Progress for pets: Looking back at a year of advocacy

Loving and caring for animals gives us dogs’ joyful barks and cats’ rumbling purrs. It’s those irresistible moments that make life with pets so rewarding. And while government offices may seem like they exist in a separate world from the joy we get from our animals, decisions made within those offices can change life forever for our furry friends. That’s why the Best Friends advocacy and legislation teams, alongside lawmakers and thousands of local advocates, work tirelessly on legislation that will support pets rather than harm them. Here are some of the wins from the past year that will have a lasting and positive impact on animals around the country.

The city council in North Little Rock, Arkansas, unanimously adopted an ordinance change allowing people to provide trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) for cats. Spaying or neutering free-roaming cats is one of the most effective ways to manage and care for our feline friends. By reducing the number of cats and kittens going into shelters, it’s also one of the key components of a no-kill community.

Furthermore, the Best Friends advocacy team, Best Friends Network Partners, and local animal lovers worked together to successfully stop a Texas community from permitting inhumane lethal cat population management and consider TNVR instead.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a historic declaration in support of pets, declaring 2024 No-Kill Shelter Year in Utah — a commitment for the state to save every pet possible. Gov. Cox’s declaration set a groundbreaking government precedent and gives the no-kill movement even more momentum to achieve no-kill in every community nationwide.

There were 10 wins toward ending puppy mills, including three local humane pet sales ordinances and one statewide humane pet sales law (in Vermont). In addition, harmful bills that would have enabled puppy mill sales were defeated in Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Best Friends launched four community-driven campaigns in places where the most cats and dogs are losing their lives. In one of those places — Seminole County, Florida — we introduced the Change Save Seminole campaign, which raised awareness and called for lifesaving change with messages to elected officials, door-to-door canvassing, phone calls, public comments, media engagement, community events, and letters from residents. The result? The county welcomed new leadership, implemented new programming, and is proposing funding increases to sustain lifesaving programs. The county’s save rate increased from 58% to 81%, getting it that much closer to the no-kill benchmark of a 90% save rate.

From February through May, Best Friends will be hosting in-person events on a nationwide tour designed to empower you with the tools and strategies to make a huge lifesaving impact for animals. Can’t attend in person? Come to a virtual session instead. Learn more and sign up to attend.

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.