LBC provides several search features to help you find pets, organizations, and community members quickly. Each search type is optimized for its specific domain. Access the main search from the search bar in the top navigation or from dedicated search pages.
The pet search is the most powerful and commonly used search feature. It supports three modes:
Type any query into the pet search bar — keywords, breed names, colors, or descriptions. The search uses semantic embeddings to understand the meaning of your query, not just exact word matches. For example, searching "good with kids" will also find pets described as "great with children."
Search results are ranked by relevance score. Results that best match your query's meaning appear first.
Refine your pet search with the following filters:
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Species | Dog, Cat, Small Animal, Bird, Reptile, Other |
| Breed | Select from recognized breeds (auto-populated based on species) |
| Age | Puppy/Kitten, Young, Adult, Senior |
| Size | Small, Medium, Large, Giant |
| Sex | Male, Female |
| Location | Distance from a ZIP code or city |
| Status | Available, Pending, Adopted, Medical Hold |
| Organization | Filter by a specific shelter or rescue |
Filters can be combined. Applied filters show as removable tags above the results. Use Clear All Filters to reset.
Toggle to map view to see pets plotted on an interactive map. Each pin represents a pet's location. Click a pin to see a quick summary card with photo, name, species, and distance. Click the card to open the full pet detail page.
The map view is especially useful for adopters looking for pets near their location.
The organization search helps you find partner shelters and rescues. Access it from the Partner Directory or the search bar with organization scope.
Search by:
Results show the organization name, location, a brief description, and their verification status (Verified badge if applicable).
Within community channels, you can search for other members using the @mention autocomplete. Type @ followed by a username in any post or comment to trigger the search. The autocomplete shows matching users with their profile photo and name.
For broader user discovery, use the Community Members page which lists all members and supports search by:
This is useful for finding the right person to connect with or mention in a discussion.
Cross-org search extends pet search across all partner organizations. Toggle the Include Partner Orgs option on the pet search page. Results will include pets from your organization and all partner organizations that have opted into cross-org sharing.
Results are tagged with the source organization name. You can filter cross-org results by partner to narrow down specific collaborators.
See the Cross-Organization Features help article for more details.
Get the most out of LBC search:
Search results are ranked by a combination of factors:
This multi-factor ranking ensures the most relevant, complete, and recent results appear first.