5 stories of animal shelters going the extra mile

The Best Friends Network Partner program has more than 6,000 participating animal shelters and rescue groups across the country. And every partner in the network has one common goal: to save the lives of homeless pets.

At each organization, compassionate people show up every day for dogs and cats who need them. They find creative ways to offer comfort, medical care, second chances, and safe places to land, whether that means placing pets in loving homes or supporting them and their families so they can stay together. And they don’t do it alone.

By working with Best Friends and one another, these groups share ideas, resources, and encouragement so more animals can get the help they need. Here are just a few of those recent stories.

Dogs at Bladen County Animal Shelter in North Carolina recently enjoyed a day of pampering by community members, thanks to the Paws & Pamper Party hosted by the shelter. People were invited into the shelter to give the animals an extra special afternoon. Community members volunteered their time to bathe, groom, walk, and socialize pets. They also handed out special treats, making sure the animals knew they were loved, even if they were between homes for a time.

When Finley the dog slipped away from home in a remote part of West Texas, her worried person posted a notice on Facebook immediately. Around the same time, a good Samaritan found Finley, shared that information on a local Facebook page, and, unable to hold on to her to try to get her back home, called Alpine Animal Services. By the time the Alpine Animal Services officer arrived at the shelter with Finley, her person, having seen the posts, was already waiting in the lobby. After getting microchipped, Finley headed straight home.

When warehouse workers in Las Vegas noticed that their beloved group of community cats had multiplied, they reached out to Heaven Can Wait Animal Society for help through their Purrvention Project. Heaven Can Wait sent first-time trapper Kelly to the rescue, and she humanely trapped eight of the cats in a single night. Twelve kitties have since been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped (to indicate they’ve been fixed), and returned to their warehouse home — showing that you don’t need experience to make a difference.

Aggieland Humane Society in Texas typically adopts out about 10 pets on a busy Saturday. But the staff created fireworks when they decided to include the shelter’s pets in a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. All adoptions were just $2.50 for one Saturday only, and thanks to a local TV station that promoted the event, 60 dogs and cats were adopted that day.

Mouse, a cat in Northern California, needed emergency surgery that her family couldn’t afford, so they reached out to FieldHaven Feline Center for help. The FieldHaven team performed an uncommon autotransfusion (returning Mouse’s own blood to her body to stop internal bleeding) with a critical assist from a partner clinic that donated specialized equipment on the spot. Mouse’s family took her home healthy, and a family stayed whole.

This article was originally published in the September/October 2026 issue of Best Friends magazine. Want more good news? Become a member and get stories like this six times a year.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.