Can I post my pet on Petfinder?

No — Petfinder only lists animals from registered shelters and rescue organizations, not from individual owners. That's the detail that surprises most people who start there. For owner-to-adopter rehoming you need a platform built for individuals: Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet, Home To Home, Get Your Pet, or Cruzapet, all free to list on.

Is Craigslist safe for rehoming a pet?

It's the riskiest mainstream option: anonymous audience, no screening, and it's where people hunting free animals for resale, bait or neglect go shopping. If you use it anyway: never write 'free to good home', charge a modest rehoming fee, ask real screening questions, meet at your home so you see their reaction to the actual pet, and trust the pattern — the wrong people push to take the animal today.

Do pet rehoming sites charge money?

Listing is free for owners on all the major dedicated platforms. Where money appears is on the adopter's side — most platforms have the adopter pay a modest adoption or rehoming fee, which acts as a screening filter and, on some platforms, is directed to animal welfare organizations. Check each site's current terms; models change. The configuration to avoid is the one with no fee anywhere: that's how the wrong adopters arrive.

Which rehoming site works fastest?

Honestly, no site can promise speed — what actually determines it is your pet (small dogs, kittens and easy-going cats move fastest), your listing (daylight photos and an honest story), and your flexibility on the fee. Posting on two or three screened platforms at once is normal and smart. What speed should never cost you is the screening — a fast handover to the wrong person is the worst outcome on this page.

What should my rehoming listing include?

Clear daylight photos, age, size and energy level, the honest story including quirks, how the pet is with kids, dogs and cats, vet status (vaccines, spay/neuter, any conditions), and what the next home must have. Honest listings place pets with the right people the first time — flattering ones create bounce-backs.

Free Pet Rehoming Sites: Where to Post Your Dog or Cat, Compared Honestly

You need to rehome a pet and you want to post somewhere real, free, and safe. Here's every option that actually exists — including the one surprise (no, you can't post on Petfinder) and an honest review of our own site, judged by the same rules as everyone else.

By the Cruzapet TeamGuided by HSUS & ASPCA guidanceUpdated July 2026~7 min read

What are the best free pet rehoming sites?

The dedicated platforms — Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet, Home To Home, Get Your Pet and Cruzapet — are all free for owners and built around adopter screening, the feature that actually protects your pet. Facebook and Craigslist are free with huge reach and zero screening. And Petfinder doesn't take individual listings at all.

Before the list, the four questions that separate the options — judge every site (including ours) by these:

1. Cost to listAll the serious platforms are free for owners. Paying to post is a red flag, not a feature.

2. Adopter screeningProfiles, questions, fees — or an anonymous inbox? This is the whole game.

3. Where the pet waitsHome-to-home means your pet stays on its own couch until adoption day. No kennel stress.

4. Paper trailAn adoption agreement protects the pet, you, and the adopter. Classifieds have none.

The dedicated rehoming platforms

Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet

The biggest audience in owner-to-owner rehoming.

Free for owners; adopters pay an adoption fee that the platform directs to animal welfare causes (check current terms). Solid screening tools and reach, backed by a household name. Expect to manage applicant conversations yourself.

Home To Home

Simple, shelter-affiliated, genuinely free.

A nonprofit network many shelters point owners to — clean listings, direct contact with adopters, no fees in the base model. Coverage depends on whether shelters in your area participate, so reach varies by region.

Get Your Pet

Built around meeting before adopting.

Free for owners; adopters pay a fee under the platform's model (check current terms). Emphasizes in-person meets between owner and adopter — aligned with how safe rehoming actually works.

Cruzapet (yes, this is us)

Judged by the same four questions as everyone above.

Free for owners to list; adopters have real profiles, you screen and choose, an adoption agreement is built into the process, and your pet stays home until its new family drives it to the next one. We built it for exactly the situation this page serves — and if another platform on this list fits your case better, use that one; posting on two or three at once is smart, not disloyal.

The free giants (and their price)

Facebook groups & Craigslist

Maximum reach, zero screening — handle accordingly.

Local Facebook rehoming groups and Craigslist reach everyone, including exactly the people you don't want: free-animal flippers and worse. If you use them: never write "free to good home", charge a modest fee, screen with real questions, and meet at your home. Better: use them to announce, and route interested adopters to your screened platform listing.

Petfinder, PetSmart & Petco — the answer nobody gives

Not owner-listing services, despite being the first names people try.

Petfinder lists animals from registered shelters and rescues only — individuals can't post. PetSmart and Petco host shelter adoption events in stores; they don't take owner surrenders or listings. If a "rep" from any of these contacts you offering to list your pet for a fee, that's a scam.

The one rule that beats every platform feature: never "free to good home", anywhere. A modest rehoming fee ($50–$250) filters out the people who collect free animals for the wrong reasons — it's the cheapest insurance in pet welfare. The full method (profile, screening, handover) is in our guide to rehoming a pet safely.

Making any listing work harder

Daylight photos, the honest story (quirks included), vet status, and what the next home must have. Honest listings place pets right the first time — flattering ones create bounce-backs.

Species-specific playbooks: how to rehome a dog · how to rehome a cat. Out of time? Urgent, screened listings exist for exactly that: rehome my dog urgently.

Post your pet's rehoming profile — free, screened, home to home

Cruzapet connects you directly with screened adopters near you — honest profiles on both sides, an adoption agreement built in, and your pet never sees a kennel.

Start your pet's profile

Frequently asked questions

What are the best free pet rehoming sites?: The dedicated rehoming platforms — Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet, Home To Home, Get Your Pet, and Cruzapet — are all free for owners to list on and built around adopter screening, which is the feature that actually protects your pet. Facebook groups and Craigslist are also free with huge reach, but provide zero screening. Petfinder, the biggest name people try first, doesn't take listings from individuals at all.
Can I post my pet on Petfinder?: No — Petfinder only lists animals from registered shelters and rescue organizations, not from individual owners. That's the detail that surprises most people who start there. For owner-to-adopter rehoming you need a platform built for individuals: Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet, Home To Home, Get Your Pet, or Cruzapet, all free to list on.
Is Craigslist safe for rehoming a pet?: It's the riskiest mainstream option: anonymous audience, no screening, and it's where people hunting free animals for resale, bait or neglect go shopping. If you use it anyway: never write "free to good home", charge a modest rehoming fee, ask real screening questions, meet at your home so you see their reaction to the actual pet, and trust the pattern — the wrong people push to take the animal today.
Do pet rehoming sites charge money?: Listing is free for owners on all the major dedicated platforms. Where money appears is on the adopter's side — most platforms have the adopter pay a modest adoption or rehoming fee, which acts as a screening filter and, on some platforms, is directed to animal welfare organizations. Check each site's current terms; models change. The configuration to avoid is the one with no fee anywhere: that's how the wrong adopters arrive.
Which rehoming site works fastest?: Honestly, no site can promise speed — what actually determines it is your pet (small dogs, kittens and easy-going cats move fastest), your listing (daylight photos and an honest story), and your flexibility on the fee. Posting on two or three screened platforms at once is normal and smart. What speed should never cost you is the screening — a fast handover to the wrong person is the worst outcome on this page.
What should my rehoming listing include?: Clear daylight photos, age, size and energy level, the honest story including quirks, how the pet is with kids, dogs and cats, vet status (vaccines, spay/neuter, any conditions), and what the next home must have. Honest listings place pets with the right people the first time — flattering ones create bounce-backs.

About this guide. Written by the Cruzapet Team, drawing on published guidance from the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA. Third-party platform descriptions reflect publicly available information at the time of writing — always check current terms; all trademarks belong to their owners. Cruzapet is our own platform, and we've disclosed that throughout. Last updated July 2026.