, I am sorry you have a terrible experience but I feel petfinder.com wasn't the one to blame for your incident because it provides you a service of locating shelters (at least the site I went on)that currnetly have the kind of breed and or kid of animal you are seeking to adopt. It must of been the shelter you were looking to adopt from that was not top notch.
Thanks,

I am anamimal lover and to hear such a thing is just terrible. I too was searching to adopt a pet (dog) in Sept. 2002 and came across petfinder.com I search the by breed and basically was directed to shelters near my area. I located a shelter near me, called them concerning a dog I was interested in and was told to come in because adopting a in person was on a first come first serve basis. I did and he was still there, I was told to fill out a application to see if I qualified to be a apotive parent and I made a donation which covered his neuturing surgery and took him home a week later. I didn't have any problems.

Once again, I am sorry you have a terrible experience but I feel petfinder.com wasn't the one to blame for your incident because it provides you a service of locating shelters (at least the site I went on)that currnetly have the kind of breed and or kid of animal you are seeking to adopt. It must of been the shelter you were looking to adopt from that was not top notch.
Thanks,