Governor Walz Declares October as Shelter Animals Month in Minnesota

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Best Friends Animal Society Applauds Governor’s Proclamation That Aims to Save the Lives of All Healthy and Treatable Pets in Shelters

Governor Tim Walz has proclaimed October as Shelter Animals Month in Minnesota, a critical initiative aimed at getting the state to no-kill*. With this proclamation, Minnesota joins 20 other states in an effort to unify and mobilize the public to help save the lives of healthy and treatable dogs and cats in local shelters.  

Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to save the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill, welcomes this pivotal step in Minnesota's pet lifesaving efforts. 

“Governor Walz’s declaration is a significant milestone for dogs and cats in Minnesota’s shelters,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “Governor Walz has been a longtime advocate of pet adoption, and we commend him for continuing to empower Minnesotans to get involved in pet lifesaving by establishing Shelter Pets Month in Minnesota.” 

Data from Best Friends indicates that nearly two out of three U.S. shelters saved 90% or more of the pets in their care in 2024, the accepted benchmark for no-kill, which strives to save every healthy and treatable pet that enters a shelter. Of those shelters that have not yet achieved no-kill, nearly half are less than 100 pets away from the milestone.  

In Minnesota, 58 of the state’s 66 shelters saved 90% of dogs and cats in their care in 2024, and six additional shelters had less than 100 to save to get there. 

“Minnesotans are stepping up to help pets in their local shelters, and it shows,” said Castle. “In 2024, Minnesota was just 500 adoptions away from saving every healthy, treatable dog and cat in the state’s shelters. We need community members to keep up the good work and most importantly: adopt. When people choose to adopt a pet from a local shelter or rescue rather than purchasing from a breeder or pet store, they’re saving a life.”  

In addition to adopting from local shelters and rescues, Minnesota residents can support the state's adoptable dogs and cats by fostering, spaying or neutering their pets, volunteering, donating, and sharing pets looking for homes on social media. 

To learn more about Best Friends and donate, visit bestfriends.org.  

*No-kill is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols. 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,500 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.