Top 5 Pet Moments of 2025
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill*, has been on the ground helping homeless pets find safety for over 40 years.
However, 2025 was truly extraordinary in the world of animal welfare. From dangerous wildfires uniting communities to helping at-risk pets find loving homes to a senior cat surviving an incredible fall, Best Friends has selected the top five most heroic, inspiring, and heartwarming pet moments of the year.
1. 1,700+ pets saved from apocalyptic wildfires
When devastating blazes ignited across Los Angeles in January, Best Friends knew shelter pets were also in the line of fire. With the help of donors, rescue partner organizations, and caring Angelenos, Best Friends facilitated several rescue flights with groups including Wings of Rescue and the Philadelphia Eagles that transported over 300 dogs and cats by plane around the country.
These pets traveled to places where they had a better chance of being adopted, including Best Friends Pet Adoption Centers in Salt Lake City and New York City, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah and other partner organizations along the East Coast.
Pets that needed more care, like young shepherd-mix Nicky, came to Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in West LA. Upon arrival, Nicky was unable to open his jaw more than a few centimeters due to a traumatic injury of unknown origin. Knowing he needed special medical care, Best Friends worked with a specialist veterinary dentist to complete surgery to give him use of his jaw. After recovering with a foster, Nicky made a healthy recovery and found a loving home of his own in August.
Overall, 1,700 fire-affected pets found a second chance, thanks to the collaborative efforts of animal lovers across the country.
2. Mirage the “miracle cat” survives incredible fall, gets adopted by rescue pilot
On April 30, a senior cat was found in a carrier after a nearly 400-foot fall in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park alongside owners that tragically didn’t survive. The next day, the cat came into Best Friends Animal Sanctuary’s care. Staff named the cat Mirage, because nobody could believe what they were seeing. She was determined to be approximately 12-years-old and initially appeared to be healthy despite a few bruised ribs and cracked teeth.
Within a week, Mirage’s health took a turn for the worse, prompting a three-hour trip to a specialty veterinarian hospital in Las Vegas. There, it was determined that Mirage had a collapsed lung that most likely resulted from her traumatic fall. Over the course of several days, the miracle cat continued to recover and was ultimately deemed healthy enough to return to Best Friends Sanctuary.
When Mirage’s owner’s next-of-kin was unable to adopt the cat, Best Friends learned Mirage had another potential adopter: Chelsea Tugaw, the pilot who initially rescued her. The victim’s family gave their full blessing for Chelsea to move forward with the adoption, delighting staff and volunteers who had fallen in love with the sweet and resilient senior.
There wasn’t a dry eye at Best Friends on May 19 when Chelsea came to pick up Mirage. The two instantly bonded and Mirage headed to her new home in Salt Lake City, which she now shares with Tugaw’s dog and cat siblings Max and Milo.
3. Senior rescued from hoarding case finds happily ever after
In June, Animal Care Centers of NYC rescued 80+ dogs from a hoarding case at an apartment in Brooklyn. Best Friends in New York took in nine dogs from this case, the oldest of which was a small, one-eyed senior pup named Igor.
Best Friends sent Igor and his eight housemates to a vet clinic for medical care before making them available for adoption. Before Igor could even make it onto the Best Friends adoption site, hospital administrator Caitlan Monte had adopted him.
Five months after his rescue, Igor is living out his golden years with all the love and companionship any dog could ever dream of. His story was even highlighted during Best Friends Annual Gala alongside supporter Michael Cyril Creighton. Thor donned the tiniest tux for the occasion.
For those considering a new pet, Caitlan has a message: “Explore the dogs that may not be at the top of someone else’s adoption list. When you adopt a senior dog, the feeling you get when they are thriving is something that will fulfill you more than you know.”
4. Superman raises adoption awareness to new heights
To inspire people to be superheroes for pets in need, Best Friends teamed up with Warner Bros. Discovery on a PSA campaign in alignment with the debut of summer blockbuster SUPERMAN. The PSA highlighted Director James Gunn’s own rescue dog, Ozu, who inspired the dog in the film, Kypto.
In the weeks following SUPERMAN’s release, Google searches for “adoptable pets” increased by 513%. Warner Bros. Discovery acted on the buzz and covered adoption fees at Best Friends locations around the country from July 1 to 10. During those 10 days, more than 450 dogs and cats found loving homes.
5. Volunteer superheroes
Any animal lover will tell you that pets can make a profound impact on humans' lives—even if they're only with them for a short time. The same is true of the impact people can have on our furry friends. Mo, a longtime volunteer with Best Friends in New York City, and Macchiato, a sweet 75-pound pit bull terrier mix, were living proof of that bond.
Mo initially fostered Macchiato from Best Friends’ NYC location in November 2024, helping her heal from being an emaciated stray. Macchiato was adopted, but sadly, six months later, her adoptive family made the difficult decision to return her due to a busy work schedule. Shortly afterwards, Best Friends staff noticed a mass on her neck that revealed devastating news: Macchiato had aggressive, inoperable cancer that had already spread to multiple lymph nodes.
While there was no cure, it was clear to Best Friends staff that Macchiato still had more life to live.. Thankfully, despite the emotional toll they knew it would take, Mo and his family were committed to giving Macchiato the joy, comfort, and dignity she deserved. For months, Macchiato enjoyed daily walks in the park, playtime with her canine friends, and countless cozy moments with her foster dad, until she passed away, surrounded by love, in October.
Aurora González, a Mexican-born attorney, is another volunteer hero. González initially started volunteering with Best Friends three years ago after the loss of her dog, Snoopy, her companion for 16 years. What started as helping the organization with Spanish interpretation quickly evolved into a new way of serving pets arriving at the shelter in need of calm and comfort. She learned Reiki, a Japanese energy-healing technique, to bring peace to homeless cats at Best Friends in New York City.
Despite a medical condition that requires her to use a cane, González visits Best Friends in NYC twice a week, identifying the most stressed cats and dedicating at least 10 minutes to each, offering soothing energy and calming music through Reiki. Aurora shares her volunteer work and the cats she helps on TikTok.
“The cats that come to Best Friends remind me of my parents when they emigrated to the United States: alone, scared, and looking for a home,” González said. “Reiki allows me to give them calm and hope, the same way my pets gave me.”
Mo and Aurora’s journeys are a powerful reminder of the difference one person can make in the life of a pet in need—whether through fostering, adopting, or volunteering. For more information on how to help homeless pets in 2026 and beyond, 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.