Find Your Perfect Companion

Every dog deserves a loving home. Every person who wants to help deserves a system that works.

Help CenterTerms of ServicePrivacy PolicyAcceptable Use Policy

© 2026 Lilly Bean Collective. All rights reserved.

Inspired by one rescue — empowering thousands more.

Help Center
      • •Browsing Pets Overview
      • •Pet Detail Page Walkthrough
      • •Cross-Organization Pet Search
      • •How to Apply to Adopt a Pet
      • •Checking Your Application Status
      • •Post-Adoption Resources
      • •Managing Your Favorites
      • •Notification Types
      • •Managing Notifications
      • •Search on LBC
      • •Creating an Account
      • •Logging In
      • •Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
      • •Account Security Best Practices
      • •Managing Your Profile
      • •Notification Preferences
      • •Success Stories Overview
      • •Submitting a Success Story
      • •Common Issues and Troubleshooting
      • •Platform Reliability and Best Practices
Help Center/Browsing Pets/Browsing Pets Overview

Browsing Pets Overview

LBC's public pet directory is the central place where adopters, partner organizations, and the community can discover pets available for adoption. This guide covers the different ways to browse and find your perfect match.

Accessing the Pet Directory

The pet directory is available at /pets on the LBC website. No account is required to browse — you can view all publicly listed pets immediately. Creating an account lets you save favorites, submit adoption applications, and receive notifications.

View Modes

The directory offers three viewing modes to suit different browsing styles:

List View

The default view displays pets in a clean list format. Each entry shows:

  • Pet photo (thumbnail)
  • Name, breed, and age
  • Organization name and location
  • Key badges (special needs, urgent, featured)
  • A "Save" button to add to favorites

List view is best for quickly scanning many results and comparing pets side by side.

Grid View

Switch to grid view using the toggle at the top of the results. Pets appear as cards in a multi-column layout with larger photos and condensed information. This view is ideal for visual browsing — letting the photos guide your discovery.

Map View

Map view plots pet locations on an interactive map. Each marker represents a pet or a cluster of pets. Click a marker to see a popup with the pet's photo, name, and a link to the full profile. Zoom in to break clusters into individual markers. This is useful if you're looking for pets near your location or planning to visit a shelter.

Using Filters

Narrow down results with the filter panel on the left side of the page:

Pet Type

Filter by species — Dog, Cat, or Other (rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, etc.). Selecting a type updates the available breed options.

Breed

After selecting a type, choose specific breeds. You can select multiple breeds to expand results. The breed list is populated from LBC's breed database, which includes common and rare breeds.

Age

Filter by age category:

  • Baby — Under 1 year
  • Young — 1–3 years
  • Adult — 3–8 years
  • Senior — 8+ years

Gender

Filter by Male, Female, or either.

Size

Filter by weight range:

  • Small — 0–25 lbs
  • Medium — 26–50 lbs
  • Large — 51–75 lbs
  • Extra Large — 76+ lbs

Location

Enter a city, state, or zip code to find pets near you. Results are sorted by distance by default when a location is provided. You can adjust the search radius from 10 to 500 miles.

Status

Filter by adoption status:

  • Available — Actively looking for a home
  • Pending — An application is being processed
  • Adopted — Successfully placed (usually hidden by default)
  • On Hold — Temporarily unavailable (medical, behavioral, or foster transition)

Searching

Text Search

Use the search bar at the top to search by:

  • Pet name
  • Breed name
  • Organization name
  • Keywords from descriptions (e.g., "good with kids," "house trained")

The search supports partial matches and ranks results by relevance.

Advanced Filters

Click Advanced Filters to access additional criteria:

  • Coat color and pattern
  • Special needs (medical, behavioral, senior, special diet)
  • Good with children, dogs, or cats
  • House-trained status
  • Energy level

Understanding Pet Cards

Each pet card displays key information at a glance:

  • Primary Photo — The pet's main image
  • Name & Breed — Prominently displayed
  • Age & Gender — Quick reference badges
  • Location — Organization name and city/state
  • Status Badge — Colored indicator (green = Available, yellow = Pending, etc.)
  • Attribute Badges — Icons or labels for special needs, urgent, featured, or sponsored pets
  • Save Button — Heart icon to add/remove from favorites (requires login)

Tips for Effective Browsing

  • Start broad, then narrow down — begin with type and location, then add more filters
  • Use map view to discover pets from organizations near you
  • Check back regularly — new pets are added daily from connected shelters
  • Create an account to save your searches and get notified when new matching pets arrive

Was this article helpful?

Still stuck?

Contact our support team·Back to Browsing Pets