Show that you're certified!
Qualifying for an Adopt a Pet Certified Partner badge not only signifies your animal shelter or rescue organization's professionalism and dedication, it enhances trust and credibility among potential adopters. By meeting different levels of criteria, your organization demonstrates its commitment to transparency, responsiveness including prompt communication and professional customer service, and providing a positive adoption experience for animals and adopters.
While any organization with an active Adopt a Pet shelter/rescue account may display a Pet List badge, to qualify for a Certified Partner badge, an organization must meet or exceed the criteria listed below.
Bronze Certification criteria
Your organization has been active on Adopt a Pet for at least one year, adding a minimum of 10 adoptable pets annually.
Your Adopt a Pet accounts have either a visible email address with your adoption inquiry form set to ON, or an adoption application link, or a phone number that is answered or has an informative voicemail message.
Your organization has completed all your My Shelter/Rescue Information fields, providing thorough and accurate information to potential adopters.
Your organization does at least one of the following:
- Replies to all inquiries, applications, or voicemails in four days or less,
- Or your facility has walk-in adoption hours at least three days a week.
Silver Certification criteria
All Bronze criteria.
Your organization either:
A. Refers pet owners to Rehome using your referral link (click for details)
and/or
B. Links to Adopt a Pet.
Your organization is a registered nonprofit or a government organization.
Your organization has a demonstrated open adoptions policy, emphasizing inclusivity and accessibility.*
Your organization does at least one of the following:
- Replies to all inquiries, applications, or voicemails in three days or less,
- Or your facility has walk-in adoption hours at least three days a week.
Gold Certification criteria
All Silver criteria.
Your organization has at least one Adopt a Pet or Rehome pet list (iframe widget or api) embedded on your organization's website. PLEASE VERIFY YOU ARE USING A WIDGET, NOT JUST A LINK.
A. Rehome Community Pets widget (info here)
B. Adopt a Pet's pet list widget (options here)
C. Adopt a Pet's pet list API (info here)
Your organization does at least one of the following:
- Replies to all inquiries, applications, or voicemails in two days or less,
- Or your facility has walk-in adoption hours at least three days a week.
After you have read the above criteria:
Get Certified Here
Qualification questions? Email helpdesk@adoptapet.com
*Adopt a Pet is committed to fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of any visible or invisible differences. Open adoptions include being open to adopters regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, veteran status, age or sexual orientation or identity. Each organization defines their own open adoption process and what works best for their pets and community. As the ASPCA says, "The structure of adoption programs at shelters across the country varies widely from no screening (any animal available to anyone) to use of rigid guidelines to screen potential adopters. An approach known as “open adoptions” falls somewhere in-between these two extremes, matching adopters and pets through dialogue and conversation, in a climate of trust, communication and understanding."