Smiling person hugging a small brown and white dog

Saving the lives of animals in the Rio Grande Valley is in YOUR hands

More than 1,000 healthy and treatable dogs and cats are killed every day in America’s shelters — and nearly 40 a day in the RGV — just because they don’t have a place to call home.

At Best Friends, we’re working to save the lives of more pets throughout the Rio Grande Valley and create what we call a no-kill community, where healthy and treatable animals aren’t killed.

Dog Cat

Raise your hand to help save animals

You can help stop the killing of dogs and cats in the Rio Grande Valley when you let your local government leaders know that you support policies to protect animals.

By adding your signature to a petition to advocate for animals, you'll be letting leaders in your community know that saving the lives of dogs and cats is important to the residents of the Rio Grande Valley and that you want more lives saved. 

Together, our community can create powerful and lasting change and save thousands of lives.

Sign the Petition

Join a community of lifesavers

Best Friends is working throughout the Rio Grande Valley with local shelters, and you can be a part of that.

You can help support your local shelters and help them save more lives by adopting a pet, fostering, and volunteering. 

Learn more about their lifesaving work and the pets they have for adoption by visiting them online or in person.

Brownsville Animal Regulation & Care Center

Brownsville, Texas
Gray cat looking directly at camera

Palm Valley Animal Society

Edinburg, Texas
Brown and white dog smiling

Rio Grande Valley Humane Society

Harlingen, Texas
Black and white cat looking directly to camera

Weslaco Animal Care Services

Weslaco, Texas
Happy, small, tan dog with curved tail standing on the floor

Start saving lives right now

Change starts with you when you raise your hand to help. There are so many ways you can save dogs and cats where you live, and we'll show you how.

Family adopting a puppy on front of a Best Friends backdrop holding a sign that says, Adoptar es amar

Adopt a pet and save a life

When you adopt a dog or cat, you’re not only adding a loyal and loving companion to your family, but you’re also helping to save lives by making room in shelters.
Adopt Your Next Pet
Dog getting an exam in veterinary setting

Keep your pet healthy

Spaying and neutering are routine medical procedures that not only help control pet overpopulation, but they might also prevent medical and behavioral problems from developing in your pet.
Learn About Spay/Neuter
Kittens being held

Microchip your pet

A veterinarian or shelter will scan for a microchip when lost pets are brought to them, so this safe and effective technology can help get your pet back to you quickly if they’re ever lost.
Find a Lost Pet

Your voice matters

If you can’t adopt or foster, you can spread the word about the importance of stepping up to save the lives of cats and dogs. Let your family, friends, and neighbors know that together we can make a difference in the lives of pets.

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Help a shelter or animal rescue group near you   

The Best Friends Network is made up of thousands of public and private animal shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare groups, all working to save the lives of dogs and cats in communities like yours across the country.  

Each and every one of our network partners needs caring people like you to help animals through pet adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocating to help save the lives of pets where you live.  

Find an animal shelter or rescue group near you today: 
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Cats in your community need your help

Community cats (you might think of them as stray or free-roaming cats) are felines who prefer to live outdoors rather than in homes.

These cats are often brought to shelters by well-intentioned people. But because community cats are not used to living with humans, they are unlikely to be adopted, which means most of them don’t leave shelters alive. 

They are among the most at-risk animals when they end up in shelters. But community cat programs are helping to bring change, and you can be a part of it. 

Helping cats in your community
Tiny kitten standing outside in the grass

The goal of ending killing in shelters is called no-kill

A 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. 

No-kill is a community philosophy and commitment to saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved. But it's helpful to have a way to clearly measure lifesaving progress as we move forward together, and that's where the 90% benchmark comes in. 

Typically, the number of dogs and cats who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. Therefore, we designate shelters that meet the 90% save-rate benchmark as no-kill.

How do we reach no-kill? 

We reach no-kill with YOU — by spaying and neutering pets, fostering, volunteering, and joining campaigns to let local government officials know of our desire to live in a community committed to saving the lives of our pets.

Best Friends Animal Society logo mark

About Best Friends

Best Friends Animal Society is working to save the lives of cats and dogs all across the country, giving pets second chances and happy homes.

As recently as 2016, 2 million cats and dogs were killed in shelters 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 400,000 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. We’re sharing our resources and what we know to help shelters around the country achieve no-kill in their communities. 

Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill in 2025.