PetFinder.com experience

[noski]

Has anyone used this site to find a pet or find a home for a pet? I am looking for a home for my dog and posted a profile on this website at the suggestion of my veterinarian. I got about 10 emails from people wanting to adopt my dog- but they all made me uncomfortable- like it was one person under many names, with much of the same sentence structure, odd phrasing, etc. Has anyone had experience or know of anyone who had success using this site? I don't think I need to ship my dog to Utah or Dallas.

 

[Grassi21]

Is your dog purebred or mixed? If it is a purebred you may want to seek out a breed specific rescue group (ex. weimaraner, lab etc).

 

[ctenidae]

Too bad you have to give up your dog. That sucks.

As for PetFinder, I've heard good things about them, but I'm sure there are some weirdos that wantto send you a check for $3,000 and you can wire $2500 back to them (like when you try to sell a car). I'd demand they come to you so you can meet them, or keep it local so you can check them out.

 

[SkiDog]

What kinda dog?

M

 

[noski]

Too bad you have to give up your dog. That sucks.

As for PetFinder, I've heard good things about them, but I'm sure there are some weirdos that wantto send you a check for $3,000 and you can wire $2500 back to them (like when you try to sell a car). I'd demand they come to you so you can meet them, or keep it local so you can check them out.

Exactly! I sensed this in a few- they seemed "eager" to send me money right away...
My dog is a 45lb buff colored mutt, 11 healthy years old, needing a more "active" home. He would love to run, or at least go on long daily walks. He has bits of elkhound, terrier, and who knows what else. He is thunder-phobic, so needs to be inside in the event of storm (basement is fine) When I figure out how to post an image, I will edit this post.

Thanks for help. PM if further info is requested. I would like him to stay in the northeast, maybe someone out there knows someone.....

 

[WICKEDBUMPER]

I adopted my dog from a listing I found on Petfinder. I needed a particular pure breed and it took a while for (a) one to be listed and (b) once listed to actually get it. I found it VERY cut throat to get a purebreed. Twice I had dogs lined up where all I had to do was pick them up and by the time I made it to the shelter, they were gone. I was told 30-40 people called after I did trying to adopt my pup. 6 people called for my dog while I was sitting in the office filling out the paperwork. My dog was listed from only 12:30am to 9:00am. I'm not surprised people seem nutty and over anxious. It took 2 months to finally get my dog.

 

[Grassi21]

I adopted my dog from a listing I found on Petfinder. I needed a particular pure breed and it took a while for (a) one to be listed and (b) once listed to actually get it. I found it VERY cut throat to get a purebreed. Twice I had dogs lined up where all I had to do was pick them up and by the time I made it to the shelter, they were gone. I was told 30-40 people called after I did trying to adopt my pup. 6 people called for my dog while I was sitting in the office filling out the paperwork. My dog was listed from only 12:30am to 9:00am. I'm not surprised people seem nutty and over anxious. It took 2 months to finally get my dog.

Interesting. I wonder if they get the same call volume for mixed breeds. I hope they do.

 

[JimG.]

I adopted my dog from a listing I found on Petfinder. I needed a particular pure breed and it took a while for (a) one to be listed and (b) once listed to actually get it. I found it VERY cut throat to get a purebreed. Twice I had dogs lined up where all I had to do was pick them up and by the time I made it to the shelter, they were gone. I was told 30-40 people called after I did trying to adopt my pup. 6 people called for my dog while I was sitting in the office filling out the paperwork. My dog was listed from only 12:30am to 9:00am. I'm not surprised people seem nutty and over anxious. It took 2 months to finally get my dog.

Isn't it easier and less aggravating to visit a breeder for the specific breed you seek?

 

[ALLSKIING]

Exactly! I sensed this in a few- they seemed "eager" to send me money right away...
My dog is a 45lb buff colored mutt, 11 healthy years old, needing a more "active" home. He would love to run, or at least go on long daily walks. He has bits of elkhound, terrier, and who knows what else. He is thunder-phobic, so needs to be inside in the event of storm (basement is fine) When I figure out how to post an image, I will edit this post.

Thanks for help. PM if further info is requested. I would like him to stay in the northeast, maybe someone out there knows someone.....

Is that dog really 45lb? He looks around 60 to 70lb to me.

 

[ctenidae]

Isn't it easier and less aggravating to visit a breeder for the specific breed you seek?

Sometimes (my experience getting our Dogo wasn't easy and it was plenty aggravating), but you don't get to rescue a dog in a bad situation, and sometimes a puppy is not what you want.

 

[Grassi21]

Isn't it easier and less aggravating to visit a breeder for the specific breed you seek?

Money, money, money, money! We paid full price for our first weimaraner. Ouch! Although we would have paid for number two, it was a great relief when our breeder/now friend gave us the dog if we agreed to show it. Depending on the breed the cost can get out of hand.

 

[ALLSKIING]

I adopted my dog from a listing I found on Petfinder. I needed a particular pure breed and it took a while for (a) one to be listed and (b) once listed to actually get it. I found it VERY cut throat to get a purebreed. Twice I had dogs lined up where all I had to do was pick them up and by the time I made it to the shelter, they were gone. I was told 30-40 people called after I did trying to adopt my pup. 6 people called for my dog while I was sitting in the office filling out the paperwork. My dog was listed from only 12:30am to 9:00am. I'm not surprised people seem nutty and over anxious. It took 2 months to finally get my dog.

What kind of dog?

 

[noski]

Is that dog really 45lb? He looks around 60 to 70lb to me.

Yup- actaully looking on vet bill from last week's check up, he actually weighed 47.2. He is long legged and lean and fast. He is very narrow in the haunches/waist (does a dog have a waist?) and that is hard to tell laying down.

 

[JimG.]

C-10 and Grassi, those are both good reasons.

 

[Grassi21]

Yup- actaully looking on vet bill from last week's check up, he actually weighed 47.2. He is long legged and lean and fast. He is very narrow in the haunches/waist (does a dog have a waist?) and that is hard to tell laying down.

Those pics laying down are deceptive. Our little girl looks tiny laying down but she tips the scales at 47 lbs also.

 

[WICKEDBUMPER]

Isn't it easier and less aggravating to visit a breeder for the specific breed you seek?

Petfinder was highly recommended to me before I even looked to breeders. 4 breeders I went to wanted from $1,300 to $1,600 for a puppy.
on a crazy sidenote, 1 breeder would not even sell me a puppy because, and I quote "...you have a job and someone MUST be home with the puppy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the first year of his life. I will call your house at random to make sure you are home with the dog." her words, not mine. she wanted $1,800 for one of her babies.

 

[WICKEDBUMPER]

What kind of dog?

a bichon. I have bad alergies and out of the dogs usually on the list of "dogs for people with alergies", bichons were the only ones that did not give me a reaction.

 

[Grassi21]

Petfinder was highly recommended to me before I even looked to breeders. 4 breeders I went to wanted from $1,300 to $1,600 for a puppy.
on a crazy sidenote, 1 breeder would not even sell me a puppy because, and I quote "...you have a job and someone MUST be home with the puppy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the first year of his life. I will call your house at random to make sure you are home with the dog." her words, not mine. she wanted $1,800 for one of her babies.

Our breeder wasn't that strict with us. She had a good feeling when she met us and that's all it took. Today we are great friends with her. That random call stipulation you mentioned is a bit over the top. Some rescue groups will only place a dog with a family that has a fenced yard etc. etc. The weimaraner rescue is particularly strict with this rule because most people give up their weims because they don't have the time or space to properly exercise the dog. If more people did the research you did when searching for a hypoallergenic dog there would be less dogs needing to be rescued.

PS - That breeder is also whacked for another reason. If you spend 24/7 with a dog for its first year, the the only thing you will produce is a dog with separation anxiety.

 

[ctenidae]

Petfinder was highly recommended to me before I even looked to breeders. 4 breeders I went to wanted from $1,300 to $1,600 for a puppy.
on a crazy sidenote, 1 breeder would not even sell me a puppy because, and I quote "...you have a job and someone MUST be home with the puppy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the first year of his life. I will call your house at random to make sure you are home with the dog." her words, not mine. she wanted $1,800 for one of her babies.

Wow. Some breeders are crazy. Ours was going to charge us $2700, until she realized we really weren't going to breed/show the dog, but she held the papers until we gave her proof he was fixed (and didn't charge us that much).

 

[NYDrew]

I have had two excellent experiences with petfinder when I adoped my past two dogs.

Some tips:

Charge $100 for your dog. This forces the new owners to take financial responsibility right off the bat. It is your only form of proof that these people are comitted. (it also deters lab farmers, people who adopt free dogs and sell them to a lab)

House visit. Another lab farmer deterrent. Go to their home and see it for yourself.

Contract. Most shelters have a joint ownership clause in the small print. It gives them the right to reclaim the dog at anytime. Often they make surprise visits after adoption. Bad conditions equals ownership revokation. You should do that too.

Trust your gut. Forget about these people.

11 years old. Does it really need a more active household. Have you considered just sticking in out for its last few years. Changing owners is very hard on a dog, even more difficult on a senior.

All in all, perhaps try to get your pet into the seniors for seniors program. They pair older dogs up with older people needing companionship.