ShelterBuddy is cloud and app-based software for shelters, rescues, municipalities and regional facilities. It brings animal records, intake and outcomes, medical and behavior data, foster and volunteer work, fundraising, reporting and animal-control cases into one system. Web, iOS, Android and API access support staff and public-facing services.

What it does

ShelterBuddy manages animal operations and records for shelters, rescues, municipalities and regional facilities. Each animal can have physical details, photos, status, treatments, consultations, behavior notes and identification data.

It tracks intakes and outcomes such as adoptions, surrenders, reclaims and transfers. Modules also cover medical care, foster and volunteer work, fundraising, animal-control complaints, public adoption listings and lost-and-found submissions.

Getting started

Plans are supplied through a signed order. The knowledge base contains help articles, videos, FAQs, release notes and product updates.

Support for the United States and Canada is available by ticket and email. A trial is not described.

Strengths

The system keeps operational, medical and behavioral information together, with configurable user access and an audit trail showing who changed records and when.

Express includes foster and volunteer management, while Gold adds enhanced reporting, API access, maps, multi-location support and concierge support. Pro adds modules for scheduling, licensing, boarding, training, incidents, evacuation, transfers and tasks.

Official add-ons connect with Finding Rover, Google Maps, online licensing, Pet Rescue, Petfinder and Adoptapet. A Petfinder feed can refresh available animals about every 15 minutes.

A public-site module can show adoption and lost-and-found animals. Accounting exports, a documented API and the Med Buddy Android app extend daily workflows.

Catches

Pricing is available only by request, and each plan uses a signed order. The standard subscription runs for 12 months and renews for another year unless notice is given at least 90 days before expiry.

Express has limited canned reports. Advanced reporting, API access and other tools depend on the plan. Teams should also check whether the available access settings and administrative controls meet their login-security needs.

ShelterBuddy is delivered as a cloud and app-based system; customer self-hosting is not described.

Pricing

Express, Gold and Pro are all price on request. Express includes animal processes, volunteer management, limited canned reports, wildlife, foster, lost and found, basic fundraising, staff and HR.

Gold adds enhanced reporting and API, kennel and shelter maps, multi-location support and concierge support. Pro includes centralized animal records, medical and behavioral records, adoption, identification, licensing, boarding, training, scheduling, lost and found, staff, donor, HR, incidents, evacuation, transfers, donations, tasks and API.

Who should skip it

Shelters that need a published rate, short commitments or self-hosting should look elsewhere.

Verdict

ShelterBuddy suits organizations that need one record system for animals, people, care, outcomes and public listings, with room for multiple locations or connected services. Its plan structure lets teams start with core shelter work and move toward richer reporting and integrations.

It is a weaker fit when budget approval requires clear online prices, when a month-to-month contract matters, or when your organization requires customer-managed hosting and tighter administrative controls.

Good at

Centralized animal, medical and behavioral records
Tracks adoptions, surrenders, reclaims, transfers and other outcomes
Foster and volunteer management are included in Express
Public adoption and lost-and-found site options
API, accounting exports and listed add-ons support connected workflows

Watch for

Prices require a vendor quote and signed order
Standard subscriptions renew yearly unless notice is given 90 days ahead
Express reporting is limited
Self-hosting is not described
Check whether access controls meet your security needs

ShelterBuddy plans and prices

Plan	Price	What it includes
Express Subscription terms and price supplied by signed order	Priced on request	animal processes · volunteer management · limited canned reports · wildlife · foster · lost and found · basic fundraising · staff · HR From shelterbuddy.com, 19 Oct 2026
Gold Subscription terms and price supplied by signed order	Priced on request	enhanced reporting and API · kennel and shelter maps · multi-location · concierge support From shelterbuddy.com, 19 Oct 2026
Pro Subscription terms and price supplied by signed order	Priced on request	centralized animal records · medical and behavioral records · adoption · identification · licensing · boarding · training · scheduling · lost and found · staff · donor · HR · incidents · evacuation · transfers · donations · tasks · API From shelterbuddy.com, 19 Oct 2026

Express, Gold and Pro are price on request under signed subscription terms. The standard term is 12 months with automatic one-year renewal unless notice is given at least 90 days before expiry.

Pricing on request

Facts from ShelterBuddy's own pages

Animal records: The system keeps a centralized record containing physical details, photos, status, treatments, consultations, behavior and identification data.source, 19 Oct 2026
Intake and outcomes: ShelterBuddy tracks adoptions, surrenders, reclaims, transfers and other incoming and outcome scenarios.source, 19 Oct 2026
Medical care: The product records veterinary treatments, medication due and completed, and medical consultations.source, 19 Oct 2026
Behavior management: A behavioral module supports temperament ratings and recording information from former owners.source, 19 Oct 2026
Foster management: Foster operations are included in Express and the broader product feature set.source, 19 Oct 2026
Volunteer management: Volunteer management is included in Express and is listed among ShelterBuddy's core modules.source, 19 Oct 2026
Fundraising: ShelterBuddy provides donor records, donation history, campaigns, regular giving and fundraising functions.source, 19 Oct 2026
Animal control: A cruelty complaint module follows cases from initial complaint through investigation, prosecution and court details.source, 19 Oct 2026
Reporting: Gold adds enhanced reporting, while Express includes limited canned reports.source, 19 Oct 2026
Integrations: Official add-ons include Finding Rover, Google Maps, online licensing, Pet Rescue, Petfinder and Adoptapet feeds.source, 19 Oct 2026
Petfinder feed: The Petfinder integration uploads available animals about every 15 minutes and maps selected animal fields to Petfinder fields.source, 19 Oct 2026
Public site: A public-site module can display adoption and lost-and-found animals, with API or iframe options and moderated public submissions.source, 19 Oct 2026
Accounting interoperability: ShelterBuddy can export receipting reports and ledger information for use with existing accounting or point-of-sale software.source, 19 Oct 2026
API availability: A documented ShelterBuddy API is available for querying and caching data, with endpoint documentation for animals and related resources.source, 19 Oct 2026
API authentication: The API requires authentication and supports cookie authentication or an sb-auth-token header; tokens default to two-hour validity.source, 19 Oct 2026
API guidance: API documentation advises public sites to cache animal photos locally and describes PhotoV2 and animal-status endpoints.source, 19 Oct 2026
Documentation: The knowledge base lists hundreds of help articles, videos, FAQs, release notes and product updates.source, 19 Oct 2026
Support: US and Canada support is offered by ticket and email, with published contacts for the CEO and general manager.source, 19 Oct 2026

Best for

Shelters, rescues and municipal animal facilities
Teams needing records plus intake, care, donors and volunteers
Organizations using public listings or multiple locations

Skip it if

You need published rates, month-to-month terms or self-hosting

Questions

What is ShelterBuddy used for?

It manages animal records and shelter operations for shelters, rescues, municipalities and regional facilities, including intake, outcomes, care, volunteers, donors and public listings.

Does ShelterBuddy track medical care?

Yes. It records veterinary treatments, medication due and completed, and medical consultations.

Does it include foster and volunteer management?

Foster and volunteer management are included in the Express plan and the wider ShelterBuddy feature set.

Can ShelterBuddy publish animals online?

Its public-site module can display adoption and lost-and-found animals, with API or iframe options and moderated submissions.

What integrations are available?

Official add-ons include Finding Rover, Google Maps, online licensing, Pet Rescue, Petfinder and Adoptapet feeds. Petfinder updates are sent about every 15 minutes.

What platforms does ShelterBuddy support?

ShelterBuddy is available through web, iOS, Android and an API. Med Buddy is a companion Android app for kennel and medication tasks.

Verdict

Choose ShelterBuddy when your shelter, rescue or municipal facility needs coordinated records, intake, medical work, adoptions, volunteers, donors and animal-control cases. The API, public-site tools and accounting exports can support connected operations, while higher plans add reporting, maps and multi-location features. Before signing, confirm the requested modules, access controls, renewal notice period and total price. Organizations seeking transparent rates or self-hosting should compare other shelter products first.