Strength — and transparency — in numbers

The idea took flight in 2020, when our regional programs in Atlanta and New York realized the best way to save more pets at risk in the East Coast region was to merge their efforts.

Since then, we’ve facilitated transport programs with shelters throughout the East Coast corridor in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Atlanta. Transport programs, such as the Wheels of Hope program for the Animal Care Centers of New York City, have moved more than 3,900 animals.

Our East Coast transport teams are working hard for cats, too, in particular by helping animal shelters with the highest need for kitten lifesaving. Kittens are among shelters’ most vulnerable occupants. Due to their fragility, those under 8 weeks old sometimes don't survive despite the best of care.

Best Friends works collaboratively with local shelters and animal welfare groups across Greater Houston and surrounding regions, helping save the lives of pets. The Best Friends hub in Houston is located in the Acres Homes area within the city of Houston. Our local team hosts adoption events throughout the city, supports animal welfare groups with veterinary services, and provides lifesaving programs through direct care.. Our Houston team hosts shelter “takeovers” and foster rallies, matching community members with local shelters in their area to help more pets in need. The team is also supported by a team of dedicated foster homes that provide temporary housing for our dogs and cats.

The Houston program may have started through its effort during Hurricane Harvey running the temporary shelter of over 800 pets, working with Harris County Pets in 2017, but now the team saves and impacts countless pets' lives through adoption, transport, and medical support to many regional partners.

Because of this unique feature of the Sanctuary’s work, save rates can dip below the no-kill threshold of 90%. This is largely due to certain animals receiving the special care they need and living out the remainder of their lives and eventually dying with us at the Sanctuary.

Further challenging our save rates is a large resident population of animals that includes far more than just dogs and cats — namely horses, pigs, goats, bunnies, birds, and exotics such as lizards and turtles — in addition to the several thousand new arrivals we welcome in any given year.

We only euthanize an animal as a true act of mercy, such as when there is no chance of the animal regaining a humane quality of life or in rare cases of dogs suffering irremediable aggression.

Our location in West L.A., our largest in terms of number of animals entering, features adoptable dogs, puppies, cats, and kittens from regional shelters and rescue partner organizations.

The city’s greatest needs are foster homes for kittens, spay and neuter resources, affordable pet-inclusive housing, and access to veterinary care for low-income families with pets.

Save rates for cats tend to be lower due to the large number of fragile kitten admissions.

The center is the first of its kind — paving the way for a kinder way of helping animals in need of temporary housing. The center breaks the mold of the traditional, fundamentally broken system of animal sheltering and is a community-centric resource center for pets and the people who love them.

At the center we are innovating alternative solutions that not only provide a better quality of life for pets in need of temporary housing but also exponentially increase the number of pets who can be saved with the same resources.

Since our grand opening in March 2023, we’ve grown to be the second largest intake shelter in the state of Arkansas, all without traditional kennels and cages. We take in animals directly from shelters within Arkansas that desire and are striving to become no-kill.

The center is a place for the community to gather, connect, and come together to save the lives of dogs and cats in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

Pets from our partner shelters are matched with homes through the lifesaving center while several hundred orphaned kittens are helped through our foster kitten care program each year, and our community cat programs are helping to save more lives in Utah.

Our Salt Lake City program is our second largest in terms of volume. Save rates for dogs are consistently close to 100%. Save rates for cats are lower due to the large number of fragile kitten admissions.

Just a few short years ago, cats and dogs were killed in staggering numbers in this country simply because shelters didn't have the community support or the resources to save their lives. That number is now less than half a million per year, but there’s still work to do to ensure a bright future for every dog and cat in America.   

Best Friends operates the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals and is committed to saving the lives of homeless pets by working with shelters and passionate people like you. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill in 2025. Together, we will Save Them All.