Caring for Pets Stories

Anna holding Butters the cat

One-of-a-kind cat’s personality shines after surgery

After undergoing surgery, Butters needed a comfy place to recover. But foster care wouldn’t be just a temporary stop on his journey.
Watch him in action
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Jakie Hernandez with another person doing population rounds at a shelter

A well-rounded approach to saving more dogs and cats

Best Friends is working with shelters on new ways to monitor the animals in their care and get pets out of shelters and into homes faster.
Pets are heading to homes faster
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David Reilly sitting on a couch with Rex the dog

Faces of No-Kill: Dog springs into new life on 3 legs

After having his leg amputated due to a severe injury, Rex charmed his way into his caregivers’ hearts — and a new home.
Now he's living his best life
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Skylar Clark holding Grunt the puppy

How a Texas family became heroes for sick puppies

Young Skylar Clark and her family opened their home and hearts to dogs with parvovirus — a labor of love to support pets through their local shelter.
Legacy’s Legacy now saving lives
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Huckleberry the puppy lying on a multicolored blanket

Puppies go from flaky to floofy with TLC

When three puppies came to Best Friends with severe mange, it took vet care plus loving foster homes to get them on the road to recovery and new homes.
Read how the Berry Bunch overcomes their challenges
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Jack, the orange tabby cat without eyes

Faces of No-Kill: Cat gains doting family after accident

After losing his eyesight in an accident, Jack was adopted by a family who helped him relearn how to navigate the world.
Now he's home where he belongs
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Person holding Pioneer the puppy in her hands

Swift action saves miracle puppy

When Pioneer arrived at the Sanctuary, she was barely breathing. Now she’s thriving thanks to the quick action and dedication of her caregivers.
At the right place at the right time
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Jessie the black and white cat with a small amount of tongue sticking out of her mouth on a cat tree

Faces of No-Kill: Cat doesn't let illness dull her shine

Jessie’s sunny personality helped her overcome myriad medical challenges and become a beloved cat at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
She's now living the good life
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Bongo the cat after the surgery on his eyes

Cat regains sight thanks to dedicated volunteers

When volunteers discovered Bongo had a dangerous eye condition, they went above and beyond to help this community cat.
His second chance at life
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A profile of Yazh the dog

Resilient pup overcomes injury, learns to walk again

Yazh is back on all four legs thanks to the dedicated efforts of her foster family and the Best Friends veterinary team.
See her now!
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Mackenzie Wilhite sleeping with Nikki the dog on her chest

Opening heart to new dog is adopter’s antidote to grief

After her dog of 16 years passed, Mackenzie found sweet, happy Nikki and turned loss into a new beginning.
Now they're on a new journey together
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Concord the cat next to a HP laptop

Faces of No-Kill: Tiny kitten’s journey to health

After undergoing two surgeries and two recoveries, Concord is living the good life at home.
Read about the resilient kitten
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Fizz the young kitten with eyes still closed with head lying on a knitted toy

Bubbly kitten thrives after emergency C-section

Quick action from the Best Friends vet team saved the lives of Fizz and his mother, Soda.
Around the clock care saves Fizz
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Bubba the tabby kitten being held in a person's hands

Faces of No-Kill: Injury won’t keep playful kitten down

An accident left Bubba’s jaw severely injured, but this tiny tabby never lost his fun-loving spirit.
Read how he bounces back
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Magenta the dog lying on a couch with her mouth smiling with her tongue out

Dedicated mama dog saves another puppy as blood donor

After her own trio of tiny tots went on to their new homes, mama Magenta took care of another puppy — one who needed blood during an emergency surgery.
She's a hero
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