Hoping to expand your family? Are you yearning to buy an adorable pup? There are many ways you can buy a new dog. One option that a lot of people consider is purchasing from pet classified sites.
There are many reasons these sites are so popular. For one, you don’t even have to leave your couch to browse thousands of listings. Plus, many breeds can be difficult to find, so if you have a specific type of dog in mind, buying from a breeder in another state may be your only option.
While there are dozens of pet classified sites around the country, there’s a wide range in quality. Some are home to scammers or puppy mills, both of which you should avoid for obvious reasons. We’ve identified 10 of the best pet classified sites in the United States to help you narrow down your search.
What Is a Pet Classified Site?
A pet classified site is an online platform where you can post listings related to pets. Usually there’s a specific purpose — either you want to buy, sell or adopt animals. These sites also serve as a marketplace for a variety of pet-related transactions including pet services, accessories and even supplies.
A pet classified site usually has most of the following key features:
- Pet Listings: Where you can browse or post listings for pets available for sale or adoption.
- Categories: All listings are categorized by type of pet, breed and by specific needs.
- Search Functionality: When you are on a pet classified site, you can search based on criteria like location, breed, age and price range.
- Adoption and Rescue: Many sites feature animals available for adoption from shelters and rescue organizations, which emphasize finding homes for pets in need.
- Pet Services: Sometimes you can see pet-related services like grooming, training and boarding.
- Pet Accessories and Supplies: Sellers can list pet accessories or supply items, too.
- User Interaction: Buyers and sellers can communicate directly through a messaging system. This can facilitate communication between the buyer and seller.
- Terms and Conditions: These pet classified sites may have guidelines or rules so that ethical practices are followed when concerning the welfare of animals.
- Payment and Transaction: Some sites facilitate payments through their platform and others are usually handled by the buyer and seller themselves.
- Education and Resources: Some sites offer educational content about pets — pet care, breed information, health info and more.
Why Purchase a Dog Through Pet Classified Sites?
Purchasing a puppy through a classified site is a great alternative for many potential pet owners. There are many advantages to taking the virtual route.
1. Wide Selection of Breeds and Types
- When you visit pet classified sites, they usually have a broad range of breeds.
- You can also find purebred and mixed breeds.
- The ability to toggle through puppies, adults or even senior dogs.
2. Convenience and Detailed Listings
- Browse from the many listings from the comfort of your home.
- Quickly find dogs or other pets based on the criteria you’ve filtered.
- All listings usually include details about the dog, photos and even vidoes.
3. Access to Local Sellers
- Pet classified sites have the functionality of finding pets available in your local area — this makes it easier to visit the seller, meet the dog and avoid long distance travel.
- By purchasing locally, you can also boost local community sellers with others.
4. Potential Cost Savings
- Save money because you have access to multiple sellers, allowing you to compare prices and negotiate deals.
- Avoid middlemen by buying directly from the seller.
5. Opportunity to Rescue or Adopt
- Listings that include shelters and rescue organizations.
- This gives you a chance to adopt a dog in need instead of a breeder.
- You can also support local rescue foundations.
6. Educational Resources and Community Support
- Many pet classified sites offer educational resources about breeds, tips on training, nutrition and general care information.
- There are also community features in pet classified sites like forums, user ratings and reviews.
7. Support for Ethical Breeding
- There are usually verification processes to make sure the breeders meet all ethical standards.
- This prevents puppy mills from growing rampantly.
- There is also transparency about the selling and buying process.
Top 10 Pet Classified Sites
There are many pet classified sites on the internet. Some are amazing while others may not meet your standards. Here are the top 10 pet classified sites based on transparency, quantity and quality of listings, extra features and user reviews.
Pawrade
Founded in 2020 and from Charleston, SC, Pawrade is an online puppy finder which allows you to choose from hundreds of profiles located throughout the United States. Their goal is to find beautiful dogs for their right potential owner. Their wide selection of dogs is amazing — and you can optimize your search with what you specifically need and want.
In terms of drawbacks, they primarily only sell puppies and sometimes breeder information may not be available or be missing.
Puppy Spot
Founded nearly 20 years ago, Puppy Spot is an online platform that connects breeders to those that want to buy puppies. You can choose from many profiles located throughout the entire country. The company is committed to animal welfare and screens all its breeders. Furthermore, the process of obtaining a puppy is quite easy with Puppy Spot. All puppies go through health screenings.
In terms of drawbacks, there may be lack of follow-up or information when communicating with them.
Camlist
Camlist is a revolutionary pet classified site in the United States. In fact, it may be the only pet classified site that features pet video as a way to buy a dog. The company uses a video option because you can see the puppy and its natural habitat on video (along with pictures and information) as opposed to just pictures and text.
A drawback to Camlist is that they usually only have the option of buying from a breeder, not a rescue organization.
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club is the official registry of purebred dogs in the United States. You can also find a lot of educational resources on the site, as well as finding dogs to buy. The American Kennel Club is a one-stop shop for everything dog related — help from pet experts, FAQs, breed information, listing your dogs to sell and more.
One of the drawbacks is that they only offer information on purebred dogs, and some breeder information may not be reliable.
Good Dog
Good Dog is a pet classified site in the United States that touts itself as a humane pet listing site. You can buy a pet from breeders and rescue organizations. Furthermore, they have a breeder code of ethics that all breeders have to follow and a list of reputable shelters and rescue organizations you can search for dogs.
In terms of drawbacks, Good Dog may not list the fine print or be as transparent as other organizations in the buying or selling of pets.
Puppies.com
Founded in 2003, Puppies.com is another pet classified site where you can find puppies of all breeds throughout the United States. The site also has a breed matchmaker feature.
When it comes to drawbacks, their Better Business Bureau profile has complaints that range from not having enough breeder information to suspending accounts that report scammers to not checking health information of puppies.
PuppyFinder
PuppyFinder is an all-inclusive site that sells puppies from breeders, but also other dogs from rescue organizations or shelters. You also have the opportunity to sell your own puppies as a breeder. The website is easy to navigate and the process is seamless. It also has an educational resources page where you can learn all about each breed, so you can make the right decision when purchasing a puppy.
When it comes to drawbacks, PuppyFinder limits itself to puppies and may have less-than-reputable breeders on the site.
PetFinder
Part of the Purina community, PetFinder lets you browse through many profiles of pets in your area or expand it throughout the United States. Purina’s PetFinder specifically deals with shelters and rescue organizations. Their aim is to have potential pet owners adopt a dog or cat in need from a shelter instead of going through a breeder or getting a puppy.
When it comes to drawbacks, the vetting system on PetFinder may be lacking a robust check with shelters or rescue organizations. The adoption fees are also a bit more expensive than other places.
Premier Pups
Premier Pups is a pet classified site that specializes in certain puppy breeds. Usually the small dogs are what Premier Pups primarily has in their rolodex. They also have resources so you can learn about the potential breeds that you may want to get. Their customer support is top-notch and 99% of their puppies are OFA certified. The reviews at the BBB are mostly positive.
One drawback of Premier Pups is that they may not have the dog breed that you’re looking for, as they only specialize in certain puppy breeds.
Happy Tail Puppies
A family owned company, Happy Tail Puppies is a pet classified site that mainly focuses on puppies, particularly the smaller breeds. Among the resources they have is a puppy-financing program for those that can’t pay in full upfront — after all, puppies can be expensive! They have educational resources, as well.
When it comes to drawbacks, reviews on the BBB website have complained about unhealthy puppies and their follow-up customer service is lacking.
When You Purchase From Pet Classified Sites, Use CitizenShipper for Pet Transport
And there you have it, these are our picks for the top 10 pet classified sites in the United States.
- These pet classified sites not only sell adorable puppies but are also an amazing resource for learning about all things pets.
- You can get detailed information about everything you want to know about the pet you want to buy.
- There are options to buy from a breeder, a shelter or a rescue organization.
If you buy from an out-of-state breeder or shelter, you’ll need to get the puppy back home. Of course, you can make the drive yourself (or even fly out to the breeder), but that can be time-consuming and expensive. Believe it or not, not only does hiring a pet transporter save you time, it is actually more affordable!
When you need to find a pet transporter, you can spend a lot of time spinning your wheels online or on the phone requesting quotes. Instead of taking the traditional approach, get multiple quotes by posting a single listing on CitizenShipper. And just like the top pet classified sites are full of animal-loving professionals, you’ll work with compassionate transporters that will take great care of your newest family member. Begin the pet transport process today!
