Dog Stories

Dolly Jean the puppy looking up from sitting on a tile floor

Skinny puppy is now living her best life

Dolly Jean was too thin and had a belly full of worms when she came to Best Friends, but now she’s thriving.
See how she's now thriving
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Sweet Baby James the puppy in a wheelchair

Foster home helps puppy stand tall

Faces of no-kill: Sweet Baby James could hardly even crawl when he first came to the Sanctuary, but today he’s stronger and in a home of his own.
See him now
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Taylor Hill with Kiba the dog in her lap

Playgroups at Arkansas shelter let a shy dog shine

Kiba was standoffish around people, but around other dogs she proved she’s a social butterfly ready to put her best side on display.
Proof that initial dog labels can be flawed
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Zoey the senior dog with her new adopted family, outside in front of some bushes

Senior dog with medical issues charms new family

Older dogs can be overlooked in shelters, but 10-year-old Zoey was exactly what her new family had been looking for.
Zoey brings comfort in an unexpected way
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RoiLie the dog running in his wheelchair

Big love for little dog with wheels

An injury changed RoiLie’s life, but his huge personality and a whole lot of love keep him going strong.
See him in his home
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Alyssa Leon and Tommy Rigdon sitting on a ledge with Brew and Julien their adopted dogs

A most adorable pair of adopted dogs

Brew and Julien play together, nap together, and are helping their adopters make friends in their new city.
Adopted dogs bring a sense of community
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Community service officer Sean Bus giving a thumbs up sign with Wilson the pug

The right tool reunites lost pug with family

The day after officer Sean Bus received a microchip scanner, he put it straight to use.
Wilson's now reunited with his family
Best Friends Magazine
Shadow the dog with two people petting him

How adopting a dog changed one man’s life

Shadow’s life was saved when he came to Best Friends as a puppy, and he’s been brightening peoples’ lives around him ever since.
Read their story
Best Friends Magazine
Selfie of Milo the dog lying down next to Amber

Finding an 80-pound senior dog’s happy place

Eight-year-old Milo appeared to want to scare away every other dog he met, but it turns out that his story proves the age-old saying: “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
How he blossomed
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Pharaoh the dog on a sand dune with a toy in his mouth

Helping an anxious dog is all fun and games

A bored Pharaoh is a stressed Pharaoh, so his friends are always coming up with ways to entertain him.
See Pharaoh in action
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Nova the dog with her family

Older dog gets new lease on life

These days Nova hikes mountains and provides comfort at a hospital with her person.
Now she's a star
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Smiling person petting a happy black and white pit bull terrier whose tongue is out

Miami-Dade breed ban victory: And the wall came tumbling down!

A monumental change in Florida.
Read how the impossible became possible
Julie Castle Blog
Elle the smiling white puppy with blue eyes outside on grass

Puppy takes leg surgery in stride

Elle no longer has a front leg, but that doesn’t stop her from living life to the fullest.
See her recovery
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Shenzi and Bonsai the puppies sitting outside on some sand

Puppy sisters shine after beating parvo, distemper

Shenzi and Bonsai survived two life-threatening diseases, and now they’re finally getting to enjoy puppyhood.
Life is now all fun and games
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Bunny the puppy in her foster home

First-time dog foster volunteer helps puppy heal

An energetic puppy with a broken leg receives crate rest and lots of love in her foster home.
Bunny gets the care she needed
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