Add a new shelter profile

PawFinder paws image

This operation creates a new shelter profile in the PawFinder system. Use this operation to onboard new animal shelters and rescue groups, register more facility locations for existing organizations, or add foster networks that manage pet adoption listings.

Endpoint structure

POST /shelters

Request headers

Header	Value	Required
`Content-Type`	`application/json`	Yes

Authentication

Required - include an API token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer API_TOKEN

Request body

All fields required except for id, which is auto-generated.

Property	Type	Description	Value Format
`name`	string	Shelter’s name	Any text
`address`	string	Shelter’s location information	Any text
`phone`	string	Shelter’s phone number	E.164 format: “+1-XXX-XXX-XXXX”
`email`	string	Shelter’s email address	Any text
`hours`	string	Shelter’s hours of operation	Any text
`available_pet_count`	integer	Shelter’s available pets	Numeric value
`adoption_fee_range`	string	Shelter’s fee range	United States Dollars
`id`	integer	Shelter’s unique identifier	Auto-generated, read-only

cURL request

# Recommended base_url = http://localhost:3000
curl -X POST {base_url}/shelters \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pawfinder-secret-2025" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ 
        "name": "Plano Animal Services", 
        "address": "4028 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093", 
        "phone": "+1-972-769-4360", 
        "email": "contact@planoanimalservices.org", 
        "hours": "Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-16:00", 
        "available_pet_count": 12, 
        "adoption_fee_range": "80-150" 
} 

Success response `201 Created`

Returns the created shelter profile with the assigned id:

{ 
  "name": "Plano Animal Services", 
  "address": "4028 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093", 
  "phone": "+1-972-769-4360", 
  "email": "contact@planoanimalservices.org",       
  "hours": "Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat 10:00-16:00", 
  "available_pet_count": 12, 
  "adoption_fee_range": "80-150",
  "id": 12
} 

Error responses

Code	Scenario	Response
`400`	Missing values	`{ "error": "Bad Request", "message": "Missing required field: name", ... }`
`400`	Invalid values	`{ "error": "Bad Request", "message": "Invalid value for 'adoption_fee_range'. Must be in USD.", ... }`
`401`	Missing API token	`{ "error": "Unauthorized", "message": "Authentication token is required for this operation.", ... }`
`403`	Invalid API token	`{ "error": "Forbidden", "message": "Invalid or expired authentication token.", ...}`

PawFinder Service API