A year to celebrate: A message from Julie Castle and Francis Battista
In 2024, Best Friends celebrated a major milestone: 40 years of saving lives and creating a brighter future for homeless pets.
Back in 1984, no one knew how many shelters existed in the country, let alone how many were no-kill. The journey to achieve no-kill nationwide would be an extraordinary undertaking. But every monumental change begins somewhere. Ours started in Angel Canyon at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary with a group of friends equipped only with hand tools, grit, and a shared belief that kindness to animals could create a better world for all of us. With each structure built, life saved, and new voice added to the cause, our movement grew.
Since then, we’ve made incredible progress together. Today, nearly 2 out of every 3 shelters are no-kill, with hundreds more just steps away from reaching this goal. In the past year, five state governors signed no-kill proclamations, and places as big as New York City and as small as Lodi, California, joined the ranks of no-kill communities. Our lifesaving momentum is greater than ever, with over 5,000 shelter and rescue partners, plus thousands of compassionate people like you, working together to bring the country to no-kill.
The same belief that motivated us more than 40 years ago continues to drive us today. The difference is that now the path ahead is clear. We know how to save lives — and how to help shelters save even more. The lifesaving accomplishments you made possible in 2024 are propelling us forward, giving us the momentum to help even more shelters achieve no-kill in 2025. Every shelter that crosses this threshold brings us closer to the future we’ve been building together.
As you’ll see in this report, no-kill nationwide is no longer just a dream — it’s becoming a reality. With your help, we’re making it happen, and we are deeply grateful to you for being part of this journey.
Together, we will Save Them All.
Julie Castle, CEO
Francis Battista, co-founder and board chair