October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Best Friends PR Team prteam@bestfriends.org
Animal Shelters and Rescue Groups Nationwide Celebrate All Month-long with Adoption Events

Assets: Photos / B-roll

Across the country, dogs (and cats!) are looking for loving homes to call their own and with October being Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, there’s never been a better time to welcome a new addition to the family. Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, is here to help – connecting pets with their (new) people through adoption events nationwide. 

Between now and November 2, hundreds of adorable, adoptable pets will attend adoption events hopeful of finding their human companion(s).  

To help people and pets find a scary good connection this October, Best Friends is partnering with animal shelter and rescue groups across the country including: 

  • Best Friends Super Adoption in Northwest Arkansas (October 11 and 12): This weekend, Best Friends Super Adoption is returning to Northwest Arkansas for the second year in a row. The two-day festival will bring 350+ adoptable dogs and cats from more than 15 shelters around Arkansas to the renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR. All pet adoption fees will be covered by Best Friends. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy local food trucks, family-friendly activities, world-class art, giveaways, exhibitor booths, and more.   
     
  • MEGA PUPTOBER FEST (October 18): Best Friends is teaming up with Miami-Dade County Animal Services for MEGA PUPTOBERFEST, a free, family-friendly event, featuring hundreds of adoptable pets, live entertainment, kids’ activities, delicious food trucks, and local vendors. Pet adoption fees are waived thanks to sponsors MIAMI HEAT and Kaseya, making it easier than ever for families to open their hearts and homes to a new dog or cat. 
     
  • Multi-State Adoption Event in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas (October 18): Best Friends is teaming up with nearly 40 shelters and rescue groups across Indiana, Iowa, and Kansas to celebrate recent no-kill proclamations. On Saturday, October 18, more than 2,500 pets from 38 shelters across all three states will be available for adoption for under $50 on behalf of Best Friends.
     
  • Best Friends Super Adoption Event in Los Angeles (November 1 and 2): Back for another year and bigger than ever before, Best Friends Super Adoption Event is returning to the Rose Bowl November 1 and 2. This year’s event will feature 20+ animal shelters and rescue groups and more than 600 adoptable dogs and cats from across Southern California. Adoption fees at the event will be under $150. 

“It’s inspirational to see animal shelters and rescue groups across the country coming together for a common goal – helping dogs and cats find loving homes,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “We are currently at a turning point in saving the lives of our best friends, as 2 out of 3 shelters are now no-kill*. We are closer than ever before to ending the unnecessary killing of pets in shelters and events like these can help move us closer to a time when no more pets are killed simply because they find themselves temporarily homeless.” 
  
Recent data from Best Friends shows that thus far in 2025 dogs saw a 20% improvement in lifesaving, the first uptick in lifesaving for the species since before the pandemic. These community-based adoption events demonstrate how achieving no-kill* requires every person in every community to play a part. Ways people can help include adopting, fostering, volunteering, donating and sharing via social channels.  
 
To learn more, 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®.