Outreach and Embed Programs Stories

Andy the dog being adopted by two people

Waived adoption fees help dogs and cats go home sooner

When a group of New England animal shelters decided to take part in a fee-waived event, the eye-opening result was more than 150 adoptions in a week.
A win for adopters and shelters
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Person with a brown dog outside Pinellas County Animal Services following Hurricane Milton

Love of pets unites helpers in hurricane aftermath

Best Friends team members headed to Florida to provide relief to animal shelter staff, along with displaced people and their pets, after the hurricanes.
Offering selfless service to people and pets
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Ricardo Blanco the cat at the mobile veterinary clinic

Mobile vet care comes to pets impacted by hurricane

With many local vet clinics closed, Best Friends teams up with animal welfare groups and vets to bring care to North Carolina pets after Hurricane Helene.
Blanco gets the help he needs
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Winston and Watson the doodle-type dogs

Save rate skyrockets at a West Virginia animal shelter

With an increase in the number of dogs and cats saved from 38% to 83%, Harrison County Animal Control Services moves closer to no-kill.
Working with the community
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Person walking a gray and white pit-bull-type dog outside on a sidewalk

Best Friends withdraws offer of support to Los Angeles Animal Services

City of Los Angeles ignores Best Friends' offer — dysfunction trumps common sense.
Will still maintain presence in Los Angeles
Julie Castle Blog
Teresa LaCross holding a cat

A determined voice of change for homeless pets

How one shelter director found her voice and skyrocketed lifesaving by recognizing the power in a single word: listen
How they've embraced change
Best Friends Magazine
Amy holding the orange kitten in the plane

Swift action saves pets in shelter from raging wildfire

When a wildfire in New Mexico threatened local animal shelters, Best Friends and area animal welfare organizations teamed up to save lives.
Working together to save lives
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Baby Girl the white dog, smiling with tongue out, lying in green grass

Texas animal shelter’s total turnaround

Year-long embed program with Best Friends is over, and today the city shelter in Brownsville is saving so many more pets than ever before.
Read about their progress
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Person holding a litter of brown puppies in her arms

The making of an animal shelter super mentor

A small, scrappy shelter in the Midwest is setting the bar for no-kill mentorship.
These partnerships save lives
Best Friends Magazine
Jakie Hernandez with another person doing population rounds at a shelter

A well-rounded approach to saving more dogs and cats

Best Friends is working with shelters on new ways to monitor the animals in their care and get pets out of shelters and into homes faster.
Pets are heading to homes faster
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Emily Hirtle in a vehicle holding a small black puppy with a gloved hand

Meeting the challenge of saving pets in Mississippi

Best Friends is implementing proven strategies at the Rankin County Animal Shelter so that more dogs and cats get the second chances they deserve.
Shelter save rate increasing
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Person at eye level with an orange tabby cat

New programs help save more dogs and cats in Nebraska

Best Friends and Nebraska Humane Society are working together on programs and strategies at the shelter that have had a profound impact on lifesaving.
They now hope to be a guiding light to other organizations
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Best Friends marketing intern Jazmin Aguilar holding a dog wearing a pink Adopt Me bandanna

Intern makes lasting impact for Brownsville pets

Through her shelter marketing internship with Best Friends, Jazmin is helping homeless pets, raising awareness, and setting herself up for future success.
Residents encouraged to get involved
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Person bending down to kiss Pluto the puppy

Tennessee animal shelter’s rapid turnaround

Rhea County Animal Shelter’s save rate hit the no-kill threshold four months in a row, enabling a Best Friends embed assignment to end three months early.
Embed program offers a solid foundation
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Cheesecaek the dog smiling with tongue out

Grant helps save senior dog’s eyesight

A Lab mix named Cheesecake had a disease that threatened her eyesight, but a Rachael Ray Save Them All Grant helped her to see again.
Extra funds help save lives
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