Foster Programs Stories

Alani the cat wearing a bandage on her paw playing with Simon the dog who is doing a play bow

Rescued dog and kitten are BFFs

Kitten with an injured paw finds a new best friend in Simon the dog
Watch their friendship blossom
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Elsa and Emma

Elsa Nilsson-Canin embraces the beauty in the beast

Credit a pit bull terrier named Herman for setting Elsa Nilsson-Canin on her lifesaving path with Best Friends.
Her will is her way of giving back.
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Kya the dog in the back seat of a vehicle

Dog gains the courage to trust

A once fearful pup finds safety with a patient, loving family who accepts her for who she is.
See her progress
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Canelo the kitten playing with Wasabi the rabbit

A kitten and his bunny buddies

Canelo doesn’t get around well and he’s incontinent, but thanks to special therapies and lots of playtime he’s growing stronger each day.
Read how time at Bunny House helped
Best Friends Magazine
Karla and Scott Hanley sitting next to Salem the dog

Meet two heroes for dogs

Newborn puppy Rosie is thriving today, and she’s not the first life Karla and Scott Hanley have helped save.
Read about their lifesaving efforts
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Lars the dog with his new person, lying together on a couch

Dog found barely alive gets help and a home

Lars almost died alone, starving, dehydrated, and full of porcupine quills, but vets at the Sanctuary saved his life, and now he has a new home.
Read about his new life
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Person holding a smiling Java the Chihuahua dog in a lap

Little dog is living large

Java has spina bifida and had difficulty walking when she came to Best Friends, but today the Chihuahua has found her stride.
Read how she's settled in
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Molasses the black and white dog sitting and wearing a purple bandana with colored flowers on it

Skinny bundle-of-love dog gains weight, then a family

Molasses was tiny and tired when firefighters found her, but now this once-lost pup is finally home.
Meet this 'foster win'
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The face of Spaghetti the dog

Old dog is a diamond in the rough

You can’t help but fall in love with a senior dog who has a heart of gold and a name like Spaghetti.
Read about his journey home
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Abdul and Shamiyan holding kittens in front of a window

Saving kittens and raising awareness with social media

Abdul and Shamiyan are kitten-fostering superstars, sharing their fuzzy feline friends on Instagram and getting them adopted.
Learn about fostering and their Sanctuary visit
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Rumi the kitten being held in someone's arms

Fighting spirit helps kitten come back from the brink

Rumi was in rough shape and was the weight of a deck of cards when she came to Best Friends. She’s still tiny, but mighty — and mighty healthy, too.
See her now
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Llama the Siamese kitten with blue eyes and paw up in the air

Big new life for a blue-eyed kitten

Orphaned and injured at one week old, little Llama lived thanks to many people’s help. Now he’s bounding and pouncing through life.
See how he's thrived
Best Friends Magazine
Captain the dog next to Jill Shaw, who is looking at him, smiling and petting him

Faith leads a dog home

Captain was returned from every home he had and diagnosed with two heart conditions and cancer. But thanks to inspiration from Best Friends co-founder Faith Maloney, he’s now home for good.
Faith and the universe guide adoption
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Stella the at lying on a multi-colored blanket

How a cat named Stella got her groove (and her fur) back

What does it take to help a cat heal from severe skin allergies? Persistence, patience and a team of determined people.
Teamwork helps Stella thrive
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Midnight the kitten lying on the floor under a wooden piece of furniture

Blind, deaf kitten shows the meaning of resilience

Midnight had a rough start, but after vets saved his life twice, he’s proven it’s often darkest just before dawn.
See how he's doing now
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