Frequently asked questions about pet adoption

Balu is the platform for adopting animals from German shelters and non-profit animal-welfare organisations. We bring verified shelters together in one place — with up-to-date profiles, photos and the option to apply online directly.

Balu is a website at getbalu.com — fully in your browser, including on mobile. A dedicated app is on the way and coming soon.

Yes. Searching for animals and contacting shelters on Balu is free. Shelters usually charge an adoption fee (Schutzgebühr) for the animal — that goes directly to the shelter and varies by animal. Donations are optional.

Yes. Balu lists almost exclusively animals from shelters and non-profit animal-welfare organisations, predominantly affiliated with the Deutscher Tierschutzbund. These are real, verified institutions — not private classified ads.

On classified-ad sites it's hard to tell a serious listing from illegal puppy trade. On Balu the animals come from shelters and welfare organisations, so you adopt safely and responsibly.

In a few steps: 1. Search dogs, cats or small animals by region, breed and traits. 2. Open a profile and send a request to the shelter. 3. Complete the short questionnaire and confirm your contact details. 4. The shelter gets in touch and you arrange a meeting. 5. You finalise the adoption directly with the shelter.

Browse the available dogs on Balu, contact the shelter, complete the application and verification, meet the dog, and finalise the adoption with the shelter. Balu connects you to verified German shelters.

On any pet or shelter profile use the contact / application button. Your message is relayed to the shelter and they reply to you directly — no need to look the shelter up separately.

Verification keeps the platform safe for shelters and ensures they can reach serious adopters. It's a quick, one-time step.

It varies by shelter and animal — from a few days to several weeks, depending on the questionnaire, a possible pre-visit and the shelter's process.

Every animal lives at its shelter — not with Balu. You can see the location and distance right on the animal's profile, and sorting by distance shows nearby animals first. After your request, you arrange a visit directly with the shelter.

Most shelters are run by volunteers alongside their day jobs — a reply can take a few days. After about a week, a friendly follow-up helps: just reply to the emails about your request and your message reaches the shelter directly. If that doesn't help either, write to contact@balu.team and we'll follow up with the shelter.

Shelters charge an adoption fee (Schutzgebühr). It helps cover vaccination, microchipping, neutering and the animal's care, varies by animal and shelter, and goes to the shelter — not to Balu.

Most shelters charge an adoption fee that helps fund the animal's vet care and the shelter's work. Using Balu itself is free. Be cautious of offers with no fee at all.

No. The adoption fee goes entirely to the shelter — Balu's platform fee is 0%. Balu is supported by partners who care about animal welfare.

Use the filters (size, age, breed, region) and Balu's search assistant. Profiles show whether an animal is, for example, good with children, other dogs or cats, and whether it suits an apartment or first-time owners.

Yes. Profiles include compatibility details (children, dogs, cats), and you can ask Balu's assistant, e.g. "family dog good with kids".

Yes, you can filter by breed group (e.g. poodle, shepherd, sphynx). Availability changes daily as animals are placed.

Some welfare organisations place dogs rescued from abroad — this is stated in each profile. They are vetted and go through the same adoption process.

Turn on notifications for the shelters you're interested in — you'll get a message as soon as a new animal is up for adoption there. It's free and you can turn it off at any time.

Many shelters offer a trial or foster period so you and the animal can get to know each other. Ask the shelter about their arrangement.

Talk to the shelter. Shelters care about a good match — they will usually take the animal back rather than risk a poor placement.

Some shelters do a follow-up (a call or visit) to make sure the animal has settled in well.

Usually an ID, sometimes proof of residence or your landlord's consent. The shelter will tell you exactly what's needed.

Balu is not a shelter and cannot take animals in. For responsible rehoming there is our service at getbalu.com/rehome: it first shows you alternatives in case there is a way to keep your pet, and otherwise guides you through the rehoming step by step.

Balu deliberately has no private listings — that protects both animals and adopters. You have two options: hand the animal over to a local welfare organisation that can place it via Balu, or use our guided service at getbalu.com/rehome.

Unfortunately we can't. Only registered German shelters and welfare organisations list animals on Balu. Your best route is a recognised international-rescue organisation in your region — it can handle the placement with an adoption contract, vet care and legal entry.

Balu is focused on Germany: the requirement is a non-profit organisation registered in Germany with a permit under §11 of the German Animal Welfare Act. International-rescue organisations with a German association are welcome — organisations without one cannot be listed.

Yes — directly at the shelter: many shelters run dog-walking programmes with fixed times and a short introduction. Note that not every dog is suited to this, for example because of its history or insecurity around strangers — the shelter decides which dogs may go out. Just ask a shelter near you.

Balu is a small online platform with no animals on site, so hands-on help isn't possible with us. Volunteers are urgently needed at almost every shelter though: ask a shelter near you directly. Openings or internships at Balu itself are announced as soon as they exist.

Balu has no premises and no animals — please take in-kind donations directly to a shelter near you. Many shelters publish wish lists on their websites; when in doubt, a quick call clarifies what's currently needed.

From German shelters and non-profit animal-welfare organisations, predominantly affiliated with the Deutscher Tierschutzbund.

Shelters and welfare organisations can list for free — see our page for shelters. Organisations that are members of the Deutscher Tierschutzbund need no further documents; all others submit proof of non-profit status and their permit under §11 of the German Animal Welfare Act. Animals are uploaded and requests are managed in the shelter's own dashboard.

Balu maintains a public directory of shelters and welfare organisations in Germany, similar to a business directory. You can claim your entry and manage it yourself at any time — or have it corrected or removed: a short email to contact@balu.team is enough.

Thank you for paying attention! Send us the link at contact@balu.team. We check whether the animal was placed via a Balu partner organisation and inform them — adoption contracts usually include a return clause. It's best to also report the listing to the classifieds platform directly.

Yes, free of charge: for most websites there's an iFrame — shelters find the ready-made code in their dashboard under "Resources". For WordPress there's additionally our plugin with a shortcode; the access token for it is issued by us on request.

You can browse freely. You need an account to contact shelters and save favourites.

First request a new code or link and check your spam folder. A number that already belongs to another account can still be confirmed — it then moves to the account you are signed in to. If an error like "invalid link" persists, write to contact@balu.team from your registered email address — we'll activate your account manually.

Your application details go to the shelter you contact, so it can decide on the adoption. We don't sell your data. See our privacy policy for details, including the analytics services we use.

You can donate to a shelter directly on Balu or become a supporting member. This is optional and independent of any adoption.

A recurring contribution that supports a specific shelter's work. You can start it and cancel it at any time.