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Wednesday, July 16th
Save a Rescue is a pet adoption platform with over 70,000 listings for adoptable dogs and cats, but they don't offer other pets like hamsters, parrots, lizards, or farm animals.
Standard filtering and sorting capabilities
To find pets and pet services in your area through Save A Rescue, you can enter your zip code into any of the following fields on their home page: "search for dogs”, "search for cats”, "discover all rescues/shelters”, and "browse all pet services”. The results page will display pet names, breeds, ages, and how many miles away they are. You can filter these results by distance, breed, age, sex, and size. On each listing, you can learn about the pet's required activity level, energy level, obedience, and how they do around strangers (if the owner or rescue has filled these fields out). The adoption fee is only sometimes listed. If there's a dog you're interested in, though, you'll be able to find the contact information on the page to reach out to the owner, shelter, or rescue directly.
911 hotline for pets in need of financial support
We really appreciate everything this site is doing for pet welfare, such as their "911-like" hotline and chat service for dogs and cats. They've handled over 25,000 calls and saved more than 7,000 pets across the nation. However, due to a high volume of calls, they've had to pause this service until they have enough funding to run it properly. So, if you're looking for a way to give back to pets, this is a service that could really use your support.
Directory of pet services
Although the 911 hotline didn't seem to be in service during the time of this review, we appreciated Save A Rescue's directory of pet services, including services like emergency vet care, animal control listings, boarding kennels, pet transportation, and pet-friendly hotels, among others.
Poor website functionality
We support Save A Rescue's mission to end abandonment and dumping and their belief that every pet's life matters. Unfortunately, it can't be overlooked that their website is one of the least navigable in this review. Pages take a while to load, and scrolling up and down (if you're using a touchpad) can also cause the page to move left and right. Save A Rescue is also in need of a proofreader - we noticed a few typos that rendered sentences nearly unintelligible.
Site too clunky to recommend highly
It's certainly possible that the perfect dog or cat for you has been listed on Save A Rescue, but the website functionality could be a test of your patience while searching for them. Fortunately, plenty of rescues and owners list their pets on more than one site, so we would recommend you look in one of these places first.
Whether you're a parent looking for a gentle family dog who's good with kids, a single college grad looking for a cat to cozy up to while working remote, or a rare reptile enthusiast, online pet adoption sites can help you find the perfect pet for you without having to leave your home.
These sites provide a vast selection of animals from various shelters, rescues, and private owners, all in one place. That means you won't have to visit multiple shelters, which can be time-consuming and emotionally taxing. Also, these sites typically provide detailed information about each animal's background, health, and behavior, which is important for making an informed adoption decision.
However, not all pet adoption sites are the same. Some specialize in specific types of animals, often dogs and cats, while others might focus on rescues or purebreds. Some of them include birds, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and even farm animals.
There are also differences in the services they offer. For instance, a couple of sites offer support throughout the adoption process, including tips for first-time owners and post-adoption care, while others simply act as a listing service. Pet adoption websites typically can't be held responsible if you have a negative interaction with someone using their platform to list a pet, so be sure to do your own research on who you're adopting from.
When looking for the right pet adoption site, consider the following:
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