Small acts of kindness that saved animals

Most animals in need aren’t saved by one dramatic rescue. They’re saved by people who noticed, cared, and did what they could. Sometimes that means stopping on a drive for an animal who needs help. Or maybe it’s rallying neighbors to build a better life for pets at the local animal shelter.

At Best Friends Animal Society, our vision is a better world through kindness to animals. And people who demonstrate compassion and respect for all living creatures play a key role in ushering in that better world. These are a few of those people.

Susan was one elusive gal. The scruffy white-and-black dog had been seen roaming around a construction site near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway but kept evading animal services officers who tried to capture her. No one could get close to Susan, but the construction crew took it upon themselves to provide food and water for her. They also provided a small, insulated doghouse with a blanket and bed inside.

Eventually, Susan was humanely trapped after a driver reported seeing her by the highway. She was taken to Anne Arundel County Animal Services, where one of the construction workers visited her, happy to see that she was doing well. And soon, she was on the move again because the driver whose report led to her rescue ended up adopting her.

The cats and kittens at Effingham County Animal Control and Shelter in Illinois now have plenty of sunny spots to snooze in, thanks to longtime volunteer Cheryl Apke. After seeing photos online of catios (“a screened-in porch for cats,” as Cheryl calls them) she offered to build one for the shelter, free of charge. It would give the cats another space to safely play and explore all the fun sights, smells, and sounds of the outdoors.

With limited resources, shelters can’t always take on projects like building a catio, and the Effingham team was profoundly grateful to Cheryl and the other volunteers who helped with the construction. In fact, the catio has been such a hit — with felines and humans alike — that Cheryl and the volunteers are already looking to build one on the other side of the shelter.

A little ball of orange fluff wasn’t on Alexander Farris’ list of pickups for his mail route. But that’s what, or rather who, he found: a kitten, who appeared quite thin and hungry.

As an animal lover, Alexander knew many of the pets on his route, but he didn’t recognize this kitten. He gave him some food and then, worried about putting the kitten back out by himself in the remote area, decided to take him into his mail truck. He knocked on doors trying to find the kitten’s home while he continued his route, but no family came forward.

So Alexander took it as a sign — a special delivery just for him. He adopted the kitten, now named Sprout, and they’re the best of pals. A purr-master general in the making, Sprout enjoys accompanying Alexander on his mail route.

Tom Minor would do anything for his dog, Jake — even becoming unhoused after his landlord told him he’d have to leave if he wanted to keep Jake. Tom continued to do everything he could to make sure Jake was well cared for, but eventually he came to the heartbreaking conclusion that his beloved dog deserved more. So, in what he says was the hardest decision of his life, he reluctantly brought Jake to a Texas fire station with a note asking them to “please help my baby.”

He never expected help would be on the way for him, too. The firefighters were so touched by Tom’s devotion to Jake that they decided to give Jake a home at the station. Meanwhile, they worked with local businesses to donate a camper and supplies for Tom to help him get back on his feet. Everyone’s hoping for a happy ending, with Jake returning home to Tom. But for now, they both have the support they need from a community that cares.

Moxie may not be able to read, but she’d almost certainly give a second-grade class in Michigan an A+ on their persuasive-writing assignment. For the assignment, the students wrote letters, drew pictures, and put together a video advocating for someone to adopt Moxie, a tan-and-white, blocky-headed pup at Benzie County Animal Shelter. They chose Moxie after learning that she had been without a home for over a year.

The students highlighted everything they loved about Moxie: She’s adorable, she loves to play, she’ll go on hikes with you. Their argument was strong: “Feeling lonely? Need a friend? Moxie is waiting for you.” One family was persuaded, and now Moxie is playing, hiking, and being her adorable self in a home of her own.

Do you have a random act of kindness to share? Submit your story and a photo to editor@bestfriends.org with “random act of kindness” in the subject line.

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.