Once you’ve found a pet that you’re interested in on getyourpet.com, browsing their profile details page is a quick and easy way to see all of their general information at a glance. You’ll find the pet’s age, breed, size, compatibility with kids and other pets, formal training, medical history, and more in their profile. Guardians also have a chance to share a short bio about their pet, so that you can get to know their story.
But when it comes to specific questions like, “Where does Fluffy like to sleep at night?” or “Does he walk well on a leash?”, you’ll want to go right to the horse’s (or rather, dog’s or cat’s) mouth and send a message to the pet’s Guardian. This is one of the distinct advantages of adopting through Get Your Pet: the unique opportunity to ask the pet’s Guardian firsthand about any specific questions or concerns you may have.
To send a Guardian a message, just click the orange Connect button from the pet’s profile. Then, select “Send A Message” to get started. Get Your Pet’s secure messaging system is designed to keep communication between you and pet Guardians safe, fast, and to-the-point. Make a brief introduction and then get started asking more about the pet. You can ask things like, “What is Fluffy’s favorite thing to do?” “What kind of food does he eat?” “Does he have any allergies?” or any other questions you find relevant. For a full list of questions to ask Guardians, check out our Tips For Adopters page.
If you feel like you want to conduct a conversation by phone, we ask that you wait until you have made a meet-up. After you have proposed and accepted a meet-up, the system is cued to allow you to exchange off-site communication info, like email addresses or telephone numbers. If your phone conversation sours one of you on meeting up, you can always just cancel.
Do not schedule meet-ups in your messages. You can discuss when/where might be a good place to meet-up, but to officially schedule a meet-up, scroll to the top of your conversation with the pet’s Guardian and click on “Let’s Meet.” Then, follow the instructions to select a location, day and time.
If the Guardian is hesitant to meet, or doesn’t believe it would be the right fit, that’s OK – Guardians reserve the right to choose the home they feel is best suited for their pet, and Fluffy will find another home. If they accept, then you’re scheduled to meet your new friend! When the meet-up is over, don’t forget to return to getyourpet.com and Follow Up about it from your dashboard.
Tips from our team:
- It’s recommended to exchange a few messages with the Guardian before requesting to schedule a meet-up. This is a great opportunity for you to get to know about the pet and to let the Guardian know you’re interested. It’s OK to ask a lot of questions – this shows the Guardian you’re serious about adopting and increases your chances of a successful adoption.
- Never harass a Guardian’s delayed or non-committal response. Many Guardians are under other pressures that might have caused them to need to rehome their pet in the first place, and it may be a difficult time for them. Please be patient. Guardians may also be responding to a ton of other messages, and be unable to keep up with new inquiries. We suggest moving on to pursue other pets if this is the case. It’s always a good idea not to have your heart set on just one possiblility, especially with much sought-after pets.
- We have a ton of tips in place for having a successful meet-up.