Get a pet profile by ID — PawFinder Service API

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Get pet profiles by `id`

This operation retrieves a pet’s profile by their id. Use this operation to show complete pet details on profile pages, enable direct linking to specific pet profiles, or update information when users return to a formerly viewed pet profile.

Pet adoption interest workflow

When displaying a pet profile, a client app may allow users to express interest in adopting the pet. The sequence diagram below shows how this workflow might interact with a production system that has a more robust architecture:

sequenceDiagram
    actor User as Adopter
    participant App as Client App
    participant Gateway as API Gateway
    participant Auth as Auth Service
    participant PetSvc as Pet Service
    participant AdoptSvc as Adoption Service
    participant AdoptDB as Adoption Database
    
    User->>App: View Pet Details
    App->>Gateway: GET /pets/1
    Gateway->>PetSvc: Fetch Pet
    PetSvc-->>Gateway: Pet Data
    Gateway-->>App: 200 OK - Pet Details
    App-->>User: Display Pet Profile
    
    User->>App: Click "Express Interest"
    App->>Gateway: POST /pets/1/interest
    Gateway->>Auth: Verify API Token
    Auth-->>Gateway: ✓ Valid Token
    
    Gateway->>AdoptSvc: Create Interest Record
    AdoptSvc->>AdoptDB: INSERT adoption_interest
    AdoptDB-->>AdoptSvc: Interest ID Created
    AdoptSvc-->>Gateway: Interest Confirmed
    
    Gateway-->>App: 201 Created - Interest ID
    App-->>User: ✓ Interest Recorded
    
    rect rgba(200, 180, 200, 0.2)
    note right of AdoptDB: Shelter receives notification<br/>of adopter interest
    end

Endpoint structure

GET /pets/{id}

Path parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`id`	integer	Yes	Pet’s unique identifier

Request headers

Header	Value	Required
`Content-Type`	`application/json`	No

Authentication

This operation doesn’t require authentication.

Request body

This operation doesn’t require a request body.

cURL request

# Retrieve the pet profile with `id`= 1
# -X GET is optional, as GET is the default operation
# Recommended base_url = http://localhost:3000
curl -X GET {base_url}/pets/1

Response fields

Each pet profile object contains the following properties:

Property	Type	Value Format
`name`	string	Any text
`species`	string	`cat` or `dog`
`breed`	string	Any text
`age_months`	integer	Numeric value
`gender`	string	`male` or `female`
`size`	string	`small`, `medium`, or `large`
`temperament`	string	Any text
`medical`	object	See nested fields below
`medical.spayed_neutered`	boolean	`true` or `false`
`medical.vaccinations`	array	Array of strings
`description`	string	Any text
`shelter_id`	integer	Numeric value
`status`	string	`available`, `pending`, or `adopted`
`intake_date`	string	ISO 8601 Format, “YYYY-MM-DD”
`id`	integer	Auto-generated, read-only

Success response `200`

Returns a pet profile object:

{
  "name": "Luna",
  "species": "cat",
  "breed": "Domestic Shorthair",
  "age_months": 18,
  "gender": "female",
  "size": "small",
  "temperament": "playful, affectionate",
  "medical": {
    "spayed_neutered": true,
    "vaccinations": ["fvrcp", "rabies"]
  },
  "description": "Luna is a playful tabby who loves interactive toys and sunny windows.",
  "shelter_id": 1,
  "status": "available",
  "intake_date": "2025-09-01",
  "id": 1,
}

Error responses

Code	Scenario	Response
`400`	Invalid `id`	`{ "error": "Bad Request", "message": "Invalid pet 'id'. Must be a positive integer." ...}`
`404`	No matching `id`	`{ "error": "Not Found", "message": "Pet with 'id' 999 not found.", ...}`

PawFinder Service API

Get pet profiles by id