Updated October 16, 2026
The Petfinder app has closed. Your phone search does not have to.
Petfinder retired its iPhone and Android app on October 15, 2026. Petfinder.com itself is staying online.
If you used the app, your saved pets and saved searches are not gone. Petfinder says they stay on your account and appear when you log in at petfinder.com, and the site can be added to your home screen. What went away is the native app itself.
If you want a real app on your phone again, WeRescue can pick up where you left off. It is a free native adoption app for iPhone, iPad, and Android, with push alerts for new pets, and it works in your browser too, with pets from more than 4,000 shelters and rescues.
Free to download and use. Also works in your browser at werescue.pet.
Not sure what to search for anymore? Scout listens to how your home and days look and suggests real pets and shelters that fit, whether you want to adopt, foster, volunteer, or give. Talk to Scout on the web.
What actually happened
Only the app went away. In September 2026 Petfinder told app users, in a notice inside the app and by email, that it was closing the mobile app on October 15, 2026 and consolidating on its website, and that is what happened. Petfinder's website is not shutting down, the shelters that list there are not going anywhere, and you can keep using petfinder.com in Safari or Chrome on your phone.
“We're bringing all of Petfinder under one roof and closing our app on Oct. 15th 2026.”
The things people worried about losing mostly carry over. According to Petfinder's FAQ, updated September 24, 2026, saved pets, custom search alerts, and account details are stored on your account and appear when you log in at petfinder.com with the same email and password you used in the app, and you can add petfinder.com to your home screen from Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android so it opens like an app.
What does not carry over is the native app itself. Petfinder has not said whether its web search alerts arrive as push notifications on your phone, so if that is what you relied on, check your alert settings after you log in. If you would rather have a native adoption app on both platforms, with push alerts for new pets, that is the part WeRescue offers. It is free, and it lists pets straight from the software shelters already use.
If Petfinder changes any of this, we will update this page.
Keep searching on your phone with WeRescue
WeRescue is the official adoption app of NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters campaign. Here is what you get in the app.
- Pets from more than 4,000 shelters and rescues. Listings come straight from the shelter software rescues already use, across the United States and Canada, and they refresh throughout the day.
- Dogs, cats, and more. Rabbits, birds, reptiles, small animals, and horses are in the same search, so one app covers every kind of adoption.
- More than 60 filters. Breed, age, size, gender, color, distance, and traits like good with kids or house trained. Set them once and they stick.
- Alerts for new pets. Save a search and get a notification when a pet that matches it is listed, so you hear about them early.
- Favorites, sharing, and dark mode. Keep a shortlist, send a pet to the family group chat with one tap, and browse comfortably at night.
Moving over takes about a minute
There is no import from Petfinder to WeRescue, so the fastest path is to rebuild your search once.
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Install WeRescue
Get it free from the App Store or Google Play. It takes a few seconds.
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Set your filters, or ask Scout
Enter your ZIP code, choose dogs, cats, or another species, and add the breed, age, size, or traits you used to filter on. Or tell Scout how your home and days look. It listens, suggests real pets and shelters that fit, and sets up the search for you, whether you want to adopt, foster, volunteer, or give.
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Save it and turn on alerts
Favorite the pets you want to meet and save the search. WeRescue sends a push notification when a new pet that matches is listed, so you hear about them early.
Then, when a shelter near you lists a pet who fits, your phone tells you. You open the listing, contact the shelter, and go meet them. And if adopting is not right for you this year, Scout can point you to rescues near you that need fosters, volunteers, or donations.
Side by side after October 15, 2026
A plain comparison of the three ways to keep looking for adoptable pets on a phone.
| Feature | Petfinder app | Petfinder.com in a browser | WeRescue app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available after October 15, 2026 | Discontinued | Yes | Yes |
| Native app for iPhone and Android | Retired | Website only, but it can be added to your home screen | Yes, plus iPad |
| Saved pets and saved searches | Moved to your petfinder.com account | Yes, carried over from the app | Yes, rebuilt in about a minute |
| Alerts for new pets | Ended with the app | Custom search alerts on your account. Petfinder has not said whether they arrive as push notifications. | Yes, push notifications |
| Cost to adopters | Free | Free | Free |
| Where the listings come from | Shelters that list on Petfinder | Shelters that list on Petfinder | Shelters' own management software, U.S. and Canada |
| Dogs, cats, and other species | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Petfinder columns are based on Petfinder's September 2026 notice to app users and Petfinder's FAQ, updated September 24, 2026. Shelters decide where they list, so check both if a specific rescue matters to you.
Questions people are asking
Is Petfinder shutting down?
No. Petfinder closed its mobile app for iPhone and Android on October 15, 2026 and moved everything to its website. In its September 2026 notice to app users, Petfinder described the change as bringing all of Petfinder under one roof at petfinder.com. The website stays online and shelters keep listing pets there. Only the app went away.
When did the Petfinder app stop working?
The app closed on October 15, 2026. Petfinder announced the date to app users inside the app and in an email in September 2026, and its FAQ confirms the app is discontinued and directs people to petfinder.com to keep searching.
Do I lose my Petfinder saved searches and favorites?
No. Petfinder says saved pets, custom search alerts, and account details are stored on your account and appear when you log in at petfinder.com with the same email and password you used in the app. You can also add petfinder.com to your home screen from Safari on iPhone or Chrome on Android, so it opens like an app. What Petfinder has not said is whether web search alerts arrive as push notifications on your phone. Petfinder's FAQ has the details.
What is the best alternative to the Petfinder app?
WeRescue is a free native pet adoption app for iPhone, iPad, and Android that lists adoptable pets from more than 4,000 shelters and rescues across the United States and Canada. It has the things people used the Petfinder app for: search by location, filters for breed, age, and size, saved favorites, and push alerts when new pets are listed. Petfinder.com also still works in a phone browser, and Petfinder says your saved pets and custom search alerts carry over there, along with more filters and out-of-town pets.
Are the same pets on WeRescue and Petfinder?
Often, but not always. Shelters choose where they list. WeRescue pulls listings directly from the shelter management software most rescues already use, so many of the same pets appear in both places, and some pets are only on one. If a shelter you follow is not on WeRescue yet, you can ask them to list there for free. Shelters can sign up at the WeRescue Hub.
Is the WeRescue app free?
Yes. WeRescue is free to download and free to use for searching, saving favorites, and contacting shelters. Adoption fees are set by each shelter or rescue, not by WeRescue.
Can I move my Petfinder favorites or saved searches to WeRescue?
There is no import from Petfinder to WeRescue. Your Petfinder favorites and saved searches are not lost, though: Petfinder says they stay on your account at petfinder.com. Rebuilding a search in WeRescue takes about a minute: enter your ZIP code, pick a species, and add the filters you care about. You can also describe what you are looking for to Scout and it will set the search up for you.
Is WeRescue affiliated with Petfinder?
No. WeRescue is made by Pet Ventures, LLC and is not connected to Petfinder or its parent company. This page exists because people who relied on the Petfinder app are looking for another way to search on their phones.
Do I have to install an app to use WeRescue?
No. Everything in the app is also available at werescue.pet in any browser. The app adds push notifications for new pets, a home-screen icon, and a faster experience on a phone.
I run a shelter or rescue. How do I list our pets on WeRescue?
Listing on WeRescue is free for shelters and rescues. Sign up at the WeRescue Hub, claim your organization, and your pets appear in the app and on the website. If you use shelter software such as PetPoint, ShelterLuv, RescueGroups, or Chameleon, your listings can sync automatically. Get started at the WeRescue Hub.
Looking for a general overview instead? Read about the WeRescue pet adoption app for dogs, cats, and more.
Run a shelter or rescue?
Listing on WeRescue is free. Sign up at the WeRescue Hub, claim your organization, and your adoptable pets reach people searching in the app and on the website. If you use PetPoint, ShelterLuv, RescueGroups, or Chameleon, listings can sync automatically.
Keep looking. The pets are still out there.
Install WeRescue and rebuild your search in about a minute. It is free, and every listing is a real pet at a real shelter.
Want to foster, volunteer, or give instead? Ask Scout where you can help.
