I would doubt if you will find a cavalier king charles spaniel in petfinder. Check a breed specific rescue site.

Thanks, but there are 67 of them there now. I do check breed rescue sites. That was not my point, I am interested in a discussion of Petfinder and how helpful it is. I guess I was not very clear.

Interesting that you post this. There was a TV show on this weekend that discussed this very issue (I think it was Good Dog U on Animal Planet). PetFinders is no better, worse than shelters.

Anyway, they said never to trust just calling shelters for lost dogs, but to go and look in person. The woman said that, for example, a beagle had been listed as a shepherd mix (and it was a purebred beagle).

She also suggested taking a profile side view of your entire dog. She said that most pet photos are taken only of their face. A side view of the entire dog helps immensely when creating lost dog notifications, flyers, etc.

Petfinder.com is a site where one may go to look for adoptable animals. If you want to adopt a Beagle you can type in your zipcode and the breed name and you will see all 5696 of the Beagle and Beagle mixes out there, starting close to you and moving outward.

Petfinder.com is a site where one may go to look for adoptable animals

You can also post classified ads for free looking for a lost pet (or post that you have found one). I thought that is what you were referring to. So, apologies, I thought you were looking for a lost pet, but after re-reading your post, I can see that you are looking for a specific breed TO adopt.

If I were you and was looking for a CKCS, I'd look under the more generic term, spaniel. I know you'd get alot of hits, but I think CKCS is a fairly unknown breed and I would imagine any of those in a shelter would be listed as cocker spaniels.

Nancy -- I understand what you are saying. I was looking on PF last July for my new kitty. What amazes me is that many rescues still have the same cats, with the same pictures and the same descriptions out there since 7 months ago. How hard is it to update a bio once an a while (including if the animal is a baby, young, adult, etc...) and maybe snap an updated picture? I know you are going to tell me how over-worked the rescue volunteers are but... I think PF is a powerful tool for getting animals adopted and it should be used to its full potential.

My other pet peeve is the rescues who use the bio space and only write something like "nice kitty, real cute." No kidding. How is it with children? Does it like attention or is it a loner? Does it prefer the company of other cats? Again, the more I know about an animal, the more likely I would be to inquire.

Nancy, back when i was looking for a dog. I found a lot of sites at petfinder way out of date. It was discouraging and i ended up looking up rescued dogs locally and personally.
vickie

"I know you are going to tell me how over-worked the rescue volunteers are but... I think PF is a powerful tool for getting animals adopted and it should be used to its full potential."

You're right in both comments - volunteers are overworked and Petfinder is a powerful tool.

I know in our shelter we have volunteers who handle putting the info on Petfinder as well as our own shelter site. It really depends on who signs up to help out as to how good of a job gets done.

Currently we have several dedicated volunteers who are putting time in every week to keep both sites updated. It is wonderful. We get an email each week showing the number of hits each animal receives.

I will be emailing some of the comments on this topic to other volunteers so they can see how important it is to keep the sites updated and the bios more informative.

And to the OP, putting inaccurate information on a dog's breed just to draw attention to it is totally wrong. I would email the organization each time you see it happen. Perhaps in some cases it's just a mistake, but other times I'm sure it is intentional and they should know it is not appreciated.

It's the rescue organizations that supply the information to petfinder that are not keeping their critters up to date. Garbage in--> garbage out. I agree with share oh that if there is an obvious duping attempt, email the rescue and tell them that you don't appreciate it.

I used petfinder to get my beautiful Husky Tatyana. She was a stray originally. But not only did they get her breed correct, they also got her unusual coloring correct. How many people would know what an agouti colored husky looks like? And that's exactly what I wanted.

When I fostered, the rescue organization updated changes within a day of my sending it in. So I was very impressed with them. I guess I just had better luck with it because of the rescues I happened to deal with.

In the specific example above, perhaps the rescue knew the dog's history and were told that it was a cavalier spaniel/rottie mix. I mean, who on earth would even come up with that on their own LOL?! Granted, it looks like a rottie, but I couldn't tell how large it was. And when doing that search, the other 49 dogs were all definately at least spaniels; 1 out of 50 mistakes isn't that bad IMHO. You'd be surprised what people believe their dog breed is.

And of course, every large long-haired brown tabby cat is a purebreed Maine Coon LOL!

Personally I've found petfinder to be very useful and recommend it to people all the time.

cindyb va, I guess I have never looked at the lost pet section. Thanks for the clarification.

I agree that Petfinder is a very powerful tool. Just imagine, you can fall in love with a dog three states away, email and see if it is still available (cross those fingers!), and they may consider you for adoption. With so many rescues out there, it is near impossible to canvas them all looking for a specific gender, age, breed, or type of dog by visiting adoption events. It is so innovative to have one site to search. I just wish that some of the rescues that don't do it now, would specify if they consider long-distance adoptions or not. I imagine a volunteer activity of the future may be in doing home visits for far-away rescues and reporting back (even using photos of the house, pets, and yards).

Livvysmom, I agree about the skimpy info. It is not going to help the pet get adopted if you under-use the options for talking about the pet. I have also run into a nice, detailed description of a dog that said she was good with other dogs, only to have the rescue email me back saying that she had "issues" with dogs. That is probably an example of not updating the listing when new info was learned. I had already traveled to see the dog at the kennel by then, though.

Meghane, I had never even considered that calling that Rottie a CKCS was an honest error. I guess that says something about how (dis)honest I think some people are! BTW, I went out and looked at a picture of an agouti. Is that Inuit for "wolf"? That's what the color pattern reminds me of.

Well, all, I finally do have a Petfinder success! We are being considered for a CKCS who lives nearby. He is 3 years old, Blenheim colored (chestnut red with white) purebred, has allergies and is on vegetarian dog food. I told them in my email that DH is a vegetarian and that no one here would tease him for his unusual diet - unless Toby and Casey do it in dog-language! They have several applications, so we are holding our breath. And yes, we found him on Petfinder!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

Here is my message to the people with the Rottie, and their reply:

Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 8:06 PM
Subject: Petfinder.com Pet Inquiry: Paladine PFId

Hi,

Is that Rottie really a Cavalier mix, or are you just trying to get someone looking for a cute, long-haired lapdog to change their mind and consider Paladine? I donÂt think so!

Nancy

In reference to Paladine. The person that brought him in said that is what he is. If you actually saw him you would know that he is not a Rottie.
Thanks for the inquiry

So Meghane, you were correct.

He's a super-cute dog! Any word on why anyone would give him up (allergies?).

Correct, but still shaking head in disbelief LOL! How, why, would anyone cross a Rottie with a CKCS? Both breeds are perfect in their own right.

Agouti means wild color, but I don't know what language (French maybe?). I think that describes the coloration accurately. Their fur is individually banded in 2 colors like a wild rabbit, and the non-colored areas are cream and not white as with non-agouti color patterns.

Here are 2 pics of my beautiful Tatyana. She's actually a red agouti, so a little different than the more typical dark brown agouti Huskies.
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here's a pure red Husky- My Anastasia. Notice how bright white her non-colored areas are compared to Tatya. Also her red is more solid in appearance because it is not banded with cream like Tatya.
{{!gwi}}

And here's a more typical dark brown agouti that I borrowed from a website
{{!gwi}}

I think they are all beautiful!

Yes, they are beautiful. See why I said "wolf"? That dark husky is similar to my mind's picture of a wolf (wild color). Your Tatyana is very attractive. Anastasia is, too. I like how you are naming the huskies with Russian names and how your Rotties were Klingons. Both seem just perfect.

The little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had a very serious allergy problem and when the rescue got him he had no hair below his waist. His first family could not deal with or afford his medical needs. A year later, now, he is fully furry and ready for a real home. We have not heard a word from the rescue since the note last Friday saying we were being considered. His name is Dudley, which I have learned is the nick name for the ("incorrect") flesh-colored nose he has. He is 30 lbs - big for a Cav, and that is the only reason we are still in the running. DH wanted us to take ourselves out of the competition for him because I learned all about the horrid illnesses that Cavs are prone to. Since he is larger than a normal Cav, though, I am hoping he at least won't have the Syringomyelia that is caused by their little malformed skulls. Last Saturday I posted a very lengthy piece on the Designer Dogs thread about all of these genetic disorders they carry. Dudley already has either knee or hip problems at age 3, so he still might be a bad risk, orthopedic surgery-wise. Since we have not heard anything, I am thinking that we are out of the running. We are considering Mia, if Duds falls through. She is a LOT like our Megan, but we think we can get past that. She sounds like a good dog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mia

That dark husky is similar to my mind's picture of a wolf (wild color).

Actually both that AND the first one look very much like timber wolves! When I saw the first pic, I thought it WAS, at the very least, a wolf hybrid! One way or the other, all three beautifully majestic dogs. :-)

To me, Tatyana looks just like some of the red wolves at the NC museum, only without such big ears.

{{!gwi}}

The dark agouti huskys are downright stunning in person. I've met only a few, and one in particular had piercing blue eyes. He was drop-dead gorgeous, and I've never seen another quite like him. People literally stopped what they were doing in stunned silence to watch that dog in run off leash in a dog park. He was amazing to watch, looked just like a wolf except those blue eyes. I wish I had a camera with me that day. He was just visiting the area, else my girls would have a friend.

I just listed the 2 cats I am trying to find a new home for after reading through pets for adoption and those seemed like very legit ads but after posting the cats I have gotten the craziest e-mails ever!!!!! GRRRRRRR!!!! But I think if I wanted to adopt a dog I would check it too. As far as a Rottie coming up when searching other breeds, I don't doubt it, their search engine has LOTS to be desired. They really need to MUCH improve on how you can search for animals...there's no rhyme nor reason to how the ads come up really. It would be nice if this was a viable way of finding homes for animals.

I think the listings come up from the nearest to the farthest distance from your zip code. If you click on the "pet search" option along the top of the page (next to "home"), you will find that you can do an advanced search. There, you may specify the breed or even the name of a dog.

Most of the problems I saw in doing searches were related to the size of the dog. A lab puppy may weigh 16 lbs, so it is listed as a "small" dog. I think that is an error of the person who listed the dog. I bet they get to chose what size to cal it. The search I found Sabrina on specified "dog," "female," "medium," "adult." We adopted Sabrina last night. She is anxious and unsure of herself, but has started eating and comes back in the house after going outside. Last night I had to go herd her back to the patio door LOL! DH laughed to see me herding the Aussie Shepherd mix back into the house. Here is her listing.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sabrina

Sabrina's a cutie pie! I envy you being able to adopt a dog, I wish you the best of luck with Sabrina!

Congratulations! She is super-cute. I'm glad you finally got a dog after a long search and a couple of disappointments. Lucky Sabrina.

She was in a kennel for her whole life until a month ago. Just as she was figuring out how to be a dog after a month in her foster home, we adopted her and upset the whole process again for her. She is still very handshy and will only let me pet her if she sneaks up on me from behind. Yesterday, she was very attached to me. Today she is following DH everywhere. Yesterday, Casey Jones was growling at her. Now that she is ignoring me, he is happier. She really is beautiful - she looks a lot like an Aussie (except she has a long and fluffy tail and a shorter and more rounded muzzle), and that is her main breed. Her vet thought she was mixed with a retriever. He saw the entire litter growing up and until they were 5 years old. She is back and tan, only a very little white on her belly. I think she is going to be a great addition. She does not care about rank, so Casey can stil be #2, and he will like that. Toby does not care at all. So far, she has not played with them at all, she was just learing how to play with her foster brothers the day before we got her. She has a LOT to learn about being a dog!

I've been frequenting petfinder lately, searching for hounds etc.

And I just found a 35 pound harrier/foxhound mix, who looks to me like a beagle. I highly doubt a dog who's size is generally 40-60 pounds, mixed with another dog whos size is generally 50-75 pounds, would make a 35 lb dog. I can however see it being a beagle who's a bit over the 15 inches.

I like petfinder, but if you're looking for a specific breed, good look. Especially in the hound categories, or spaniel. They're all so simmilar in appearance that when they're mixed, people just guess based on size.

The harrier breeding site I go to, says to never EVER trust that a rescue or shelter dog is a harrier or harrier mix (if you're really adamant about having the breed), unless they have evidence because a lot of people (particularly in the east coast) haven't even seen a harrier and they're so rare, and they will just guess on shape and size.

So I guess if you're really intent on rescuing a certain breed and choose petfinder as one of your resources, I suggest finding out absolutely everything you possibly can about the way they are supposed to look, characteristics that are certainly not of your breed, etc etc. That way you can better judge for yourself whether you think the specific dog has been labelled as the proper breeds.

a Siberian that looks like Tatyana would be perfect for that girl on another thread who wants a wolf!

gorgeous!

I have been doing searches for Cavaliers, too. I do notice a LOT of places - rescues mostly - are putting a breed label (calling a cat a Maine Coon just because it has long hair, etc.) when they have no business doing so.

Petfinder has its uses, but I don't trust a breed label on an animal unless it is a breed-specific rescue or the organization can vouch for the pedigree of the animal (if it was an owner surrender, for example)

But even so, in lieu of actual pedigree papers, you never know. They're putting a breed label to entice you, then when you read the body of the animal's story perhaps they'll mention "Maine Coon-type coat" or some such nonsense.

I would love to own a true Maine Coon and would love to own a Cavalier, but it's not necessary for me. I just don't want to be BSed by the rescue groups.

A lot of times when you put in the dog breed name (dachshund) - you get a mix - or what the shelter suspects is in that mix (dachshund/cocker spaniel for instance) as listings.

If you want a dog that is the actual breed you want, can go to the breed specific rescue groups as an alternative.

I was just perusing the forums here, usually I am in the Computer Help Forum, but I thought I would have a look at this one. This topic caught my attention, since I list the pets for our organization on Petfinder. Petfinder is a wonderful tool; we have adopted out many pets through it. However, it has its flaws. The one that aggravates me the most is that you cannot just say a dog is a mixed breed. You have to specify some sort of breed. With most of our rescues, I just take a shot in the dark as to what kind of breed they may have in them. Even our vets cannot say. Most of our rescues are just mutts, and I don't see a thing wrong with being a mixed breed but I guess Petfinder does. So, when you look at a pet that doesn't look like the breed you are looking for, keep in mind that someone like me just randomly picked a breed to list it under. Also, in our area we have nothing available but dialup on analog lines. Our connection speed is 28.8. It takes forever and a day to update Petfinder. More time and patience than any of us have. So, unless the animal has really changed in looks or its profile has changed, we seldom update our animals just for the sake of updating it. It takes me about 20 minutes to upload a new picture and update a pet. It seems like everything now is geared towards people with high speed internet access, and those of us that have no other option than very old, very slow dialup and just left out in the dark.
Susan, Southern Illinois Pet Society

Here is a link that might be useful: Southern Illinois Pet Society

Susan, Thank you! Now it makes so much more sense.

Susan, That makes sense. Thanks for telling your side. Bless you for what you do.
Even with all its flaws, I still recommend Petfinder to anyone wanting to adopt.

meghane, the fact is most people don't know a long haired tabby from a Maine Coon so why not advertise as a Main Coon and get it adopted. I have a friend who loves "Siamese" cats, but the reality is she owns 7 Simamese mixes, not one is purebred. She's in love with the "Look." That's what most people want something that looks purebred so they can brag about it to a friend. I'm glad to accomodate them and always advertise my rescues as a mix of a purebred even though they most probably don't have a drop of purebred in them, they just look like the breed. I have a huge Maine Coon looking cat right now and everyone who sees him says "oh look at the Maine Coon." Because he was a stray I have no idea what he is, but as far as everyone is cocerned, he's a Maine Coon.

I think Petfinder.com is a wonderful resource. So much time is saved going to one website. We have adopted our last two dogs with the help of Petfinder. We have also had a bad experience with a rescue group that listed a dog as good with cats but when we got her home and was introduced she turned into a wild beast it took myself and DH to hold her back. She was great with our kids and other dog but she would have killed our cats. When we told the rescue group they took her back but never updated her listing on PetFinder, It still makes me so mad... if someone else gets her and doesnÂt have their cats locked up this dog will kill them.

Petfinder is a great resource. I just adopted a Chihuahua listed on Petfinder through LL Dog Rescue. Petfinder sent me listings of available Chi's for months for me to look at. I saw this little dog and emailed an inquiry to LLDR. My girl is 2 years old and until 3 months ago was living in a puppy mill and has had 3 litters. Her last litter was stillborn, and that is why the "breeder" sold her. The new owner died within 3 months. She was sold once again. The new owner decided after less than a week they no longer wanted her. So she landed in a LLDR foster home. Her picture was posted and I was lucky enough to be chosen to provide her with her forever home.
Thanks Petfinder!

Meghane- your dogs are absolutely gorgeous!

Would you believe he had a Lab father and a Bernard mother?
Well it's true. Caught redhanded *lol*

My point being, it is possible for small dogs to breed with
large dogs. On the other hand some dogs listed on Petfinder
and advertised in shelters obviously are miss named. Some
people don't recognize breeds well. And Susan has a good
point as well.

I'm just glad that dog was adopted.

Ed-

Hi Ed,
Thanks for the picture of your beautiful boy!

It is so funny to see a St. Bernard/Lab mix show up here because the rescue that we got our Bina from currently has an entire St. B/Lab family up for adoption.Here What a bunch of cute pups! Your guy is so handsome himself.

Our Bina has really blossomed lately. She does not pace anymore. She loves mealtime and dances and play-bows while the food is being prepared. She comes into rooms with people other than DH and me there, though she does not want to be touched by others yet. She likes being petted - though I still have to sometimes catch her to do it. She still has not learned to play with the boy dogs yet, though. Casey has tried to jump her in the past and she is assertive enough to shake him off easily. Toby's idea of play is to bite at a dog's heels and get it to turn and rough-house. Bina is NOT going to do that, so she just keeps away from him. So she is not quite a "real dog" yet, but she is stopping to sniff when she is outside and she likes stealing tomatoes off of the vines with Toby. The Fourth-of-July fireworks season and neighbors outside swimming in their backyard did spook her greatly and set her back a bit. We don't think she ever got to go outside before being rescued. I have spent a lot of time with her recently getting her brushed out. She is shedding so much! She was shaved when she was spayed, and to get mats off. Her fur is back and she is all feathery. Her toes are especially hairy - three inches of fluffy fur on the tops of her feet! I'll get pics of her once she is done shedding and get them posted.