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AI Is Here, Let's Make it Work for Lifesaving

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Increase return-to-home rates

In 2024, network partners participated in the Return to Home Challenge to help lost dogs find their way back home faster, resulting in a 170% increase in return-to-home in-field outcomes alone.
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Drive more adoptions

Last year, network partners participated in the Bring Love Home Challenge to decrease barriers to adoption and fostering, resulting in an 11.4% increase in adoption and foster placements for 209 reporting organizations.
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Build lifesaving momentum

2024 data shows a 7.5% increase in transfers out, but there’s still work to do to create more movement in the animal welfare ecosystem and open up space in shelters for those in need.

Resource Library

Access proven lifesaving strategies in our free library of resources for shelters and rescue groups. Information-sharing is a key component of the Best Friends Network.

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— NETWORK PARTNER STATISTICS —
5 points

Higher save rate on average for network partner shelters than non-partners.

6,000+

Shelters, rescue groups, and support organizations make up the Best Friends Network.

$2.4M

In grants. This year, our partners can access more than $2.4 million in grant funding.

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Opportunities to connect and save the lives of pets

Have fun and connect with fellow network partners and animal lovers at these upcoming events.

2 upcoming events
* = registration required
Aug 27 Thursday
Meet the Free AI Tool That Calculates the True Cost of Running Your Shelter *
4:00pm–5:00pm ET

Shelters and their supporters often know they're under-resourced, but struggle to put a number on exactly what it would cost to meet basic lifesaving standards, making it hard to advocate for the funding and staff they need.

Shelters and their supporters often know they're under-resourced, but struggle to put a number on exactly what it would cost to meet basic lifesaving standards, making it hard to advocate for the funding and staff they need. Meet the brand new, free tool designed for small staff shelters that calculates the costs of saving lives in a shelter — giving a clear picture of what it takes to meet baseline standards and a compelling way to advocate for the resources to get there. Know Your Baseline: Operations & Budget Tool is an interactive resource designed to help small shelters and their supporters articulate the true cost of running a safe, humane operation.  

Join Best Friends Chief Programs Officer Marc Peralta, who led the development of this tool, for the second webinar in our new AI for Lifesaving series. Marc will walk through how the tool works, why it matters for small staff shelters, and how he used both animal welfare expertise and Claude, Anthropic's AI, to build Know Your Baseline faster and more comprehensively than would have otherwise been possible. Built specifically for small teams often doing the work of many, Know Your Baseline walks users through the core programmatic standards every shelter should meet, paired with a downloadable Excel budget that automatically scales to your shelter's annual intake.  

This webinar is your chance to hear directly from the person behind the tool about its potential to help shelters secure the resources they need and save more lives. Save your seat and join live!   

Location: Virtual
Sep 19 Saturday
Adventure Buddies Day
All Day

Join the Best Friends Lifesaving Centers and other network partners in hosting a national doggy day out day, with this

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Get the support you need

The Best Friends Network team is your lifeline to support for your organization and collaboration with other network partners.

We can also connect you with Best Friends experts, resources, funding opportunities, and so much more. Meet the team or connect with us on social media to stay in the loop about the lifesaving progress we’re making together.   

Let’s be friends! 

Connect with us on social media to stay in the loop about the lifesaving progress we’re making together.

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About the Best Friends Network

The network is a free community of over 6,000 animal welfare organizations, including shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter groups, transport groups, and other support organizations.

The Best Friends Network is your support system in your journey to save the lives of dogs and cats in your communities. Network partners gain access to exclusive challenges, grants, resources, and dedicated support.

Connect with partners across the country, access proven strategies, and collaborate to increase lifesaving nationwide.