Sanctuary Stories

Volunteer Betty Grieb wearing a blue protective gown and gloves, holding a puppy on her shoulder

Volunteer prepares puppies for their best lives

Betty Grieb offers the puppies at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary lots of TLC to help prepare them for new homes.
Read what motivates her to help
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Tax the dog, looking forward with mouth open in a smile

Anxious dog who’s deaf finds comfort with new family

Life seemed overwhelming for Taz when he arrived at Best Friends, but now he’s learning how to confidently navigate the world with his new family.
Read how he's settled into his new home
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Smiling person surrounded by baby Quaker parrots, including one on her head

Animals from closed zoo find safety at Best Friends

After a zoo in Puerto Rico closed, hundreds of animals needed new places to live — and help getting there.
Their futures are bright
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Big Papa the cat on a blue chair with a young volunteer wearing a hat

71 cats arrive to safety at Best Friends

Cats and kittens get veterinary care and visits from Best Friends staff and volunteers to help them into the next phase of their lives.
See how they're settling in
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Sweet Baby James the puppy in a wheelchair

Foster home helps puppy stand tall

Faces of no-kill: Sweet Baby James could hardly even crawl when he first came to the Sanctuary, but today he’s stronger and in a home of his own.
See him now
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Ash, Basil, and Cedar the rabbits in an enclosure and on a multicolored blanket

4-bunny bunch joins an even bigger family

Ash, Basil, Cedar, and Denali are in good company in their new home: a bustling family farm where they’re never lonely.
Read how they're a hit with everyone
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Person running the Grand to Grand Ultra

Runners accept ‘ultra’ challenge to save dogs and cats

To this trio of animal lovers, raising funds for Best Friends by running the Grand to Grand Ultra will be just as important as finishing the race.
Support their efforts
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Emma Dean the mama horse eating or drinking from a trough, next to Marina her foal

14-hour rescue of a stranded mama horse and baby

When rising water levels at Lake Powell marooned a mare and her filly, it took teamwork and ingenuity to get them to safety.
Read about their rescue plans A, B, and C
Best Friends Magazine
RoiLie the dog running in his wheelchair

Big love for little dog with wheels

An injury changed RoiLie’s life, but his huge personality and a whole lot of love keep him going strong.
See him in his home
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Smitty the pig walking down a ramp following the training ball on a stick

Fun and games for pigs

Did you know pigs are super smart? School’s in session at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and pigs are star pupils.
Learning is easy ... with the right incentive
Best Friends Magazine
Shadow the dog with two people petting him

How adopting a dog changed one man’s life

Shadow’s life was saved when he came to Best Friends as a puppy, and he’s been brightening peoples’ lives around him ever since.
Read their story
Best Friends Magazine
Baby owls after they've matured in rehabilitation

Bringing up orphaned barn owls

Wild Friends welcomes two groups of baby barn owls who had been separated from their parents.
Read how they've thrived
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Pharaoh the dog on a sand dune with a toy in his mouth

Helping an anxious dog is all fun and games

A bored Pharaoh is a stressed Pharaoh, so his friends are always coming up with ways to entertain him.
See Pharaoh in action
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Two foals and two mares running

First frolicking foals born at Best Friends

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary just welcomed a trio of tiny trotters, and everyone is falling in love.
Meet the babies
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Johnny the little tabby kitten

Kitten comes back from the brink

Johnny was unresponsive when he arrived at Best Friends, but now he’s either playing or cuddling with his feline BFF.
Watch the video
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