No-Kill 2025 Stories

Person at eye level with an orange tabby cat

New programs help save more dogs and cats in Nebraska

Best Friends and Nebraska Humane Society are working together on programs and strategies at the shelter that have had a profound impact on lifesaving.
They now hope to be a guiding light to other organizations
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Best Friends marketing intern Jazmin Aguilar holding a dog wearing a pink Adopt Me bandanna

Intern makes lasting impact for Brownsville pets

Through her shelter marketing internship with Best Friends, Jazmin is helping homeless pets, raising awareness, and setting herself up for future success.
Residents encouraged to get involved
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Person bending down to kiss Pluto the puppy

Tennessee animal shelter’s rapid turnaround

Rhea County Animal Shelter’s save rate hit the no-kill threshold four months in a row, enabling a Best Friends embed assignment to end three months early.
Embed program offers a solid foundation
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Person walking a heeler-type dog outside

Public support is the answer to Los Angeles Animal Services' crisis

Angelenos are a largely untapped reservoir of support for shelter pets.
Urge Los Angeles Animal Services to engage the public
Julie Castle Blog
Mama the dog with a smiling woman

A new life for dogs rescued from dogfighting

29 dogs put cruelty in the past and begin new lives after being saved in South Carolina.
Helping the underdogs
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A group of people outside the Sevier County Animal Shelter in Utah

No-kill in Sevier County: A big win for dogs and cats

Shelby Jackman made it her mission to bring her rural county shelter in Utah to no-kill when she became manager.
Establishing a network for lifesaving
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The governor of Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox, holding the written declaration as well as a kitten with Best Friends CEO Julie Castle behind him

Gov. Cox declares 2024 No-Kill Shelter Year in Utah

A commitment on a government level to reach no-kill by year’s end
Utah is so close to no-kill
Julie Castle Blog
Two people outside wearing protective gear doing a medical procedure with a tube and swqb

Helping animal shelter staff handle disease outbreaks

Best Friends’ national shelter medicine team guides animal welfare organizations through infectious disease outbreaks to save more lives.
Animals' lives saved
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Smiling person wearing winter clothing happily hugging a tabby cat

Key to sending pets home is in the numbers

How South Suburban Humane Society used information from Best Friends’ Shelter Pet Data Alliance platform and a $100,000 grant to help more pets get adopted
They're turning data into action
Best Friends Magazine
Person wearing rubber gloves and holding an orange and white kitten next to a row of kennels in a shelter

Saving lives with machine learning and artificial intelligence

Let’s talk data from 2023.
Updated shelter data from last year
Julie Castle Blog
Person wearing scrubs and rubber gloves petting a cat on a scale

Shelter converts crematorium to dog, cat healing area

The removal of an obsolete crematorium symbolizes Animal Rescue League of Berks County’s renewed focus on saving the lives of more dogs and cats.
Their no-kill philosophy is firmly in place
Best Friends Magazine
The six people of the surgical team for the Brownsville spay-neuter-a-thon around a surgical table with a sedated black cat

Pet spay-neuter-a-thon erases backlog in Brownsville

A dedicated group of veterinarians and vet techs, organized by Best Friends, banded together over 10 days to spay or neuter more than 350 dogs and cats.
Read how they did it
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Person wearing a cowboy hat hugging a large brown dog

Changing life for pets and people in west Texas

With funds from the Rachael Ray No-Kill Excellence Grant, Fix West Texas offers lifechanging assistance to the community’s pets and their people.
Read how they embrace their community
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Selfie of Sir Karen the cat (looking a little grumpy) with Taylor Seupaul

Faces of No-Kill: Sir Karen the cat fools everybody

A grumpy kitty had some surprises in store for his caregivers at Best Friends, but now he’s fitting right in at his new home.
Now he's all headbutts and biscuit marking
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Vera the dog next to a smiling person who has both hands affectionately holding her

Faces of No-Kill: Saving a dog with a sensitive soul

Vera went from a busy shelter to a charmed life in her new home.
Now she's a cherished member of the family
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