Pet Adoption Stories

Kelly Burkhart holding Trinna the black kitten in front of a yellow wall

Adopter sees underdog kitten as a champ

Trinna arrived at Best Friends with a painful eye condition called entropion, but ...
Read about her perfect home
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Selfie of Rikki-Lynn holding Van Gogh the cat

Teenager adopts a cat who has just months to live

Rikki-Lynn fell in love with a senior, scruffy cat named Van Gogh, and her family ...
Read about their 'bonus time'
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Peanut Butter the tortoiseshell cat with Jasmine behind her

From cat curious to fans of felines

Peanut Butter the cat shows a kind couple how much fun it can be to have a feline ...
They all hit the jackpot
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Tres the dog wearing a purple harness and lying on a blue blanket

Front row seat for a scared dog’s transformation

First-time foster volunteer shares her story about helping a scared Chihuahua find...
Read Tres' story
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Black and white cat sitting on a shelf with blue and white striped wallpaper behind him

Letters from home: pet adoption updates

Time to celebrate pets recently adopted from Best Friends.
See the happy families
Best Friends Magazine
Lulu the dog in her new home

Listening to Lulu

Adopters experience a master class in boundaries and communication, taught by a do...
The importance of understanding our pets
Best Friends Magazine
Smokey the dog, outside, wearing a blue collar

Family falls for shy canine escape artist

Smokey’s a notorious fence hopper who’s not really into snuggles, but it was love ...
See how he made himself at home
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Fluffy puppy between a person's legs with hands holding her

Stopping puppy mills

It involves not only passing humane laws, but thwarting the industry’s ever-expand...
Learn more
Best Friends Magazine
Lisette the cat in a kennel lying on a colorful matt

Adopters see shy black cat for the rare pearl she is

What does a shy, middle-aged, jet-black female cat in Los Angeles have in common w...
Read about this rare gem's journey
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Homer the dog lying on his side on the floor

A young dog at the right place, at the right time

After meeting Homer at an art museum, the Thomases couldn’t stop thinking about hi...
See why they said yes
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Hank the husky mix dog, standing outside with his mouth open smiling

Husky mix gets help just when he needed it the most

Time was already running out for Hank when he arrived at the shelter, but the team...
Read how fostering helps
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Yogi the dog with is smiling person

7 happy stories from national pet adoption weekend

Best Friends-sponsored National Adoption Weekend results in thousands of adoptions...
Meet the happy families
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Lil the cat lying on Kelly's chest

Cat gets comfortable in her own skin

Lil came to Best Friends with a bad skin condition, but with help from the medical...
See how she's living her best life
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Larry the cat with his new family

Overlooked cat is fabulous first feline

Larry’s special medical needs meant it took a while for him to get adopted, but he...
See how Larry fit into the family
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Phoenix the cat, lying upside down with paws up, on a carpet

A shy but spicy cat and the family that adores him

Phoenix went from wanting nothing to do with people (when he first came to Best Fr...
Read about Phoenix's transformation
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