Petfinder Flies 100+ Shelter Pets to Forever Homes at 30

Petfinder is celebrating three decades of connecting pets with people by giving back to the animals still waiting for their chance at happiness.

The online adoption platform launched its "Runway to Forever" campaign this August, funding two rescue flights that will relocate more than 100 pets from high-intake shelters to adoption-ready communities. One flight is already carrying dogs and cats from overcrowded Los Angeles shelters all the way to New Jersey, where families are waiting with open arms.

The flights are just one part of Petfinder's 30th anniversary celebration. The company partnered with Purina to donate roughly 1.5 million pounds of pet food to shelters nationwide. Every time someone favorites a pet profile or creates an adopter account on Petfinder between August and November, it triggers a meal donation for a shelter animal.

Since 1996, Petfinder has helped facilitate 40 million adoptions across more than 12,000 shelters and rescue groups. That's 40 million wagging tails and purring companions who found their people through a simple online search.

The Ripple Effect

Greater Good Charities is partnering with Petfinder to make these rescue flights possible. The organization specializes in transporting vulnerable, harder-to-place pets who need extra help finding homes.

"Every meal funded and every mile flown helps vulnerable pets who need it most," said Jeremy Colborn, director of transport for Greater Good Charities. The partnership shows how technology and compassion can work together to solve real problems for animals in need.

The initiative gives shelter pets in overcrowded facilities a second chance in communities with higher adoption rates. Moving animals from high-intake areas to places where people are actively looking to adopt can mean the difference between life and death for these homeless pets.

Kristen Beckerle, Petfinder's brand director, summed up the mission perfectly: "We wanted to take the opportunity to give back to the pets still waiting, not just celebrate the ones who've already found their way home."

Anyone looking to bring home a new furry friend can visit Petfinder today to meet the shelter pets featured in the anniversary campaign and help make those 40 million adoptions become 40 million and one.