Pet Adoption Stories

Hulk the dog lying on a wooden bench, smiling

Dog named Hulk lands a home with a bodybuilder

Hulk is big and exuberant enough to easily knock people over, but now his days are...
Big dog, big love
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Brown dog in a home with blanket over her and her eyes closed and smiling with tongue out

5 adorable pet adoption tails

Meet a puppy who can’t believe she got adopted, a cat who snuggles her sloth toy a...
Read about the happy adoptions
Best Friends Magazine
Pepper the cat wearing a crown while being held by her new family

Cat purrs in the face of adversity

Pepper is the picture of resiliency after a traumatic past
See how she's thriving
Best Friends Magazine
Merlot the German shepherd smiling in front of a smiling person

From rescued dog to service dog

Merlot was homeless and needed emergency surgery, but now she’s helping her new pe...
See how they're growing together
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Valentina the black and white kitten being held by gloved hands and you can see wounds on her face

Fearless kitten meets life’s challenges head-on

With a difficult first two months behind her, Valentina shakes off adversity for a...
Read about her care
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Happy senior dog with two people behind him

6 happy tails from adopted pets

Meet a puppy who can’t believe she got adopted, a cat who snuggles her sloth toy a...
Meet the happy families
Best Friends Magazine
Benedict the kitten sitting on a cat tree

Kitten seizes life on two legs

Benedict’s hind legs are paralyzed due to spina bifida, but that doesn’t stop him ...
Meet this foster-win
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Jake the dog lying on a multi-colored parachute

From at-risk dog to therapy pet in training

Jake was on a shelter’s euthanasia list before coming to Best Friends, but in his ...
Read about his new career
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HarlieQ and Nicholas the kittens lying next to each other

Wobbly kitten is steadfast lover of life

Nothing (and certainly not cerebellar hypoplasia) stops Harlie Q. and fellow kitte...
Read their story
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CrossFit Tony in the passenger seat of a car with a hand on him

Big hunk of love dog lands a home

His nickname is “CrossFit Tony” because he’s super fit, but he’s also sweet, lovin...
"Crossfit" finds right fit
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Smiling person holding the happy dog she adopted

10 happy tales from National Pet Adoption Weekend

Third Best Friends-sponsored National Adoption Weekend results in homes for more t...
See their happy faces
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Krueger the cat lying on a box in the warehouse with stacks of boxes behind him

A cat who works from home

Krueger calls True Leaf Seed Company his home, and he has worked wonders for emplo...
Read about this working cat
Best Friends Magazine
Otto the orange tabby cat lying on an orange blanket in a kennel

A ‘senior’ shelter cat’s secret

Otto the cat was so ragged and unhealthy looking that the staff judged him to be a...
Read about his transformation
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Heather holding Goose the dog

Lucky Goose: Shy pup finds his person

Goose was scared and needed heartworm treatment when he first came to Best Friends...
Goodbye heartworm, hello love
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Emma hugging Archie the dog in the back seat of a vehicle

Happy tails from big dogs in their new homes

These dogs recently adopted from Best Friends are living (and loving) extra large.
Big dogs get big love
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