The Petfinder integration publishes eligible PawPlacer pets through Petfinder's FTP import. An administrator can configure and operate it from Settings > Listing Integrations.
Get Petfinder FTP Access
Petfinder FTP credentials are separate from the credentials used to sign in to Petfinder's website.
On the Listing Integrations page, find the Petfinder connection and select Request Petfinder Access. Enter the organization's Petfinder ID and choose whether Petfinder should protect existing listings from other platforms. PawPlacer opens a prepared email to Petfinder. The request must come from the administrator listed in Petfinder's Contacts & Access section.
After Petfinder provides an FTP username and password, select Connect Petfinder, enter those credentials, and choose whether to enable scheduled sync. PawPlacer stores the password securely and never displays it again.
Map PawPlacer Statuses
The Petfinder status mapping controls which pets enter the feed and what Petfinder status they receive:
- Available (A)
- Hold (H)
- Pending (P)
- Adopted (X)
- Found (F)
Each PawPlacer status can map to one Petfinder status, and one Petfinder status can include several PawPlacer statuses. Pets in an unmapped status are left out. Fostered pets always upload as Available.
Set Listing Defaults
Account-wide upload defaults fill supported listing fields when a pet has not set its own value. They include altered, shots, house-trained, declawed, compatibility, adoption-fee display, and fee-waiver values. Auto derives a value from the PawPlacer record when possible.
These defaults are shared by every connected listing service. A value set on an individual pet takes priority.
Review the Upload Preview
After Petfinder is connected, the synchronization workspace loads its current upload preview. If both Petfinder and Adopt-a-Pet are connected, select the Petfinder tab first.
Use:
- All pets to review every pet in the feed
- With Issues to focus on records with errors or warnings
- A field badge or Manual Fix action to correct supported source data inline
- The row details to inspect every value that will be sent
- Refresh Data after changing pets, mappings, fees, or defaults
PawPlacer checks the feed against Petfinder's requirements. Missing required values and unsupported primary values are errors that block synchronization. Warnings identify optional or secondary values that Petfinder may omit, but warnings alone do not block a sync.
Synchronize Petfinder
Select Sync to Petfinder after the preview has no blocking errors. PawPlacer builds Petfinder's CSV and uploads it with the saved credentials.
The Petfinder feed replaces the listings controlled by this import. Pets omitted from the feed may be removed from Petfinder, depending on the listing-preservation option agreed with Petfinder when FTP access was configured. Review the entire preview before the first sync or after changing status mappings.
When scheduled sync is enabled, PawPlacer checks active listing integrations hourly, at approximately 10 minutes past the hour. It skips accounts that synced recently or have no relevant changes. A validation or connection failure is recorded instead of uploading invalid data. Petfinder processes imports on its own schedule, so a successful upload may not appear immediately on Petfinder.com.
The connection card shows the last successful sync, the last attempt, and its status. Turn scheduled sync off during a large cleanup or import, then run a manual sync and re-enable it when the preview is ready.
Common Problems
- Authentication failed: Re-enter the FTP username and password exactly as Petfinder issued them. Website credentials do not work.
- Pet is missing: Confirm its PawPlacer status is mapped, its species is supported, and then refresh the preview.
- Sync is blocked: Open With Issues, correct every error, and refresh the data. Warnings can be reviewed without blocking the upload.
- Breed, color, or coat value is rejected: Choose one of the provider-compatible values offered by the inline editor.
- Photos are missing: Confirm the pet has accessible public image URLs in a supported format.
- Unexpected listings remain or disappear: Review the complete feed, the status mappings, and the preservation choice made when Petfinder FTP access was requested.
Removing Petfinder credentials stops future uploads. It does not change PawPlacer pets or remove listings already held by Petfinder.
See Petfinder Settings for the shorter settings reference, or Adopt-a-Pet Integration to connect the other supported listing service.