Public Applications

PawPlacer provides a direct public route for each public form type:

The organization ID is the fixed identifier shown in the locked public-page address under Settings > Organization Details. It is also written into generated widget code. It is a public identifier, not an API key or password.

Adopt, Foster, Volunteer, and Surrender actions may also appear on the organization or pet page where appropriate. The donor form is available through its direct URL and donor widget. A direct URL is publicly accessible while the form is enabled; possessing the URL is not an access-control mechanism.

Before a Form Is Available

Every public form requires:

1. A default template for its record type.
2. A public organization profile.
3. The matching adopter, foster, volunteer, or donor public feature when that type has one.

Surrender does not have a separate public-feature switch. A default surrender template becomes available when the organization profile is public. To stop all public surrender submissions, unpublish the profile; merely hiding a link on your own website does not disable the direct route.

Use Settings > Widgets to see whether a surface currently has public content. Sample workspaces do not accept public submissions.

Form Content

Public pages use the default templates from Settings > Forms, including:

• Sections and public fields
• Runtime validation
• Terms acknowledgment or drawn signature when required
• Pet selection and selection limits for adopter or foster forms
• Pet-entry limits for surrender forms
• A safe post-submission redirect when configured

Staff-only fields do not appear publicly.

Only the default template is public. Other templates are useful for drafting, duplication, and preview, but they do not have separate direct URLs or widget codes.

Pet-Specific Forms

An adopter or foster action from a pet page can include the pet ID in the URL so the form opens with that pet selected:

https://pawplacer.com/adopter/[organization-id]?petId=[pet-id]

The template's pet-selection rules still apply.

After Submission

The submitter sees a confirmation or follows the configured safe redirect. PawPlacer creates the corresponding record for staff review. A surrender submission also carries its submitted pet information into the surrender intake workflow.

Configured email templates can acknowledge the submitter and notify selected team members. Review those settings in Settings > Email Templates.

Use the matching widget when the form should be embedded on another website.

If a Public Form Does Not Match the Editor

1. Confirm the URL contains the correct organization ID.
2. In Settings > Forms, choose the same record type and confirm the intended template has the Default badge.
3. Confirm the missing field is visible and not internal-only.
4. Open Settings > Widgets, choose the same form, and review its availability and live preview.
5. Test again in a signed-out window so staff-only controls and cached navigation do not confuse the result.