Award-winning animals

Peggy, the canine star in the Marvel movie Deadpool & Wolverine, has another claim to fame: She was voted Britain’s ugliest dog in 2023. But we believe no pet is ugly, so we’re giving her our own title: most beautiful.

Best Friends is teaming up with Marvel Studios to help more pets of all shapes and sizes go home this summer, and as another way to honor Peggy, we had some fun awarding titles to a few of the animals at Best Friends, too.

We know how this looks. But Rosie is not silently judging you, we swear, because she’s as loving and friendly as can be. She landed in a shelter at around 9 years old and then came to Best Friends to be placed in a home.

That’s when it became clear that even her most blissful face comes across as a sourpuss. She’s cuddly and chatty, loves to be brushed, and sit on laps, even if her expression says otherwise. It should come as no surprise that this lovely senior lady was adopted in no time at all.

Get this bunny a wind machine to fully appreciate his luscious locks. Or gently twist his forelock into a unicorn horn, and he’ll wear it well. The possibilities are endless, as long as no one ever gives him a buzz cut. Gordo is a lionhead rabbit living his best life at the Sanctuary until he and his best buddy are adopted. 

In the meantime, he turns heads wherever he goes — whether that’s to hop around and nibble flowers, dig in the sand, or curl up for a nap. OK, his life is quite tame, just like him, and while his name may be Gordo, in his mind he looks more like a Fabio.

There’s no telling how a sweet little French bulldog came to be wandering on his own, but a kind person scooped him up and alerted the local shelter in hopes that his people could be found. When no one claimed him, Kristopher came to Best Friends and then went home for good with the person who found him. 

Doesn’t he have the most mesmerizing face? Look into his eyes. You’re feeling very sleepy … now go to the Amazon wish list and order a lifetime supply of soft dog treats to deliver to Kristopher. When you get to the end of this sentence you will no longer be hypnotized, but every time you hear a bell ring you will order more treats for Kristopher.

Known for their cinnamon color, wrinkly skin, epic amount of blubber, and social nature, walruses are fascinating creatures. So is Moo Moo, who came to Best Friends from a Los Angeles County shelter in Palmdale, California. She had some pressing medical needs, including a head wound that wouldn’t heal and several teeth that were giving her trouble. Surgery solved those problems, and while Moo Moo will always have a crooked jaw, she’s already feeling so much better. 

Now her favorite things are slow walks, full-body wiggles when she meets new people, and squiggling around on her back on her blankets. She’s a California girl, but perhaps in another life she was a walrus, coasting on ice floes and soaking up the Arctic sun. Female walruses are called cows, and that’s another reason that Moo Moo deserves the designation of honorary walrus.

He only came out under the cover of darkness, lurking in the shadows and showing his teeth to anyone who dared come near. OK, that last part isn’t true. Vinny is just yawning in this photo, but the part about hiding is real. This magnificent fellow was living outdoors when his circumstances changed, and he needed to be relocated. After a brief stay at Best Friends, he was placed in a new outdoor home with people who take care of him from a respectful distance — which is just how Vinny prefers it.

Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters everywhere on July 26.

This article was originally published in the July/August 2024 issue of Best Friends magazine. Want more good news? Become a member and get stories like this six times a year.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.