The dog matchmaker: Park City foster builds an algorithm for rescue adoptions

FetchMate founder Danielle Summers with her late dog Sammy, the "soul dog" whose companionship led Summers into fostering and, eventually, to building a rescue-matching platform. Photo: Danielle Summers

PARK CITY, Utah — After years of fostering dogs for local rescues, Danielle Summers kept running into the same heartbreak: a family would fall for a dog whose breed looked right but whose energy, training needs, or temperament didn’t fit their lives. Sometimes the dog came back.

That pattern led the Summit Park resident to launch FetchMate, a free online platform that matches adopters with rescue dogs in the greater Salt Lake area based on lifestyle compatibility rather than looks alone.

“How do I basically become a dog matchmaker on a larger scale to help the rescue dogs that I work with through our local rescues?” Summers said, describing the question that pushed her from foster bios to a full platform.

The site, at fetchmate.app, asks adopters to build a profile covering how many hours a dog would be home alone, the kind of activity they want — running partner, dog-park regular, low-key companion — and whether they need a dog that is friendly with kids, cats, or other dogs. Participating rescues load their available dogs into the system, and an algorithm matches adopters with the dogs most likely to be a good fit.

The service is free for both adopters and rescues, Summers said, and she described that as central to the project’s purpose.

“This is truly meant to connect rescue dogs in our area with their right homes, and to help adopters find those dogs,” she said. “I think having so many options can be hard to navigate, and that’s nobody’s fault. You have to follow a certain rescue, or you have to do a lot of online research, and this is meant to help you find that companion faster.”

Summers said she has seen what happens on both sides of a match. In one case, she adopted out a high-energy dog to someone who didn’t have time for the exercise or mental stimulation the dog needed. The dog acted out, the relationship was strained, and the dog eventually came back. Placed with a family that had the time, she said, “all of the behavioral things that they saw when they weren’t getting what they needed actually disappeared in the next environment.”

A better-fit story came closer to home. Summers’ sister adopted a breed mix she had never considered, drawn by the dog’s temperament rather than its look. The dog is now her niece’s best friend, Summers said.

FetchMate also includes a social-sharing feature and pulls in rescue events. If an adopter has added a dog to their saved list and that dog will appear at a rescue event at a local business, the platform sends an alert so they can meet the dog in person. Adopters can browse without committing, and they can share dog profiles with friends or family looking on their behalf.

Summers, who moved to the Park City area about 16 years ago, said her path into rescue work began with her own dog — a companion who got along with nearly every other dog and led her into fostering. After her dog died, Summers said, she received cards from people who had adopted former fosters, a response that crystallized for her the long arc of a single placement.

For now, FetchMate is focused on rescues in Summit County, Park City, and Salt Lake City, the organizations Summers knows best. She plans to expand as more rescues come on board, and a downloadable app is in the works. The service currently runs as a website, so the platform can be refined before going to a wider release.

“My hope is that you find that companion faster,” Summers said.