They're out there, in shelters and rescue organizations across the country, millions of animals in need of a home. According to Humane Society of the United States estimates, between 6,000,000 and 8,000,000 dogs and cats find themselves in one of our country's animal shelters. However, there are people out there, who work tirelessly on behalf of these animals, searching for homes for these deserving companions. This page is here to provide you with a list of resources, dedicated to finding homes for pets in need.
Before You Adopt
Many of the animals that find themselves in shelters, are there because their owners underestimated the amount of time and money, and the commitment required to bring a new pet into the family. Following is a list of resources to help educate you before adoption.
- PlanetDog.com - Adoption Checklist
- PGAA.com Article - Thinking of adopting a dog?
- PGAA.com Article - A Guide For Taking Home Your Shelter / Rescue Dog
- Dogtime.com - Adoption Page
- Humane Society of The United States - Pet Adoption Information
- Amazon.com Book - Petfinder.com The Adopted Dog Bible: Your One-Stop Resource for Choosing, Training, and Caring for Your Sheltered or Rescued Dog
- Amazon.com Book - Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know about Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need
If you know of resources that should be added to this list, please contact us at admin@dogloversdigest.com.
National Adoption Sites
With the advent of the Internet, national adoption sites have become invaluable resources for placing animals in homes. These sites allow local shelters and rescue organizations, from across the US, to place their animals into a national database, increasing the exposure that these animals get and helping their chances of being placed in good homes. It is important to note that although we try only to post links to reputable rescue organizations, we have not physically inspected these agencies and organizations. If you feel that any of the organizations listed here are misrepresenting themselves, please contact us at admin@dogloversdigest.com.
- Petfinder - One of the premiere organizations for pet adoption.
- Adopt a Pet .com - Another of the big boys, has zip code and radius search.
- Pets 911 - National lost and found database.
- Pedigree - Another good search tool by zip code and radius.
The following links are to sites that maintain huge lists of national rescue and shelter organizations.
- PGAA - Large list of national resources.
- AKC Breed Rescue Groups - American Kennel Club list of breed rescue groups.
- Dog Breed Info Center - Listings by breed.
- wonderpuppy.net - Good all around resource on adoption information with a national breed list.
- The Pet Work - Lists by animal, breed, and state.
State Adoption & Rescues
In the current economy everybody is feeling the pinch, and shelters and rescue organizations are no exceptions. State and local funds for these valuable resources are drying up, public donations are down, and to top it off, more and more animals are being surrendered or abandoned because their families can no longer afford to keep them. If you are thinking about bringing a dog into your family, there is no better place to start than with your local shelters and rescue organizations. The nominal fees that most charge is crucial to keeping these places operational, and you will be giving a home to a deserving animal in addition to helping to control the pet population.
- Fluffy Net - List by state of no kill shelters.
- Save Our Strays - No kill organizations by state.
- PGAA - Large list of national and state rescues and shelters.
- http://www.shelters.theanimalnet.com/ - Listed by state.
- World Animal Net - Large list searchable by zipcode.