Petfinder Is A Great Tool for Locating Your Next Pet

If you are ready to share your home with a new pet, there is an easy way to start your search. 

The website Petfinder.com is a database of available pets from local shelters and other non-profit organizations. Their directory includes almost 14,000 adoption organizations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. You can even search for pets with their iPhone app.

The site is updated daily. When I last looked, there were 322,722 pets listed at 13,837 adoption groups. Within 100 miles of Greenwich, there were 9,951 dogs representing 231 breeds. There were 12,903 cats, 376 rabbits, another 253 other 'small & furry' animals, and 15 reptiles. They also have listings for 217 horses and donkeys, 121 birds (including actual Love Birds!) and 32 barnyard animals (mostly goats).

The mission of Petfinder is to use the Internet to increase public awareness of high-quality adoptable pets, to increase the overall effectiveness of pet adoption programs to the extent that the euthanasia of adoptable pets is eliminated, and to elevate the status of pets to that of a family member.

Petfinder also includes classified ads, discussion forums and an online library of animal welfare articles including "Before You Adopt" and "After You Adopt" information and helpful articles including tips for your first 30 days with a new dog, how to find your lost dog, and even how to introduce two cats.

With this many available pets to choose from, I hope that you'll consider adopting.  I'm not suggesting that you surprise someone with a pet as a gift — a pet should only be added to a family after careful consideration — but if you are ready to share your home with a pet, consider starting your search at Petfinder.com.

The following pictures are all of adoptable animals within the greater Greenwich area listed on Petfinder.com.