Best Friends reports sharpest drop in pets killed in U.S. shelters since 2020
I've been in this movement long enough to know that progress can feel slow, perhaps even invisible, when you're in the thick of it. You're fostering, donating, volunteering, advocating, showing up — and sometimes the finish line feels just as far away as when you started. So when the numbers from our 2025 national dataset landed, I had to take a breath. Because they tell a story that deserves to be celebrated.
Last year, 34,000 fewer dogs and cats were killed in U.S. shelters compared to 2024. That's an 8.1% drop — it’s the sharpest decline since 2020. After years of pandemic-era headwinds, that number feels like a collective exhale. And behind that number? Nearly 4 million dogs and cats found homes. 4 million. Yeah. Let that sink in.
WOOOO-HOO!
Listen, this didn't happen by accident. It happened because of you — animal lovers across this country who decided, firmly and collectively, that pets don't belong in shelters but at home.
And in 2025, both dogs and cats had history-making years, so I want to make sure each of them gets their moment.
Dogs had a genuine breakthrough. For the first time since 2020, the number of dogs killed in shelters went down — by 8.5%, which translates to nearly 20,000 additional dogs who made it out of shelters and into homes. The national save rate for dogs is now 82.2%.
And it was the best year ever (once again!) for cats in shelters. The number of cats killed in shelters hit its lowest point in recorded history, with a record-high save rate of 82.9%. Cats continue to be the comeback royalty of this movement, and I am here for it.
Zoom out just a little, and the picture gets even more remarkable. A decade ago, over 1 million animals were killed in shelters in a single year. Last year, that number dropped to fewer than 400,000. We’ve saved 60% more pets from dying in U.S. shelters over the past decade — that's nearly 5 million additional dogs and cats saved who might not have been without the extraordinary work of this movement. And, more than 2 out of 3 shelters (68%) reached no-kill in 2025, proving that no-kill has become the rule, not the exception, in America.
The momentum is showing up at the state level, too. Nearly half of all U.S. states have now issued no-kill proclamations since 2024 — 23 states and counting, in fact. Four states (Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — way to go, Northeast!) have already achieved no-kill, with eight more on the very brink of getting there.
And 90% of shelters across the country either improved or maintained their lifesaving from 2024 to 2025. Once shelters reach no-kill, they're holding onto it. This is a movement that has most certainly found its footing.
And yet ...
Even as we celebrate, every 90 seconds a dog or cat is still killed in a U.S. shelter simply because they don't have a safe place to call home. The progress is real. The work is not finished.
Here’s what I know: Shelters don't save lives in a vacuum. They save lives because communities show up. Because someone decided to walk into a shelter instead of a pet store. Because a foster caregiver said yes to one more. Because a volunteer took time on a Saturday morning to walk a few dogs. Because a donor gave what they could. That is the engine of this movement — and that engine is you.
So today, I want to ask you something simple: What's your next move? Can you adopt, foster, or volunteer at your local shelter? Can you make a donation to your local rescue group that keeps this momentum going? Can you visit our pet lifesaving dashboard — the only place where you can find individual shelter data — and see exactly where your community stands? Let your local shelter know that you stand for no-kill. Your voice matters, and your representatives are listening. (I mean, just look at what Utah did recently by passing Senate Bill 201!)
When you show up, when we as a movement show up together, lives are saved. 34,000 more noses and tails walked out of shelter doors last year because of you. There is no Best Friends without you. And we can’t Save Them All without all of us.
-Julie
