Small grey and black dog smiling

Adopt a pet and save a life

You can save the life of a dog or cat by choosing to adopt. In 2024, 425,000 cats and dogs were killed in this country’s shelters, simply because they didn’t have a safe place to call home.

We know millions of households will add a pet to their family this year. If just 1 in 17 more of those families chose to adopt a pet from a shelter, we could reach no-kill nationwide.

So when you adopt from a Best Friends location, a network partner or one of the many shelters and rescue groups around the country, you’re not only adding a loyal and loving companion to your family, you’re helping to save lives.

Smiling person giving a dog an ice cream cone at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Bentonville Arkansas

Northwest Arkansas: Bring home your new best friend

When you adopt a homeless pet, you’re not only adding a loyal and loving companion to your family, you’re making room in shelters and helping to save lives.
Adoptable pets in Northwest Arkansas
Two people outside with a dog with the Walmart logo visible in the background
Photo courtesy of Russell Bloodworth

We’re bringing happy home thanks to Walmart

As part of Walmart's celebration of National Pet Month, adoption fees are covered thanks to Blue Buffalo and Walmart this May.
You can also meet your new best friend at one of our Bring Happy Home events on May 17 happening in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, North Bergen, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City. Even better? Adoption fees are covered thanks to Blue Buffalo and Walmart at these events, too!
We're celebrating National Pet Month with Walmart
Best Friends Animal Society logo mark

Adopt a pet from Best Friends

In addition to running our animal sanctuary in Kanab and partnering with thousands of shelters and rescue groups, Best Friends operates its own lifesaving centers around the country.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Adopt to make more room for incoming pets at the Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
Woman petting goats

Best Friends in Los Angeles

Adopting is an incredibly fun and fulfilling way to help save homeless pets in L.A.
White dog in front of mural

Best Friends in Salt Lake City

Give a pet a home and alleviate the burden on shelters in Salt Lake City.
Two orange kittens in shelter

Best Friends in New York City

Adopt to be a part of a lifesaving team working to create a bright future for homeless pets in NYC.
Two dogs sitting together in city

Best Friends in Northwest Arkansas

Adopting a pet is a rewarding way to make a lifetime of difference for pets.
Brown dog wearing bandana

Best Friends in Houston

Houston embraces community-based sheltering to prepare pets for adoption.
Black and white cat

Adopt a pet from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

On any given day, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, located in Kanab, Utah, is home to up to 1,600 animals, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits, pigs and others. Many of the animals arrive needing a little extra care and healing before they’re ready to join a family of their own.

When you adopt a furry (or feathered) friend from the Sanctuary, you’re not only changing that pet’s life, you’re helping to Save Them All.

 

Find a Pet Dog Tag GraphicSearch for a Sanctuary animal

Not sure which animal or what kind might be the perfect fit for you? Please fill out an interest form for a dog or cat and we’ll point you in the right direction.

 

 

Animal Previews
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All the benefits of adopting a pet from Best Friends

When you adopt an animal from Best Friends, sharing your life with an amazing new companion is just the beginning. As a new adopter, you become part of an extraordinary community of people devoted to their own pets — and to saving the lives of others. Indeed, you become part of the Best Friends family. 

We’re with you every step of the way to provide guidance and answer questions as your pet adjusts to being in a new home. 
 

Dog Cat

More places to find your bff

Best Friends is partnering with these communities throughout the country to help save their homeless pets, and you can be a part of that lifesaving when you raise your hand to adopt.

No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA)  •   No-Kill Utah (NKUT)  •   Navajo Nation

Help your local animal shelter or rescue group 

At Best Friends, our goal is to get more dogs and cats out of shelters and into homes and make every shelter in America no-kill. Each and every one of these shelters needs caring people like you to adopt, foster, donate, volunteer, and advocate to help save the lives of pets in your community. 

Find an animal shelter or rescue group near you today:
Search by City/State/Zip
Units: Miles
Address, City, Zip-Code, Country, ...
Smiling person holding a small dog in their arms while sitting outside

Not sure you're ready to adopt a pet? Try fostering.

Fostering a homeless pet is a short-term commitment with long-term impact. By opening your home to a dog or cat for even a few days, you can save lives.  
Foster Today

Happily ever afters

Feel all the feels with these stories of hope and healing.
Rio and Mike the dogs outside on some steps

A road trip detour that changed a dog’s life

A cross-country trip and spontaneous visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary led to a life-changing moment for a very good dog named Rio.
Now Rio has blossomed
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Brown tabby cat whose head is looking out of a round hole in a green box

Happy tales of pets’ lives after adoption

Our favorite kind of news? Updates from adopters whose new pets have become the heart of their homes.
Pets living their best lives with the people who love them
Best Friends Magazine
Goldilocks the cat lying on a cat scratcher

Tales of second chances for homeless pets

Across the country, Best Friends is finding pets homes full of love, fun, and sometimes even their own wardrobe.
The stories of some special dogs and cats
Best Friends Magazine
Best Friends Animal Society logo mark

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, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 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.