New York Stories

Willow the cat lying on a cat tree

Seeing past a kitty’s shyness

Willow was scared when he arrived at Best Friends, but one New Yorker saw the brave, bold cat he truly was.

Read about his transformation

Ahoy the gray and white pit bull type dog surrounded by pink plush toys

4 animal stories to inspire

When these pets needed help, they found it through a Best Friends Network Partner.

Read about their successes

Best Friends Magazine

Best Friends caregiver hugging a boxer dog

It’s time we have a conversation about pay

Personal sacrifice and passion cannot be the price of admission into nonprofit animal welfare.

Fair compensation needed for animal caregivers

Julie Castle Blog

Chrissy the dog, smiling in front of a city skyline

Dog with incontinence, heartworm proves that love always wins

Chrissy traveled a long way to get to Best Friends in New York, and after receiving loving care from her foster family during heartworm treatment, she was adopted.

Read Chrissy's story

Gloved hand holding a tabby kitten whose mouth is messy from eating from Best Friends in Los Angeles

Kitten showers help shelters prepare for kitten season

Best Friends teams up with shelters from coast to coast to collect supplies and recruit foster volunteers just in time for kitten season.

See how communities stepped up

Pickle the puppy outside on some grass

Two chance meetings lead to a new life for a sweet puppy

Amid the bustling New York City streets, a curious puppy makes a connection with an adopter following not just one, but two chance meetings.

Read how coincidental meetings lead to adoption

Spitfire the cat lying on a blue blanket

Shy cat finds her perfect match after months of medical ups and downs

Spitfire’s foster person nursed her through seizures and shyness, and when it was time for her to be adopted, couldn’t let her go.

Oreo the cat peeking out of an enclosed cat bed, next to a stuffed pig

Kitty goes from scaredy-cat to snuggle bug

Oreo was afraid of everything when she first arrived at Best Friends in New York, but with patience and extra TLC she was ready to take on the world.

Calico cat beside a sign that says: grateful, thankful blessed

10 (out of a million) reasons to be grateful for pets

This holiday season, take a moment to appreciate the many ways that pets make a difference in our lives.

Madison holding Mayflower the tabby cat

Big tabby kitty with FIV lands just-right home

Mayflower the cat came to Best Friends with FIV, dental disease and arthritis, but none of that scared away his adopter.

Pandemic pets: Where are they now?

Catching up with families who adopted cats and dogs last year during the coronavirus pandemic

Dog-adoption-Peggy-Race-Sandy-Stevie-1-courtesy--Misy-Singson.jpg

Senior Chihuahua finds love and harmony with musician-adopter

Singer adopts a larger-than-life 11-year-old Chihuahua mix and names her Stevie Nicks to pay homage to another equally strong, beautiful spirit.

The story behind the famous high-flying, almond-loving cat

Ari the Panther has almost 100,000 followers on Instagram and it's easy to see why.

Senior Chihuahua struts his best self on the Upper West Side

A sensitive, quirky Chihuahua teaches his foster mom how to live life in the present.

Once-paralyzed puppy ditches his wheels

Chipper came to Best Friends with paralyzed hind legs, but with lots of medical help he was able to ditch his spiffy wheelchair and make a full recovery.