Description
Tierheimhelden is a German website that brings together animals from shelters looking for a home, so that people who want a dog, cat or small animal can search many shelters at once instead of answering classified ads.
It is run by Tierheimhelden gemeinnützige UG, a small non-profit company based in Oberschleißheim near Munich, and says it has worked with shelters for 13 years. The platform is free for people looking for an animal. It takes donations, and its home page carries ads from partners and a row of supporters, among them the pet shop chains Fressnapf and Kölle Zoo and several pet food brands.
The site explains adoption step by step: choose an animal, contact the shelter, fill in a self-disclosure form, visit the animal, agree to a home check, sign the protection contract and pay the adoption fee. According to its FAQ, the fee is usually between €50 and €400 depending on the shelter and species, and the process takes from a few days to several weeks. The listed animals come from shelters in Germany, and according to the FAQ also from Austria and Switzerland.
Strengths
- One search covers animals from many shelters, with filters for species and region.
- The site explains each step of an adoption, from the self-disclosure form to the home check.
- It is free for adopters and run by a non-profit company.
Weaknesses
- The home page shows ads and logos of pet shop chains and pet food brands.
- The number of partner shelters and animals is not given, and some pages are still unfinished.
- The adoption fee and conditions are set by each shelter, so they vary widely.
Who it is for
People in Germany who want to adopt an animal from a shelter and want to compare several shelters before calling one.
Sources
- Tierheimhelden: home, how it works, FAQ, legal notice (checked November 2026)