Smiling person holding a dog

Volunteer to save the lives of homeless pets

With thousands of dogs and cats in shelters across the country hoping for their very own families, one of the most valuable gifts you can give is your time.


Your kindness makes all the difference in the lives of homeless pets ― whether you volunteer locally or at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, give rides to pets across the country, or help animals from your home through one of our national opportunities.


There are so many ways you can make a lifesaving difference for dogs and cats by volunteering.


You can volunteer at one of the Best Friends locations around the country or at a Best Friends Network Partner near you. You can also foster a pet, care for community cats, or advocate for pets, shelters, and rescue groups where you live.

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Help save pets around the country

Passionate, caring people like you can volunteer and help in so many ways to save the lives of homeless pets.

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Volunteer in your community

There are countless opportunities to help save the lives of homeless pets, no matter where you live in the United States. 
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Volunteer from home

From administrative and marketing roles to events and fostering, we have lifesaving volunteer opportunities suited for you and your interests.
Horse in pasture at animal sanctuary in Utah surrounded by red rock hills

Volunteer at our animal sanctuary

Stroll with a dog, spruce up a rabbit run or simply keep a shy cat company. There are plenty of ways to make a difference at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Compassion in action

Meet a few amazing volunteers who are helping to save the lives of dogs and cats around the country.

Volunteer for a Best Friends Network partner near you

Don’t live near a Best Friends location? No problem. The Best Friends Network is made up of thousands of public and private 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 volunteer to help save the lives of homeless pets where you live.

Find a network partner near you today:

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Looking for more ways to help?

There are many ways to help save the lives of dogs and cats waiting to find homes. You can help homeless pets in your community by adopting, fostering, donating, and advocating.

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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, nearly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and over 600 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.