Best Friends Animal Society

The Adopt Local Challenge

March 23 – April 30

Many shelters and rescue groups in Utah are over capacity. By adopting, you give one lucky dog or cat a home and create space for another pet in your community to be rescued.

With more than 60 shelters in the state of Utah, it can be difficult for people to know which shelter is closest to their home. That's why we're kicking off the Adopt Local Challenge, running March 23 through April 30! 

During the Adopt Local Challenge, we are asking pet lovers to locate their nearest shelter and step up to support them by adopting, volunteering, fostering, and promoting the shelter to the rest of their community. 

Participating shelters are stepping up to the challenge by working to save more dogs and cats compared to the time period last year.

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Adopt a pet near you and save a life

These participating shelters and rescue groups are full of loving cats and dogs looking for loving homes with people like you.


Don't see your local shelter listed above?

Working together to save lives

The No-Kill Utah Coalition (NKUT) is an initiative led by Best Friends that brings together passionate  individuals, city shelters and a group of animal welfare organizations to end the  killing of dogs and cats in shelters throughout the state of Utah. 

Several of our NKUT partners will be championing other shelters as part of the Adopt Local Challenge. Throughout the Adopt Local Challenge, the following partners will promoting the shelters they're championing on social and other channels:

Person sitting in the grass with a small dog

Heartwarming adoption stories

Adoption gives homeless pets the second chances they deserve.
Canelo the kitten playing with Wasabi the rabbit

A kitten and his bunny buddies

Canelo doesn’t get around well and he’s incontinent, but thanks to special therapies and lots of playtime he’s growing stronger each day.
Read how time at Bunny House helped
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Person holding a smiling Java the Chihuahua dog in a lap

Little dog is living large

Java has spina bifida and had difficulty walking when she came to Best Friends, but today the Chihuahua has found her stride.
Read how she's settled in
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Dandelion the dog on some concrete in front of a waterfall in an urban environment

A dog at home wherever she roams

Dandelion is traveling across the country with her adopters, proving that home is where the heart is.
Read about her adventures
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Potato the blocky-headed pooch with his new family

Dog’s new family is just his type

Potato is a dog with nine lives. He was at risk in a shelter, then beat heartworm disease, then needed emergency surgery, and finally landed a family who loves him dearly.
His long road to home
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Watson the dog lying on a couch

Senior dog is thriving with 2 octogenarians

Linda and Bill Farrell took one look at Watson’s silver-threaded muzzle and knew he was the dog for them.
It was love at first sight
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Lilibet the cat lying on the corner of a desk

Cat gains a home, loses pounds

Lilibet came to Best Friends overweight, and that was impacting her health. But now she’s inspiring her adopters to slim down, too.
Read about her weight loss journey
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Silhouette of two dogs, cat and kitten

When you adopt a pet, you save lives

By adopting a cat or dog from a shelter or rescue you’ll not only save a life, but you’ll also you gain a friend — a loyal companion who can offer you comfort and love, no matter what uncertainty life holds.

Adopting from a shelter or rescue group
Smiling person and a cat sitting together in front of a couch

Not ready to adopt?

You can foster a pet to help save lives.

By bringing a pet into your home for a short time, you’re not only helping that animal, you’re helping to make room in shelters for more cats and dogs in need.

Foster a Pet
Dog and cat sitting together on a blue couch

Found a lost pet?

Before taking a lost pet to your local shelter, try visiting a veterinarian’s office to see if the pet has a microchip, then try to reunite the pet with her family via social media.
Reunite lost pets with their people
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About Best Friends

Best Friends Animal Society is working to save the lives of cats and dogs all across the country, giving pets second chances and happy homes.

Just a few short years ago, cats and dogs were killed in staggering numbers in this country simply because shelters didn't have the community support or the resources to save their lives. That number is now less than half a million per year, but there’s still work to do to ensure a bright future for every dog and cat in America. 

Best Friends operates the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals and is committed to saving the lives of homeless pets by working with shelters and passionate people like you. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill by 2025. Together, we will Save Them All.