Betsy Banks Saul and Jared Saul came up with the idea of Petfinder.org in early 1996, when Betsy was working for New Jersey's urban forestry program while completing her Master's thesis at
Clemson University. In 2005, Petfinder launched a large database of pets rescued from the effects of
Hurricane Katrina. Major animal welfare agencies cooperated to assist in reuniting pets with their owners through the Animal Emergency Response Network (AERN). The database eventually had nearly 23,000 pets listed, 3,200 pets of which were eventually returned to their owners. The database also included nearly 26,000 requests for rescue from people who left animals behind and another 8,000 lost-animal notices. In 2006,
Discovery Communications bought Petfinder for $35 million. Once acquired, Petfinder was part of
Animal Planet Media Enterprises, but was later moved out of Animal Planet and into Discovery Communications' digital media group. Betsy Banks Saul was still involved with Petfinder as were many of Petfinder's original employees. Betsy Banks Saul and Jared Saul are also founding board members of the Petfinder Foundation. In 2013, Nestlé Purina PetCare Company announced the acquisition of Petfinder from Discovery Communications, noting it was Nestle's first major acquisition of a digital property. In December of 2025, Petfinder encountered many technical problems which caused widespread problems for shelters utilizing the service. These have not been fixed as of late December, 2025. https://www.fox26houston.com/news/technical-problems-petfinder-spark-widespread-concern-among-animal-shelters-rescues ==Awards and accolades==