How I Met My Dog

How I Met My Dog is a great partner for shelters and rescues.

Our mission, like yours, is to find all dogs homes where they will thrive.

How I Met My Dog™ actively searches for committed adopters who best fit each of your dog’s needs based on lifestyle and behavior, not breed.

Let’s Get Started

How It Works

Load Your Dogs

Creating a dog’s custom P.E.T. Profile is easy—it takes just four minutes.

Review Your Applications

You receive an email every time you get a new application. Our Common Application shares relevant information, including references.

Communicate with Adopters

We make the matches. You still decide who adopts your dogs.

Finalize Adoption

If the chemistry feels right, finalize adoption, and change status to “adopted”.

comPETibility matters™

How I Met My Dog has identified the critical components of successful human/dog relationships. Based on our proprietary P.E.T. Profile™ (Personality, Expectations and Training Style), our algorithm filters for more than 30 levels of human and dog compatibility.


Choosing a canine companion based on individual behavior and lifestyle compatibility is crucial to the success of the relationships between people and their dogs.
– Dr. Nicholas Dodman Diplomate ACVAA and Diplomate ACVB, Veterinary Behavior Specialist, Former Director of the Animal Behavior Program, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Professor Emeritus, Tufts University

We bring you adopters who are committed to finding the right dog.

When you receive a How I Met My Dog application, you know you are dealing with a candidate who has been custom-matched with one of your dogs. Each adopter has filled out a 56-question behavior and lifestyle survey, so every match is a custom match.

Our Common Application helps streamline your paperwork

We know that time is everyone’s most precious commodity. We’ve created a Common Application so we can share relevant adopter information with you and spare adopters the hassle of filling out multiple applications. References are included and you can always ask supplemental questions.

Our rehoming program helps you avoid owner surrenders.

Every year, more than 500,000 families need to find new homes for their dogs. How I Met My Dog helps them find the best match so that these dogs don’t end up in shelters, putting additional strain on you.

Our adopters are waiting to adopt your dogs.