What happens when shelters make pet adoption easier?
In my last couple of blogs, I talked about the human, the myth, the legend … the Perfect Adopter. If you missed those, you can check out part 1 here and part 2 here. But the gist is this: When we search far and wide for the Perfect Adopter, we can miss the kind of perfect that’s standing right in front of us.
So what happens when shelters make it easier for people to say yes?
That’s exactly what the Best Friends Network set out to explore with the Bring Love Home Challenge in December 2025.
Nearly 300 organizations signed up to participate. For one month, each group tried at least one new practice designed to make it easier for people to adopt or foster. Some groups reduced or waived adoption fees. Others shortened applications, offered same-day adoptions, expanded foster programs, or hosted special adoption events. Many increased their marketing.
And the results were pretty incredible.
Of the 219 participating organizations that reported their data, adoptions increased 14% compared to December 2024. Altogether, more than 15,000 pets found homes through the reporting participants — in just one month.
When you see numbers like that, it tells you something important. Sometimes it doesn’t take a massive overhaul to save more lives. Sometimes it’s just a few thoughtful changes that help more people say yes.
However, behind those numbers are thousands of individual stories. Here are some of my favorites:
Regan: Healing and a second chance
Hamilton’s Healing Hearts (HHH) in North Carolina had taken in a very sick puppy months earlier. Regan arrived severely underweight, covered in mange across nearly her entire body, and was completely shut down. It took time, vet care, medication, and a whole lot of love to help her recover.
When she was finally ready for adoption, HHH posted her on Petfinder, and almost immediately a young woman reached out. They met, they connected, and Regan went home on a five-day trial adoption that turned into a permanent one before the trial was even over.
What really excited me about this wasn’t just the adoption. It was the way Regan’s new person was inspired to stay committed to the mission. Regan and her person came back to HHH’s Bring Love Home adoption event to encourage others to foster and volunteer, getting many people to sign up right then and there. The duo was a big reason the event was so successful, according to the HHH team. Not a bad ending for a pup who had such a ruff start!
Libby: The mama dog who was finally chosen
At Cleo’s Legacy in Kentucky, a mama dog named Libby might have easily been overlooked. Puppies tend to draw the attention, as anybody would guess. But during the Bring Love Home Challenge, Libby’s story was shared using the marketing tools the Best Friends Network provided. And what do you know, a family saw her photo online with those loving eyes, read her story, and came to the adoption event specifically to meet Libby. Not the puppies — Libby.
This family saw her not as “just a mama dog” but an individual who deserved her own home and her own people. Today, Libby has exactly that: a bed of her own, a family of her own, and the life she’d been waiting for.
Ray: The little cat who could
At Nine Lives Foundation in California, a cat named Ray had been waiting for a home for 128 days. He arrived with chronic respiratory disease, damaged eyes, ringworm, and a long list of other medical issues. The Nine Lives team and his foster family spent months helping him recover.
During the Bring Love Home Challenge, Nine Lives decided to try out some new ideas. They made “Adopt Me” buttons featuring cats who’d been with them for a while, increased advertising in English and Spanish publications, expanded foster-to-adopt options, and shared more stories online. This work allowed everyone to feel included and really see themselves as part of the solution.
And, on the final day of the challenge, Ray was adopted.
Even more encouraging, Nine Lives reported a 50% increase in adoptions compared to the previous December — not because the animals changed but because the approach did.
Rex: 11 months was long enough
Down in Douglas, Arizona, the municipal animal shelter serves a small rural border community with limited resources. For the challenge, the City of Douglas Animal Shelter team experimented with things like same-day adoptions, reduced fees, extended pickup hours, and stronger outreach to Spanish-speaking adopters, as well as hosting an adoption event.
Rex had been waiting at the shelter for about 11 months. Despite attending events and being promoted online, he kept getting passed over. During the challenge, though, a family came to the shelter who, without the new strategies and the adoption event, might not have otherwise stopped by. They met Rex, spent some time with him, and well, that was that. He was the one.
After nearly a year of waiting, Rex finally went home.
The lasting ripple effects
The Bring Love Home Challenge was only a month long, but the ripple effects last. Eleven shelters that participated and/or were impacted by the challenge achieved no-kill during or shortly after it. Some organizations also saw extraordinary adoption growth and were recognized with grants and incentives, including City of Douglas Animal Shelter in Arizona, Ferris Animal Shelter in Texas, and Journey Home Rescue Alliance in South Carolina.
We’re seeing something incredible happen when shelters and rescue groups feel empowered to try something new and realize it works. A 14% increase in adoptions in one month is a pretty clear signal: When we remove unnecessary barriers, more people are able to step up. They show up for animals in ways that sometimes surprise us.
So, just like in the adoption stories I passed along in my previous couple blogs, it turns out that the Perfect Adopter isn’t some mythical creature after all. More often than not, they’re just regular people who want the chance to do something good. And when we make it easier for them to say yes, more pets get to go home.
-Julie
