A public resource for animal safety
Before you adopt. Before you foster. Before you rehome. Check PawWatch.
For rescues, shelters, fosters, breeders, pet businesses, and people rehoming animals: make reviewing public information part of your animal-care and placement process.
Understand what you are reading
PawWatch Registry: verified convictions
PawWatch Registry contains verified animal-cruelty and animal-abuse convictions supported by cited sources. The Registry is reserved for verified conviction records.
Case Watch: developing cases
Case Watch contains documented developing and non-conviction cases, including allegations, investigations, arrests, charges, and pending proceedings. These are maintained separately from Registry convictions. An allegation or charge is not proof of guilt; people are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Convictions and developing cases are separated so you can distinguish an established court outcome from a case that has not established a conviction. Always read the record’s current status.
How to check PawWatch
- Open the existing search. Select “Search PawWatch,” choose all states or a relevant state, and enter at least three letters of the person’s name. Try alternate spellings when appropriate.
- Review results separately. Name searches show verified Registry results and Case Watch results in separate sections. The recorded-offense filter applies only to Registry results.
- Confirm identity and sources. A matching name alone does not establish that a record belongs to the person you are researching. Independently review the cited court, government, or reporting sources and confirm identity, disposition, and current information before making consequential decisions.
- Use your full process. PawWatch is one public-information resource. Continue your own lawful review procedures and any legally required background checks.
“WE CHECK PAWWATCH” badge
Organizations may voluntarily display this badge to say they use PawWatch as one public-information resource in their own process. No registration, payment, or submission of personal information is required.
Badge usage guidance
Use the badge only if your organization voluntarily uses PawWatch as one public-information resource. Keep the wording and supporting lines intact, preserve its proportions, and link it to this page when displayed online. For accessibility, use the image description “We check PawWatch: voluntary use of a public-information resource, not certification.”
The badge does not mean PawWatch certifies, accredits, endorses, or approves the organization. It does not guarantee adoption practices, animal safety, or any person’s history; approve individual placements; or mean PawWatch assumes liability for the organization. Do not present the badge as certification, a background-check clearance, or a guarantee.
Use public information responsibly
PawWatch is a public-information and research resource, not a formal background-check service or a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). PawWatch data must not be used as a substitute for legally required background checks or represented as determining eligibility for employment, housing, credit, insurance, or other FCRA-covered purposes. Review cited sources and independently confirm information when making consequential decisions.
Do not use PawWatch to harass, threaten, or target anyone. Review the editorial standard, Terms of Use, and correction process.