Stories

Baby Scout the kitten with her new family

North Dakota shelter steps up to help others

Souris Valley Animal Shelter puts Best Friends grant funds to good use, which includes supporting other shelters.
See how grant helps North Dakota shelter
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Windchimes at Angels Rest with sun shining though them

Volunteer finds happiness at Best Friends

A year after a painful goodbye, Andrea found a place that helped her heal – here’s her story.
Best Friends Magazine
Caregiver Sondra Lewis smiling while lying next to Binky the rabbit

Meet the caregiver: Sondra Lewis

Sondra Lewis, a lifesaving care specialist at the Bunny House, moved across the country to be a part of the lifesaving work happening at Best Friends. Now every day is filled with new experiences and discovery — and rabbits.
Meet Sondra
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Rainbow over Angel Canyon

A doozy of a year

Wishing you all a healthy and happy new year!
Julie Castle Blog
iHop and Waffle House the rabbits with greens to eat

Blind bunny and her seeing-eye brother find safety at Best Friends

IHop may not be able to see the world around her, but with her brother, Waffle House, by her side there’s nothing to fear.
Best Friends Magazine
Molly the dog with Madison sitting in an entryway for a door, between two bushes

Inspired by one extraordinary senior dog to adopt another

After fostering a dog who required a little extra time to get used to living in a home, a couple is inspired to adopt a dog with the same need.
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Lauren holding Cory the cat

Paralyzed cat is ‘paws-itively perfect’ and now he’s home

Cory’s special medical needs were a daunting responsibility to many potential adopters, but for Laurel they were what made him perfect.
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Datura flowers blooming in front of a red rock cliff in Angel Canyon

Saying goodbye to a founder

Claire Ives was truly a force for the animals and she made invaluable contributions to getting Best Friends off the ground.
Julie Castle Blog
Beefy the dog sitting in an orange chair

Adopter saw nothing but love when she met Beefy the dog

Beefy is a big pit bull terrier mix who had trouble finding a home, mostly because of the way he looks, until he met an adopter who saw nothing but love.
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Breonna with Pumba the cat in her lap

Spicy cat’s ‘instruction manual’ helps her get adopted

Best Friends foster volunteers wrote tips for making friends with Pumba, a cat with larger-than-average tortitude, to help her thrive in her new home.
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Family sitting on couch with two beagles

New homes for 21 abandoned beagles

People and rescue organizations, including Best Friends, come together to help save 21 beagles in an empty foreclosed home.
Best Friends Magazine
Lucas the Vicktory dog licking the nose of a person wearing a hat

The last surviving ‘Vicktory dog’

The Vicktory dogs, as we called them, changed the course of animal welfare
Julie Castle Blog
Cat with paw up surrounded by wrapped presents

Behind the scenes: holiday festivities at Best Friends

There’s no place like home for the holidays, but we make sure pets at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary still have fun celebrating at their home-between-homes.
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Woman next to a missing family sign (in Spanish) on a tree

Best Friends launches Spanish language campaign

Multicultural work is aimed at engaging new audiences in saving pets.
Julie Castle Blog
Ranko holding Soba the senior dachshund in front of a pine tree and blue sky

Out of more than 100 foster pets, volunteer adopts the blind senior dachshund

A long-time foster volunteer yields to temptation and adopts a senior dachshund with special needs.
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