Petfinder is one of the main places people look for adoptable pets, so keeping your listings accurate matters. Updating them by hand means entering the same information twice, and it's easy to miss a change. When a pet who has been adopted still appears as available, your team ends up answering questions about an animal who's already gone home.
Automatic sync lets you manage each pet's details in one system and publish them to Petfinder from there. This guide explains how it works and how to set it up in PawPlacer.
How Petfinder sync works
Petfinder accepts listings through an FTP import, which is a way of sending it a file of your pets. Here's what happens:
- Your team keeps pet records up to date in PawPlacer.
- PawPlacer builds a file in the format Petfinder requires, using pets that are eligible for listing.
- The file is uploaded to Petfinder, either when you start a sync or on a schedule.
- Petfinder processes the file and updates your listings.
Petfinder processes files on its own schedule, so changes won't appear immediately. If you run a sync and don't see a change right away, give it some time before you troubleshoot.
What you need before you start
Petfinder FTP access. FTP credentials aren't the same as your Petfinder website login. You'll need to request them from Petfinder. On PawPlacer's Settings > Listing Integrations page, choose Request Petfinder Access, and PawPlacer will open a prepared email for you.
Complete pet records. Sync can only send what's in the record, so review your photos, descriptions, breeds, and ages before you begin. A sync is also a good reason to clean up older profiles. Our guide to writing adoption profiles can help.
A decision about existing listings. If you already have listings on Petfinder, decide what should happen to them. Your request to Petfinder includes an option for protecting existing listings from other platforms.
How to set it up
Full instructions are in the Petfinder integration guide. In short:
1. Connect your account. When Petfinder sends your FTP username and password, select Connect Petfinder and enter them. You can also choose whether to turn on scheduled sync.
2. Map your statuses. This tells PawPlacer which pets should be listed, and how. For example, you might map your Available status to Petfinder's Available, and your Adopted status to Petfinder's Adopted. Pets in a status you haven't mapped are left out.
3. Set your listing defaults. These fill in fields such as house-trained, shots, and compatibility when a pet doesn't have its own value. A value set on an individual pet takes priority.
4. Review the preview. The preview shows what will be sent for each pet. Errors, such as missing required values, block the sync until they're fixed. Warnings point out optional details that Petfinder may leave out. You can correct many issues right from this screen.
5. Run your first sync. Select Sync to Petfinder. Review your listings on Petfinder once the file has been processed, and check that photos, descriptions, and breeds look right.
6. Turn on scheduled sync. Once you're happy with the results, scheduled sync can keep your listings current without anyone starting it by hand.
Common problems to avoid
Mixing manual and automatic listings. The import replaces the listings it controls, and pets left out of the file may be removed from Petfinder, depending on the option you agreed with Petfinder. Review the full preview before your first sync or after you change your status mapping, and manage your listings from one place from then on.
Out-of-date photos. Sync sends whatever's on the record. Replace intake photos once you have better ones, and put your best photo first, since it's the first thing people see.
Thin descriptions. "Sweet dog needs a home" meets the requirement, but it doesn't tell an adopter much. Add details about personality, energy, and what the pet is like at home.
Breeds that don't match. Petfinder has its own list of breeds, so a name you use internally, such as a nickname for a mix, may not be accepted. The preview will flag values that aren't supported.
Private pets. A pet set to Private is left out of the file, whatever its status. If a pet you expected to see isn't listed, check this setting first. The pet's status mapping is the next thing to check.
Listing on other sites
The same records can power other channels as well. PawPlacer also connects with Adopt-a-Pet, and adoptable pets are shared with GetBuddy according to your visibility settings. You can also show your pets on your own site with website widgets.
Listing defaults are shared between connected services, so you only need to set them once.
Frequently asked questions
How often do listings update?
Listings update after each sync, once Petfinder has processed the file. You can run a sync yourself at any time or use scheduled sync.
Do fostered pets appear on Petfinder?
Yes, if their status is mapped. Fostered pets upload as Available.
Can I use my Petfinder website password?
No. The integration uses FTP credentials, which you request separately from Petfinder.
What happens when a pet is adopted?
Completing the adoption changes the pet's status in PawPlacer to Adopted. If you've mapped that status, the next sync updates the listing on Petfinder.
