How Filters Make Pet Searching Easier (and Faster)

Scrolling through pages of adoptable pets can be exciting, but it’s easy to feel lost going through hundreds (or thousands) of wagging tails and curious faces. If you’ve ever spent an hour comparing profiles and still couldn’t decide which pets to meet or whom to contact, you’re not alone. Adopt a Pet’s filters will show you pets who actually fit your home, schedule, and lifestyle. Here’s how to use filters to make your search faster, easier, and more rewarding.

Step-by-step guide to finding a pet

Filters allow you to focus on key details such as size, age, breed, and behavior traits. Instead of browsing through the profiles of every pet near you, you can narrow the results to those who are most likely to thrive with you.

First, locate the Adopt a Pet search bar.

You’ll find this search bar on the homepage.

Enter your location

Type your city, state, or ZIP code into the search bar. Adopt a Pet’s default settings will show adoptable pets near you, but you can widen your search later if you’re willing to travel.

Choose the animal type

Select the type of pet you’d like to adopt (dog, cat, rabbit, reptile, bird, horse, or another small animal). This ensures that your search results show only that species.

View all results

After clicking “Search,” you’ll see available pets in your chosen area. This is your starting point, and from here you can use filters to refine the results. 

Select your criteria

If you start your search knowing exactly what you’re looking for, you can click the “Add Pet Criteria” button before starting the search. Otherwise, filters will appear on the left-hand side of the page on desktop or in the top menu on mobile after you’ve hit “Search.” You can apply one filter or several, depending on how specific you’d like to be.

• Distance: Choose how far you’re willing to travel to meet your new companion.

• Breed: Pick one of the hundreds of breeds listed on Adopt a Pet, including mixes. You can even choose popular mixed or designer breeds, when provided by shelters or rescues.

• Age: Filter by life stage (baby, young, adult, or senior).

• Sex: Pick male or female, if you have a preference.

• Size: If you’re searching for a dog, you can filter by size (small, medium, large, or extra-large).

• Adoption fee: Some listings include this information, though not all organizations share it upfront.

• Cared for by: Filter for pets from a specific shelter, rescue, or private owner.

• Good with kids, dogs, or cats: This filter can be useful if you already have other pets or a busy household.

• Color: Search by coat color or pattern.

• Health: Identify pets who are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, or have special medical needs.

• Housetrained: This allows you to focus on pets who already know basic manners.

• New: See pets who were recently added to Adopt a Pet.

• Bonded pair: View animals who need to be adopted together.

• Needs experienced adopter: Shows pets who would do best with someone with prior experience or can provide extra training.

• Needs home fast: Highlights pets in urgent need of placement.

• Show transport pets: Expands your results to include animals who can be transported from another area.

Apply the filters

Once you’ve selected your filters, click or tap “Apply.” Your search results will automatically refresh to show pets who meet your criteria.

Try adjusting your filters or clicking “Reset” if you’re not finding many results. Even small changes, like widening your distance range or viewing all ages, can help you discover pets you might have missed.

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Try using Adopt a Pet’s SmartSearch

If you’d like a more intuitive way to browse, try SmartSearch, Adopt a Pet’s AI-powered search tool. Instead of selecting each filter, you can simply type what you’re looking for in plain language, and SmartSearch will suggest pets who fit the description.

For example, you can enter phrases such as “a mellow dog who likes short walks” or “an affectionate cat who gets along with other pets.” SmartSearch scans listings and highlights pets who match your description, even if those details aren’t exact filter options.

This is especially helpful if you’re flexible about breed or size, but have a clear sense of the kind of personality who would fit your home.

What to do when you find a match

When you spot a pet who feels like a great fit, open their profile page to learn more. From there, you can:

• Click “Ask About Me” to send a message directly to the shelter, rescue, or private owner.

• Click “Apply to Adopt” if an organization has an online adoption application, or if you are looking at a pet listed by a private owner.

• Save a favorite by clicking the heart icon to view them again later.

• Set up alerts so that you’re notified when new pets match your search.

Keep in mind that your ideal companion might not look exactly like what you imagined. Sometimes the most meaningful matches come from keeping an open mind and letting a pet’s personality win you over.