A community app for spotting cats and dogs, helping lost pets get home, finding pet-friendly places, and supporting rescues — with a fun Virtual Buddy, quests and Packs.

Yes. There are no paid features for regular users at this time, and nonprofit rescues claim and manage profiles for free.

Points you earn for helpful activity. They have no cash value, can't be sold or redeemed for money, and may be corrected or changed.

A pet-related place on the map, such as a park, vet, shelter or pet store. Partner and verified places are highlighted.

Yes, the map works anywhere OpenStreetMap has data, though activity and place details vary by area. Rescue features currently focus on the United States.

Yes, for PetMatch photo comparisons, photo checks and content safety checks (OpenAI). AI can be wrong; results are leads, not proof.

OpenStreetMap for map data, OpenAI for moderation and AI features, our cloud hosting/database provider, and your browser's push service for notifications.

Approximate. Public sightings and missing pets are deliberately rounded, and place data may be incomplete or outdated. Always check before you go.

To protect people's homes and routines. Precise locations are never shown publicly.

No. Your device location is used only in the moment for features like "Near me" and isn't shown to others. Public posts show an approximate area.

Turn off location permission for PawQuest in your browser or device settings. You can still pan the map and use lists.

Rescue teams can edit their own profile. Anyone can report incorrect information; place details from OpenStreetMap can also be fixed on OpenStreetMap.

Go to Missing, start a report, add photos, details and the last-seen area, then submit.

Tap the camera button, add a photo, confirm the approximate area, add notes and submit.

An AI tool that compares sightings with missing-pet reports to suggest possible leads.

No. It's a possible lead only. Verify in person, safely, using microchips, vets or shelters.

The page where owners review PetMatch leads for their missing pet and see why each was suggested.

When an owner marks a pet reunited, they can credit the helper whose sighting helped. That helper gets a badge and Paw Points, once per pet.

No. PawQuest can't confirm identity or ownership. Use microchip scans at a vet or shelter.

Yes. Approved rescue teams can list animals with real photos, which are safety-checked first.

Through Rescue onboarding: find or create the profile and submit a claim for admin review.

No. Claiming and managing a profile is free for nonprofit and public animal-welfare organizations, as long as they stay meaningfully active.

An organization a PawQuest admin has checked. It isn't an endorsement or a guarantee of safety or performance.

A separate partner designation set by PawQuest admins. Like verification, it isn't a guarantee.

A rescue's owner or admin decides whether its adoptable animals can appear in PetMatch. It's off until they turn it on.

No. PawQuest doesn't verify identity or run background checks on ordinary users.

Meet in a busy public place in daylight, bring another adult, tell someone your plans, and leave if anything feels wrong.

No. Contact a vet, lawyer, animal control or emergency services. PawQuest is not an emergency service.

Use Report on the post, message or profile. For an intimate image shared without consent, use the urgent report page. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.

Sightings, missing-pet reports, your public profile and rescue listings are public. Messages are visible only to people in that conversation.

You can message accepted friends, and each Pack has a group chat. Blocking stops messages both ways.

Our safety check flagged it. You'll see a short reason (never a score). Minor issues just need editing; others wait for a person to review.

Use Request a review on the held item or your account safety notice.

Harassment, hate, threats, sexual content, animal cruelty, scams, illegal animal sales, sharing others' private details, spam and false reports, among others.

Only person-confirmed violations count, for 90 days. More points mean longer posting pauses (24 hours, 7 days, 30 days) and eventually admin review. There are no automatic permanent bans.

Open their profile or a message and choose Block or Report.

You won't be penalized. We may show support resources. If you're in immediate danger, call or text 988 (US) or your local emergency number.

It's hidden immediately, never sent to outside AI services, and reviewed only by restricted admins, with reports to authorities as required by law.

Uploaded photos that can't be checked stay private until they can be. If the safety service is down for a long time, ordinary posts and messages keep working and our team reviews reports.

13 or older to use PawQuest on your own.

Only with a parent or guardian through verified parental consent, which isn't available yet. Until then, under-13 accounts stay paused.

When we make an important change. Until you accept, posting and messaging pause, but browsing and account pages still work.

Open notification settings to choose types, mute Packs or chats, and turn push on or off.

Go to Profile → Privacy & Data → Request account deletion.

Not necessarily. Your access ends, but some records may be kept where the law allows or requires, such as for safety, fraud prevention or legal reasons. Your legal privacy rights still apply.

No, PawQuest does not sell personal information.