Julie Castle, Best Friends CEO, with Sunny the German shepherd

A message from Julie Castle

Thank you for your kindness, your commitment, and your passion for saving the lives of homeless pets. Together, we’re turning what once seemed impossible into a reality — achieving no-kill nationwide in 2025.

Any monumental challenge is impossible until it isn’t. Consider that no-kill was impossible until the city of San Francisco achieved a 90% save rate (the benchmark for no-kill) in 1994. It was impossible until Washoe County, Nevada, became the largest no-kill metropolitan area in America in 2008. It was impossible until Delaware became the first no-kill state in 2018.

In 2016, when Best Friends declared the bold goal of leading the nation to no-kill in 2025, only 24% of shelters in the country were no-kill. The progress we’ve made and the momentum we’ve gained since then is incredible. In 2022, 57% of U.S. shelters were no-kill, and 75% of shelters were at a 75% or greater save rate. We’re closer than ever to reaching our goal. And while there’s still more work to do, I know that — because of you — we can and will bring every shelter in the country to no-kill.

In fiscal year 2023 (October 1, 2022–September 30, 2023), you’ve helped achieve some significant milestones for the animals. Each of the examples below is something to celebrate by itself. Together, they paint a remarkable picture: thousands of cats and dogs leaving shelters to find the happiness they deserve in homes of their own.

  • An astounding 30,181 cats and dogs found loving homes during three Best Friends national adoption weekends.
  • The Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas officially opened its doors, kicking off a new era of animal sheltering for the nation. In Northwest Arkansas, Best Friends also placed 1,219 cats and dogs into adoptive homes in fiscal year 2023.
  • The new Shipley Dog Lodges opened at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, providing a beacon of hope for dogs with behavior challenges — and a pathway to get them into loving homes more quickly.
  • The impossible became possible in Florida when the state repealed its decades-old Miami-Dade County pit bull ban. Rather than being killed, pit bull terrier-type dogs will finally have the chance to leave the county’s shelters with adopters.

The victories in this report are just the beginning. Together, we will Save Them All.

Julie Castle
CEO, Best Friends Animal Society