Reflecting on Our Wins, Setting Our Sights on the Future
After yet another challenging year in our drive to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, we take stock. And we take heart. Despite the enormous hurdles on our path, our simple approach to lifesaving has served us and the animals well through these tough times. That approach is what co-founder and board chair Francis Battista calls our “instinctive desire to help animals in need and then to passionately tell their stories and recruit as many people as we can to help save more lives.”
In spite of the hardships, the past year’s accomplishments embolden us to keep reaching for the moon. Thank you for being part of the Best Friends family. With help from people like you, what once seemed impossible is well within reach, and we won’t stop until we Save Them All.
From the Chair of the Board: On the Strength of Simplicity
“I believe it is the essential simplicity of Best Friends’ message and our no-kill mission that has helped us to navigate the storms and uncertainties of 2020 and now 2021, which held plenty of its own surprises. Times have been hard, but it’s during such times that the strength and stability of Best Friends’ commitment to lifesaving shines brightest.”
From the CEO: A Rainbow of Hope
“I recently experienced a moment of breathtaking beauty, compliments of Angel Canyon. A double rainbow, appearing right at sunset, formed an otherworldly arc that lit up the horizon in red and gold — for all the world like a portal to another dimension. It resonated with me in the sense that Best Friends had just come through a similar portal of sorts after the stormy year of 2020. And though we remain in the midst of uncertain times, we also find ourselves entering an inspiring new realm of lifesaving.”
Up next: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
SAVING LIVES: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
The country’s largest sanctuary for companion animals, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has been the heart and soul of the organization since 1984. It’s where our respect for the intrinsic value of all our fellow creatures is on living display. It’s also a proving ground for innovative lifesaving strategies. At the Sanctuary, a dedicated team of veterinarians, technicians, caregivers and trainers is transforming the work of finding loving homes for homeless pets.
Cheers to Bubbles!
Bubbles is a perfect example of what expert care at the Sanctuary, plus a big dose of love, can do for a pup in need. Bubbles came to the Sanctuary abandoned, hungry and hobbling on malnourished limbs. The good news is that Bubbles landed at Best Friends, where every animal — no matter what his or her special needs are — can thrive and find happiness.
For Bubbles, that expert care meant a special diet to strengthen his bones and medication to treat his infections. As for his emotional healing, Bubbles’ caregivers gave him plenty of love and attention, and enrolled him in a puppy play group. It took more than a month of medical care and extra TLC, but soon he was back on his feet. Now, the future is looking up for Bubbles, whose family-to-be discovered him at the Sanctuary, declared him perfect and took him home.
Up next: Utah and Beyond
SAVING LIVES: Utah and Beyond
While the Sanctuary remains central to our lifesaving efforts, the work you make possible extends to the far corners of Utah and beyond. Last year, Best Friends in Utah provided low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, hosted kitten care and foster programs, facilitated the adoption or fostering of thousands of dogs and cats, ran a pet food pantry and a pet-food delivery program for families in need, and partnered with 64 shelters, rescue groups and passionate individuals to help bring Utah to no-kill.
Pets of the Navajo Nation
The road to achieving no-kill nationwide has us reaching out to communities off the beaten path, such as the vast expanse of the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. The pets of the Navajo Nation, along with their people, are now getting the extra help they need through a dedicated Best Friends program. Keith Slim-Tolagai, our Navajo Nation program specialist, drives up to 2,000 miles a week, giving lifts to homeless dogs and helping residents to spay or neuter their pets.
“I’ve met so many incredibly passionate, wonderful people within this community who want to take the best possible care of their animals. They just need to know where to get the services. We want to give them that.” Michelle Weaver, director of Sanctuary outreach and animal engagement
Up next: Best Friends Around the Country
SAVING LIVES: Best Friends Around the Country
Best Friends’ work across the country includes lifesaving teams in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta, New York City and Northwest Arkansas. In those areas, we run a full range of proven lifesaving foster and adoption programs, transport and spay/neuter initiatives, and much more. These teams, together with our national network of partners and supporters, helped us accomplish so much last year.
But behind every one of those numbers, there’s a face and a story. Kramer and Pilsner are two who particularly warmed our hearts.
Kramer, the Cutest Kitty
When Kramer came to Best Friends in Los Angeles from a local shelter, the orphaned four-week-old kitten was dubbed the cutest kitten ever, despite a condition that disabled his back legs. But with daily doses of physical therapy and plenty of love, Kramer learned to walk on his own. And after a month in the doting care of an experienced foster volunteer, Kramer was adopted and went home for good — the cutest kitten ever, just like so many thousands more.
Playful Pilsner
When Pilsner, a seven-year-old eternal pup, arrived in Dogtown at the Sanctuary, he was a bit too rambunctious for many prospective adopters. But his caregivers’ prescription for a change in scenery — sending Pilsner to Best Friends in Atlanta — turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. After a stint with an experienced foster family, Pilsner was adopted by a college student named Callie. These days, Callie taps into Pilsner’s fountain of energy with long hikes, soccer games and guest appearances at college, where he has become the big dog on campus.
Up next: Training, Coaching and Mentoring
SUPPORTING SHELTERS: Training, Coaching and Mentoring
With nearly half of the country’s shelters now no-kill, the push to raise that number to 100% of shelters is relying more and more on collaboration. It starts with the 3,500-plus members of the Best Friends Network, made up of shelter and rescue group partners in all 50 states. And using data from the pet lifesaving dashboard (bestfriends.org/2025), Best Friends is strategically targeting shelters that need the most help.
Training: Georgia Community Reaches No-Kill for Cats
In Paulding County, Georgia, Best Friends provided training for the dedicated staff of the local shelter and start-up funding for a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) program to keep outdoor cats safe and out of the shelter. Within just a few months, the save rate for cats in Paulding County went from 76% to more than 90%, the benchmark for no-kill. And to pay it forward, the staff are using what they learned from Best Friends to help other shelters save more feline lives.
“We’re going to continue to lift Paulding County up and showcase their success to make sure other organizations in the state take advantage.” Carrie Ducote, Best Friends national senior strategist, shelter collaborative
Coaching: Helping Fellow Shelters Achieve No-Kill
Three shelters were mentored last year under the new Prince and Paws Shelter Collaborative Program, a Best Friends initiative named after the beloved adopted pets of the program’s lead investor and visionary partner. The collaborative, which Best Friends piloted in 2021, pairs staff from no-kill shelters with their colleagues in shelters still striving for that goal.
During the first nine months of the pilot, 4,645 additional cats and dogs were saved thanks to the shelter collaborative program. That’s the sort of success that has Best Friends planning for 135 other collaborations over the next four years, projected to save the lives of an additional 35,000 cats and dogs by the end of 2025.
“(The shelter collaborative program) has affected us all tremendously. We have literally been able to change who we are and what we do. We can focus on lifesaving rather than the alternatives. We can leave here each day with our heads held high.” Chip Fitz, executive director, Tangipahoa Parish Animal Control
Mentoring: Sharing Skills to Save More Lives
The Tulsa Animal Welfare (TAW) shelter in Oklahoma added a temporary full-time director and manager of operations, compliments of Best Friends’ shelter embed program. Together, dedicated staff at TAW and Best Friends crafted creative new solutions to old problems, and watched TAW’s save rate rise. In the month of September 2021, TAW achieved a save rate of 94% — reaching and exceeding the 90% no-kill benchmark for the first time in its history. The shelter closed the calendar year with an 87% save rate.
“From day one, Best Friends worked with us to maximize live outcomes for animals, while balancing animal comfort and public safety. Best Friends and its one-of-a-kind embed program are truly exceptional.” Dwain Midget, director, City of Tulsa, Working in Neighborhoods Department
Up next: Advocates in Action
MOBILIZING THE PUBLIC: Advocates in Action
2021 was a banner year for Best Friends’ advocacy and action teams, shaping pet-friendly policies and laws aimed at eliminating puppy mills, protecting community cats, ending breed bans and promoting pet-inclusive housing.
Below are a few of last year’s highlights, which were made possible with the help of our advocacy team, passionate individuals and the 2025 Action Team, comprising tens of thousands of volunteers dedicated to keeping the pets in their communities safe and out of shelters.
Big Wins and Great Saves
The National Black Caucus of State Legislators passed a resolution opposing all breed-specific legislation (which negatively and disproportionately affects people and communities of color).
More than 400 humane pet-sales laws were enacted across North America — a big step toward bringing an end to puppy mills.
In California, $10 million in funding was secured for pet-friendly homeless shelters, allowing pets of vulnerable residents to stay with their families rather than be surrendered to animal shelters.
Keeping Pets with Their People
In Spokane, Washington, a collaboration among Best Friends, Catholic Charities Eastern Washington and SpokAnimal is helping to keep families and their pets together, despite the many hardships brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. To assist families facing job loss, eviction, illness or hospitalization, the alliance helped to ensure pet-friendly housing and provided free pet food and supplies, vaccinations and spay/neuter services. The result was less homelessness and more happiness, for both people and their pets.
Nevada Ensures More Dog-Friendly Insurance
Many insurance companies make it more expensive or even impossible for people with certain breeds of dogs to get homeowners’ insurance, even though it has been proven that breed has nothing to do with whether a dog is a safety risk. In Nevada, insurance companies are no longer allowed to do that. With help from our advocacy team, Nevada passed the nation’s most expansive law protecting pet owners from breed discrimination by insurance companies.
Spotlight on Brand Partners
Acana to serve millions of meals
To keep the animals happily fed at the Sanctuary and our lifesaving centers across the country, Best Friends’ official pet food partner, Acana, has offered up to 2.5 million meals of a new line of food for adopted dogs: Rescue Care, the first U.S. food formulated to help rescued dogs thrive in their new homes.
Fresh Step steps up for kitties
Two hundred tons of kitty litter: That’s how much our good friends at Fresh Step are providing to cover the needs of cats each year at Best Friends.
Credit One Bank helps shoppers help pets
Credit One Bank is helping to save newborn kittens and connect homeless pets with loving families through a $1 million commitment and the new Best Friends credit card.
Airvet offers virtual vet care
People adopting from one of Best Friends’ lifesaving centers now get two free calls to the veterinary experts at Airvet, who can answer medical questions that arise with pets transitioning to life in a new home.
Thank You
Thank you: The two words we can’t repeat enough. Because every victory of 2021 that you find mentioned in these pages — every life saved, every happy homebound pet, every family made whole — is a story imprinted with your generosity. So to you, for making 2021 such a huge success and for continuing to support the journey to make the country no-kill by 2025, we say thank you!