A year of lifesaving collaboration: Helping shelters
Best Friends works with shelters and rescue groups across the country to help communities reach their lifesaving goals.
Animal shelters are as unique as the dogs and cats in their care, which is why — thanks to you — we offer them an array of lifesaving programs, strategies, and tools to help them achieve no-kill.
From our shelter collaborative program, which focuses on peer-to-peer mentoring, to the work of the Best Friends shelter medicine team, these programs and initiatives are helping shelters save more lives now and sustain their lifesaving gains into the future.
For Christy Wilson, being the sole employee at Glen Rose Animal Control in Texas meant being on call 24/7 — a responsibility that comes with the territory of saving lives every day. But even the most dedicated individuals need support. For Christy, that support came through the Prince and Paws Shelter Collaborative Program. Named after the beloved pets of its principal investor, the program pairs shelters working toward no-kill with mentors from no-kill organizations.
In 2024, the program shifted its focus to support smaller, under-resourced shelters, like Glen Rose, that have great potential to contribute to no-kill momentum nationwide. With support from her mentors at Operation Kindness, a lifesaving leader in Texas, Christy was able to hire an additional staff member, launch a foster program, and begin hosting adoption events — putting Glen Rose on the path to no-kill.
Equipping shelters for success
Christie’s story is just one example of how, with your help, Best Friends provided critical support to shelters across the country through mentorship, training, and resources last year.
In 2024, our national shelter support team held 91 training sessions, reaching 1,608 shelter staff and volunteers. These sessions covered a broad range of topics — from improving shelter operations to enhancing disease control and veterinary care — equipping shelters with the tools they need to achieve a 90% save rate, the benchmark for no-kill.
Additionally, the Best Friends Network experienced record growth in 2024, with 572 new shelters, rescue groups, and other animal welfare organizations joining. Through initiatives like the Return to Home and Bring Love Home challenges, participating groups made significant strides in reuniting lost pets with their families, boosting adoptions, and recruiting more foster families. These efforts helped thousands of animals find their way into loving homes, ensuring that lifesaving work continued to spread across the nation.
Answering the call to help
While building lifesaving momentum is essential, maintaining it in the face of unexpected challenges is just as critical. When Miami-Dade Animal Services in Florida faced a deadly outbreak of Streptococcus (aka "Strep zoo") that threatened 800 dogs, Best Friends’ shelter medicine team was called in to help. By implementing new protocols and providing swift treatment, the team was able to contain the outbreak and save hundreds of lives, ensuring the shelter maintained its 91% save rate.
Similarly, after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina in September, Best Friends teamed up with Providence Animal Center and the Massachusetts SPCA to provide care through a mobile veterinary clinic. This collaborative effort served 1,145 pets, including Ricardo Blanco, a miracle kitty who survived floodwaters and was reunited with his family after receiving emergency care.
Whether Best Friends was assisting with everyday operations or responding to urgent crises, we were there because of you — and together, we’ll continue making a lasting impact in shelters across the country.