Saving shelter animals

By getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes, we can create a brighter tomorrow for our best friends.

Every 90 seconds, a dog or cat is killed in America’s shelters just because they don’t have a safe place to call home. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Nearly 4.8 million dogs and cats entered America’s shelters in 2024, and 425,000 dogs and cats were killed in shelters. Many of these homeless pets who are dying are healthy; there just isn’t enough space for them.

This is a solvable issue. When you support Best Friends Animal Society, you become part of the solution to ensure every dog and cat receives the happy ending they deserve. Together, we can protect our best friends and make a difference for homeless pets nationwide.

We’re closer than ever to reaching no-kill

Together, we can end the killing of dogs and cats in our nation’s animal shelters.

What is no-kill? No-kill is a community commitment to saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved. To become a no-kill shelter, an organization must ensure that at least 90% of the animals coming into the shelter are saved.

When Best Friends was founded in 1984, an estimated 17 million dogs and cats were killed in shelters each year. Now, that number is down to 425,000. We’ve reached a tipping point for our country’s homeless pets.

Today, 2 out of 3 U.S. shelters are no-kill, and hundreds more are within reach of achieving it.

However, there’s still more progress to be made to guarantee the safety of our best friends. Working together, we can save the lives of even more homeless pets and create a kinder, brighter future for both pets and people.

Learn more about no-kill and what it takes for your community to become no-kill

Meaning of no-kill

Animal shelter statistics

Reaching no-kill

Julie Castle's Blog: 2025 was a turning point for pets

“2025 was the year we’d talked about for nearly a decade — the culmination of lifesaving work toward one of the boldest goals in animal welfare history.”

— Julie Castle, Best Friends Chief Executive Officer

Read Julie's full blog post

Creating true change for shelter animals

Every day, more and more animals are waking up healthy, safe, and hopeful for the first time in their lives.

Because of supporters like you, dogs and cats who once had nowhere safe to turn are now getting the care, comfort, and love they need to find families of their own. There are so many meaningful ways to make a difference, and each brings us closer to a time where every pet has the second chance in life they deserve.

Our proven lifesaving programs

Become part of the solution

When you adopt, donate, volunteer, foster, or use your voice for the animals, you provide care, safety, and second chances for the pets who need them most.

There are so many simple, meaningful ways to save lives right where you live — and to become a part of the growing movement to ensure that every pet has the chance to be safe, loved, and happy. Together, these small actions add up to something far more powerful. Every act of kindness matters and brings us closer to reaching no-kill.

See How You Can Help

Using data to save more lives

Insights from animal shelters across the country guide our work.

Every year, thousands of dogs and cats enter shelters across the U.S. Understanding the trends in shelter admissions and outcomes for the pets allows us to pinpoint where help is needed most. By analyzing the data, we can implement the most effective strategies, strengthen local shelters, and save more lives. This knowledge empowers us to provide support where it’s needed most — and bring the nation closer to no-kill.

The most up-to-date animal shelter statistics

Is your community no-kill? Explore the latest statistics and see how communities, programs, and advocates are coming together to give every dog and cat a chance at a loving home.

Explore the Data

Shelters and rescue groups in your community need your support to adopt, foster, donate, volunteer, and advocate to save the lives of homeless pets.

When you provide your email address, we'll send you a list of shelters nearby and share more about how you can save the lives of homeless pets across the country and in your community.

Lifesaving stories

These inspiring stories from animal shelters around the U.S. celebrate the pets who found their happy endings — and the people like you who made it possible.

Smiling person volunteering with cats at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah

Want even more success stories?

From heartwarming adoptions to superhero volunteers to advocates working together to save lives, these stories are sure to inspire you.

Show me more stories

Best Friends’ lifesaving work

Here at Best Friends, we believe that every dog and cat deserves the love, safety, and comfort of a home. It’s been our guiding principle since we began.

When Best Friends was founded in 1984, we shared one simple dream: to save every pet possible. Since then, our lifesaving work has grown far beyond the Utah animal sanctuary where we first broke ground, extending to communities across the nation and transforming the lives of countless dogs and cats in the process.

Anchored by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, we’ve expanded across the country to places including Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, and Northwest Arkansas, where we operate pet adoption centers and provide lifesaving services and run foster, volunteer, and advocacy programs. Together, these efforts give homeless pets the chance to be matched with loving homes and live their best lives.

Our animal sanctuary »

Learn about how we heal homeless pets in southern Utah.

Horses in front of the "Disney barn" in a field of green grass with a red cliff behind them at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Our locations across the U.S. »

Discover our many lifesaving sites throughout the country.

Smiling person sitting with a dog in from of Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Best Friends story »

Read about the history behind our lifesaving mission.

Best Friends co-founders building Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Working together to save lives

At Best Friends, we know that collaboration is central to saving the lives of more dogs and cats in shelters.

At the heart of our lifesaving work is an extensive network of partnerships. Thousands of animal shelters and rescue organizations in the Best Friends Network provide hands-on care and rescue work in communities throughout the country, while corporate and foundation partners supply funding, resources, and national platform to help make it all possible. By working together, we can expand our impact and bring lifesaving programs to even more pets in need.

The Best Friends Network »

Thousands of shelters and rescue groups unite to save pets.

Staff walks dogs at Pima Animal Care Center, a Best Friends Network Partner

Our corporate partners »

They mobilize their audiences and raise funds to save lives nationwide.

Cats looking at a Blue Buffalo treat bag with interest

Our foundation partners »

They power sustainable, community-focused programs nationwide.

Transparency, accountability and trust

At Best Friends, we aim for transparency and authenticity — two of our guiding principles — in every aspect of the work we do. And because we not only depend on but trust our family of supporters, we are committed to open, two-way communication and financial transparency across the organization.

Read our most recent financial reports

Respect and responsibility

We are honored to be working together with passionate and dedicated individuals committed to helping homeless pets in every corner of the country.

See Our Recognitions

Let's be friends!

When you give us your email address we'll send you emails with inspiring stories and ways to make a difference for animals in your community and around the U.S.