A year of hope, healing, and homes: Saving lives at our sanctuary and around the U.S.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is where Best Friends’ lifesaving began — and where it continues. A place of healing and restoration for people and pets alike, it provides a home-between-homes for up to 1,600 animals on any given day. Our sanctuary is the heart of Best Friends Animal Society and the no-kill movement. Today, we continue to develop new and better approaches to animal care, and we share this knowledge with animal welfare groups far and wide.

Caring for thousands of animals takes skill in addition to compassion. At Best Friends Animal Clinic, veterinary professionals treated an estimated 6,600 animals last year. To safeguard the Sanctuary from the national veterinarian shortage and ensure continued care for generations of animals to come, we launched the Megan Salzman Medica and John Kevin Medica Veterinary Scholarship. The first recipient of the scholarship, Best Friends employee Caroline Milleson, will receive assistance with tuition and living expenses in exchange for a post-graduate commitment to work at the Sanctuary clinic.

In addition to all the lifesaving that happens in Angel Canyon, the Sanctuary also supports local shelters in their efforts to reach no-kill and bolsters Best Friends’ commitment to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. And you fuel every aspect of this work.

Second chances at the Sanctuary

When the Dogtown team at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary learned about over 100 small dogs in a home in Socorro, New Mexico, they immediately stepped in to help. Collaborating with the City of Socorro Animal Shelter and Animal Humane New Mexico, they gave the dogs a second chance. For Spork and 16 other pups, that second chance was at the Sanctuary, where they joined the 2,683 animals welcomed in 2024.

Sego lands a home

Sego was a shy guy who needed time to trust people. When Richard and Sandy Garrett met him while volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, they were patient and slowly bonded with Sego through outings and sleepovers. “He was usually so excited to see his roommate, Destiny, when we dropped him off at the Sanctuary after a sleepover,” says Richard. “But the last time we dropped him off, he ran to the fence instead and just watched us leave.” Sandy and Richard couldn’t stop thinking about Sego and decided to give him the loving home he deserves. 

Now, Sego enjoys his days playing with the hose, going on walks, and soaking up affection as a cherished member of his new family.

Bringing care to the Navajo Nation

While the Sanctuary is at the heart of everything we do, we’ve expanded our reach to provide essential veterinary care to our neighbors on the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation in the U.S. In 2024, Best Friends launched a spay/neuter mobile clinic, made possible by longtime supporters Marty and Brenda Winnick, to address the great need for these services. The clinic is helping keep pets healthy and in their homes with the families who love them.

Between January and September, the mobile clinic team performed 8,893 procedures including vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, and microchipping for 2,317 animals. The clinic is part of a larger effort to collaborate with Navajo Nation Animal Control, local leaders, and other organizations. Together, we are working to provide essential resources, reduce the free-roaming dog population, and help support the Navajo Nation’s shelters.

Expanding lifesaving efforts across the country 

Our commitment to being a good neighbor went beyond the Navajo Nation, as we expanded our lifesaving efforts to more shelters and communities across the U.S. 

Through Best Friends’ lifesaving centers and programs in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Houston, New York City, and Bentonville, Arkansas, we became critical resources for both local and regional shelters. In 2024, about 30% of the animals welcomed into our centers came from more than 100 miles away — often from small, under-resourced shelters.

Thanks to the welcoming adoption experience at our locations and widespread calls to adopt, more pets landed homes through Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, lifesaving centers, and hubs in 2024 than in any of the previous five years. With your help, 14,252 animals from Best Friends and 3,596 animals from shelter and rescue partners were adopted. 

The return of Best Friends Super Adoption events in Los Angeles and Bentonville also helped place nearly 600 pets in loving homes. Together, we’re not just giving animals a second chance — we’re building unstoppable lifesaving momentum and a future where all pets have a place to call home.