California Stories

Smiling person holding a large puppy outside some dog kennels

California adoption events send dogs and cats home

Collaboration among Best Friends, the local community, and central California anim...
Read how they're working together
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Zoey the senior dog with her new adopted family, outside in front of some bushes

Senior dog with medical issues charms new family

Older dogs can be overlooked in shelters, but 10-year-old Zoey was exactly what he...
Zoey brings comfort in an unexpected way
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Alyssa Leon and Tommy Rigdon sitting on a ledge with Brew and Julien their adopted dogs

A most adorable pair of adopted dogs

Brew and Julien play together, nap together, and are helping their adopters make f...
Adopted dogs bring a sense of community
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Group of people surrounding a dog outside a wire crate

How animal services officers are saving more pets

Best Friends works with animal services officers to reduce shelter intake and reun...
See how their work affects no-kill 2025
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Two brown puppies wearing shirts sitting on a chair

Supporting California animal shelters to reach no-kill

Best Friends’ shelter collaborative program leverages one shelter’s no-kill status...
Read about their new lifesaving efforts
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Elle the smiling white puppy with blue eyes outside on grass

Puppy takes leg surgery in stride

Elle no longer has a front leg, but that doesn’t stop her from living life to the ...
See her recovery
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RJ the cat in a kennel

Working together for pets at California shelter

Best Friends and several other organizations came together to take in 32 cats and ...
See how collaboration saves lives
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Leonsio the blind orange tabby cat lying on a couch with a Hello Kitty pillow behind him

Blind cat sees the good in everything

Leonsio couldn’t see at all and was skinny and matted when he was found outdoors, ...
See how far he's come
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Brown tabby cat in a dark kennel

Tales of random acts of kindness toward animals

From a community that rallied for an ailing cat to a man who jumped in frigid wate...
See how they make a difference
Best Friends Magazine
Moose the dog lying on a gray cushion with a toy between his front legs

The sixth time’s the charm for an energetic dog

Moose’s energy and anxiety proved too much for most people to handle, but today he...
Now he's flourishing
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Buddy the brown Chihuahua mix standing outside

Anxious dog goes home with his kindred spirit

Buddy had a strict no-touch policy that couldn’t be broken — until he met his huma...
Now they sleep together every night
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Volunteer Cheryl Baker smiling and holding a gray and white kitten

Cat-loving L.A. volunteer donates over 5,000 hours

When Cheryl Baker and her husband, Paul, stopped for a tour while vacationing in U...
She does a little of everything, including fostering
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Smiling person scratching the chin of a brown and white dog

The new face of animal services in Fresno

Best Friends embed program assists Fresno Humane Animal Services in setting up a c...
See how the animals and people benefit
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Smiling person standing with two dogs outside

Animal shelters work smarter to save more lives

How Best Friends shelter assessments help organizations move closer to no-kill ...
See how small changes solve big issues
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Smiling red heeler type dog wearing a collar

Awesome updates from Best Friends Network Partners

These stories about dogs, cats, and a unicorn (yes, you read that right) are sure ...
See how Network partners are making a difference
Best Friends Magazine