Animal shelters find new ways to save homeless pets

Best Friends Network Partners across the country aren’t just relying on the status quo to save pets in shelters. They’re creating new programs, connecting with other organizations for support, and involving their communities in their lifesaving mission. These stories are a window into the good that’s happening at animal shelters and rescue groups nationwide.

Castroville, Texas, is a tiny town of about 3,000 people, and Castroville Animal Services has few staff. But they weren’t going to let their small size stop them from saving lives when life-threatening parvovirus hit the dogs and puppies at the shelter. They reached out to national veterinary experts for help and followed their guidance to stop the spread of the disease in the shelter. Thanks to the shelter team’s determination, nearly all the dogs, including a sweet pup named Destiny, survived parvo and are now thriving in their adoptive homes.

Since 2020, the Tybee Island Police Department has partnered with the Humane Society for Greater Savannah in Georgia on a program called K9 for a Day, which helps animals from the shelter get adopted. You might think only dogs can be K9s for the day, but the program has also found homes for 17 cats (like Samoa, pictured) and a bunny. The police credit their adoption success to highlighting the pets’ personalities on social media and out in the community.

When Blossom arrived at the Madill Animal Shelter in Oklahoma, she was terrified and shut down, but shelter staff could see a smart, affectionate dog under that facade. Blossom demonstrated that she loved other dogs and also loved to learn. Soon, she was walking confidently on a leash, showing off her “sit,” and even cuddling. After four months, the shelter matched her up with an adopter at a regional event.

Southern Counties Rescue, a cat rescue group in Southern California, broke their adoption records in 2024 after offering same-day adoptions, hosting more adoption events, and promoting more fostering opportunities. More adoptions enabled the group to help more vulnerable cats like Cookies and Cream, who came in together as orphaned newborn kittens. After being treated for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), Cream is healthy and doing great in his new home with Cookies.

If you come across a lost pet in Greenville, South Carolina, you don’t have to wait for a vet clinic or animal shelter to open to get the pet scanned for a microchip. Greenville Humane Society engaged corporate donors to build a waterproof microchip scanning station. Open 24/7, the station is now in place outside of the humane society’s adoption center and includes a microchip scanner, instructions for use, and lost pet resources.

This article was originally published in the January/February 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 in 2025. 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.