Milestone: 5,000 partners saving pets nationwide

Many hands make light work. Together, we can Save Them All. It takes a village to raise a kitten.

OK, that last one might not be quite right, but working together has always been a core value at Best Friends. One of the ways we do that is by inviting other animal organizations to become Best Friends Network Partners. As partners, organizations get all kinds of support to carry out their lifesaving work. The rate of shelters and rescue organizations joining the network has been speeding up exponentially as more people come together to work toward a shared goal of every community in the United States reaching no-kill.

Here’s the big news: The number of network partners tipped over 5,000 recently and has kept right on going. The 5,000th organization to join was Pets of Ohio Rescue Team (PORT), which was created solely to save animals whose lives are imminently at risk at county shelters in the area. That has included animals ranging from puppies vulnerable to diseases to large dogs who struggle in a shelter environment.

PORT is especially proud of saving a black-and-white dog named Golfy. He was at risk because he’d been in the shelter for months — one of hundreds of dogs vying for attention from potential adopters — and no one had picked him. PORT arranged for a foster home, where Golfy thrived. He was so fun, friendly, and easygoing that his foster family fell in love and adopted him themselves.

[Inspiring tales of teamwork saving pets’ lives]

Golfy is just one of the countless pets in shelters whose lives have changed forever thanks to Best Friends Network Partners. Not only do many hands make light work, they make it possible to save lives.

Find a Best Friends Network Partner near you.

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