LIFESAVING: Saving lives at our sanctuary and around the U.S.

In 2025, you made sure Best Friends could give homeless pets like Licorice the love, care, and second chances they deserved through our sanctuary, centers, and regional programs. From specialized veterinary care to heartwarming adoptions, these stories show how compassion, innovation, and data came together to save lives and why there’s more to discover below.

Specialized care at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Since 1984, the Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, has served as the heart, soul, and headquarters of Best Friends. A home and safe haven for up to 1,600 animals on any given day, it has become a cherished place for people of all ages and a proving ground for lifesaving techniques that Best Friends shares with shelter and rescue partners across the country.

Licorice pushed the limits of “savable”

When Licorice arrived at a shelter in Arizona, he wasn’t getting much adoption interest because he’s paralyzed. Now at Cat World, he spends time going on adventures around the Sanctuary with caregivers and volunteers. Between outings, he receives specialized care like acupuncture and laser therapy to keep him comfortable and strong.

For Cat World’s director, Jennifer Adkins, Licorice is just as adoptable as any other cat. And he proves it daily. For a cat who can’t walk on his own, Licorice sure covers a lot of ground — showing that with the right care, more pets can find the loving homes they deserve.

Phoenix went from panic to peace

Phoenix arrived at the Sanctuary so terrified that routine handling required sedation. Caregivers designed a behavior plan and fostered him at home to give him a quieter space to decompress. Back at the Sanctuary, he bonded with another shy rabbit, Thumbelina. Today, the pair relax and play, showing how the Sanctuary helps animals heal at their own pace.

Lifesaving through Best Friends centers and regional programs

While the Sanctuary is the heart of Best Friends, lifesaving happened every day in communities across the country. Adoption, spay/neuter, foster networks, community cat programs, and pet transport formed the core of our work in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, and Northwest Arkansas.

Vida got a second chance with Best Friends in Houston

Best Friends in Houston co-sponsored the Petco Love Mega Adoption Event at NRG Arena, bringing shelters from across Texas together to help dogs and cats find homes. When Vida arrived, though, she wasn’t ready to meet adopters — she didn’t even have the strength to stand.

The shelter that brought her didn't have the resources to provide specialized care for her, so Best Friends offered to help. Two days of hospitalization meant Vida wasn’t among the 969 pets adopted that weekend, but she made a full recovery and was adopted from the Best Friends Pet Lifesaving Center in Houston just two weeks later.

Salt Lake City team helped Utah shelter get back on track

When a disease outbreak caused Uintah Animal Control and Shelter’s save rate to fall below the 90% no-kill threshold, Best Friends was there to help. From tiny kittens to big dogs, our pet adoption center in Salt Lake City welcomed hundreds of pets from Uintah. This relief allowed the shelter to focus on disease prevention, operations, and program development.

With a strong foundation reestablished, Uintah achieved no-kill again in 2025. Utah is now very close to becoming a no-kill state, and Best Friends in Salt Lake City is committed to helping the remaining shelters reach that milestone.

Data that guided lifesaving nationwide

Best Friends maintained the nation’s most comprehensive shelter dataset in 2025. Because not all shelters track or report data publicly, our team used a nationally recognized estimation model — validated for accuracy by the University of Oklahoma and the University of New Hampshire last year — to fill critical gaps. This validation reinforced the strength of our data leadership and gave confidence to shelters, policymakers, and partners focused on saving more lives.

Data also guided our own work and partnerships. By analyzing factors such as foster programs, adoption hours, and adoptable pet marketing, we identified and promoted the strategies most likely to increase lifesaving. A new partnership with Adopt a Pet — an online pet adoption platform — put those insights to work, directing adopters to shelters working to save more lives.