Pet adoption

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Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.

Online pet adoption sites have databases, searchable by the public, of pets being housed by thousands of animal shelters and rescue groups.