Join the Best Friends Network: Save Lives Together
Become part of a nationwide movement to end pet homelessness and save lives in your community.
Join the Best Friends Network: Become Part of a National Movement to Save Animals
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and creating a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. Founded in 1984, Best Friends has grown from a small sanctuary in Utah’s high desert to a nationwide network of passionate advocates, volunteers, and partner organizations all working toward a common goal: ensuring every pet has a home. If you believe every animal deserves a chance at life and want to make a tangible difference in your community, joining the Best Friends Network is an opportunity to be part of something transformative.
Why Join the Best Friends Network?
The Best Friends Network represents a collaborative approach to animal welfare that has proven remarkably effective. With more than 5,500 partner organizations spanning all 50 states and Washington, DC, the network demonstrates the power of unified action. Best Friends has already helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to around 378,000, showcasing the tangible impact of coordinated effort. By joining the network, your organization or community becomes part of this momentum, gaining access to resources, expertise, and a supportive community of like-minded animal advocates.
The Strength of Collaboration
No single rescue group or shelter can create a no-kill community alone. The Best Friends Network acknowledges this reality and builds upon it. Partner organizations gain access to proven lifesaving programs, educational resources, and technical support that have been developed and refined over decades. Whether your organization is a large metropolitan animal shelter or a small grassroots rescue group, the network provides tools and knowledge to increase your impact and save more lives in your community.
What Best Friends Network Partners Receive
Membership in the Best Friends Network comes with substantial benefits designed to empower organizations and individuals in their mission to save animals:
Access to Proven Programs and Resources
Best Friends has developed and tested comprehensive programs for pet adoption, spay and neuter initiatives, and behavioral rehabilitation. Network partners receive guidance on implementing these programs, along with customizable resources tailored to their community’s specific needs. This knowledge transfer accelerates progress toward no-kill status and ensures organizations benefit from decades of animal welfare expertise.
Participation in Adoption Events and Campaigns
The network facilitates large-scale adoption events that pool resources and reach more potential adopters. These coordinated campaigns create momentum, increase visibility for homeless pets, and dramatically improve adoption rates across participating organizations. Additionally, partners can leverage Best Friends’ fundraising platforms and marketing reach to support their individual missions.
Grant Opportunities and Financial Support
Best Friends offers grants and financial assistance programs specifically designed to help network partners implement lifesaving initiatives. These funds can support spay and neuter programs, medical care for special needs animals, facility improvements, and staff training. This financial support removes barriers to progress and allows organizations to focus resources on direct animal care.
Training and Professional Development
The network provides advocacy training, shelter management workshops, and educational resources to help staff and volunteers develop their skills. Best Friends facilitates knowledge-sharing among partners, ensuring best practices spread quickly throughout the network and all organizations benefit from collective learning.
Types of Best Friends Network Partners
The Best Friends Network is diverse and inclusive, welcoming many types of animal welfare organizations:
Public Animal Shelters
Municipal and county shelters join the network to transition toward no-kill models, receive technical assistance, and access adoption and spay/neuter resources that reduce shelter populations and save lives.
Private Rescue Organizations
Rescue groups focused on specific breeds, ages, or special needs animals benefit from networking with other specialized rescues and accessing resources that enhance their capacity to save and care for vulnerable animals.
Spay and Neuter Organizations
Organizations dedicated to sterilization services play a critical role in preventing pet homelessness. Network membership connects them with partners who need their services and provides support for expanding programs to underserved communities.
Community Animal Welfare Groups
Grassroots organizations and community-based animal advocates join to amplify their voice, access resources, and collaborate on local initiatives that improve animal welfare in their neighborhoods.
How to Join the Best Friends Network
Joining the Best Friends Network is designed to be accessible and straightforward. The organization welcomes animal welfare groups of all sizes and focuses, creating an inclusive community committed to saving lives.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for Best Friends Network membership, organizations should be actively engaged in animal welfare work, committed to no-kill principles or the reduction of unnecessary killing, and willing to collaborate with other network partners. Best Friends welcomes both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and other organizational structures, recognizing that animal welfare takes many forms.
The Application Process
Prospective partners can reach out to Best Friends directly through their website or contact their regional office. The organization provides guidance through each step of the process, ensuring potential partners understand membership benefits and requirements. Best Friends staff work with applicants to assess how partnership can best serve their community’s animals and align with organizational goals.
Starting Your Partnership Journey
Once accepted, new partners receive an orientation and introduction to the network community. Best Friends assigns dedicated support staff who work closely with partners to identify priority areas, develop strategies, and implement programs. This personalized approach ensures each partnership is customized to local needs and organizational capacity.
The 2025 Action Team: Grassroots Volunteer Movement
Beyond formal organizational partnerships, Best Friends engages individuals through the 2025 Action Team, a grassroots volunteer movement comprising over 101,000 members dedicated to local, state, and national change. This initiative empowers individual advocates to make a difference through:
– Advocacy training: Learning how to effectively advocate for pet-friendly policies and animal-protective legislation- Community organizing: Building local networks of animal advocates to address shelter and rescue issues in neighborhoods- Policy engagement: Supporting efforts to change breed-discriminatory legislation and promote pet-inclusive housing- Educational outreach: Raising awareness about no-kill practices and animal welfare issues in communities
The 2025 Action Team demonstrates that individual citizens can drive meaningful change when organized and empowered with the right resources and support.
Best Friends’ Approach to Ending Pet Homelessness
Best Friends employs a comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy to achieve its no-kill mission:
Direct Animal Care and Sanctuary Operations
The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, serves as both a healing home for up to 1,600 animals and a model for compassionate animal care. The sanctuary demonstrates that animals with special needs, behavioral challenges, or medical conditions deserve second chances and can thrive with proper care and rehabilitation.
Adoption and Spay/Neuter Programs
Best Friends implements proven adoption initiatives and comprehensive spay and neuter programs that reduce shelter populations and prevent future generations of homeless pets. These programs are central to the organization’s strategy for reducing unnecessary killing in shelters.
Policy Advocacy and Systemic Change
Beyond direct services, Best Friends works to change laws and policies that perpetuate unnecessary killing. The organization advocates for eliminating breed-discriminatory legislation, promoting trap-neuter-return programs for community cats, and ensuring pet-inclusive housing policies that keep pets with families instead of forcing them into shelters.
Education and Public Awareness
Raising awareness about no-kill practices and changing public perceptions about homeless pets is essential to Best Friends’ mission. Through targeted campaigns, public service announcements, and community education, the organization mobilizes public support for lifesaving practices.
Why Best Friends Partners Are Effective
Best Friends Network partners benefit from an organization with four decades of experience, a 4-star Charity Navigator rating, and a proven track record of success. The organization is recognized for transparency, effectiveness, and authentic commitment to animal welfare. Best Friends’ guiding principles—including the golden rule of treating all living things as we wish to be treated, demonstrating kindness and compassion, and leading by example—inform all aspects of partnership support and network operations.
Getting Started: Next Steps
If your organization or community is ready to join the Best Friends Network and contribute to ending pet homelessness, the next step is simple: reach out. Visit the Best Friends website to learn more about partnership opportunities, explore how other organizations have benefited from network membership, and begin a conversation with Best Friends staff about your community’s specific needs and goals.
For Organizations
If you represent an animal shelter, rescue group, or animal welfare organization, inquire about formal partnership opportunities. Best Friends will work with you to assess how collaboration can enhance your lifesaving efforts and expand your impact.
For Individual Advocates
If you’re passionate about animal welfare and want to make a difference, consider joining the 2025 Action Team. Through volunteer advocacy, community organizing, and public education, individuals can drive local and national change on behalf of homeless pets.
Frequently Asked Questions About Joining Best Friends Network
Q: Is there a cost to join the Best Friends Network?
A: Best Friends launched the network by offering free membership to animal welfare organizations. While costs may vary based on partnership level and services utilized, the organization is committed to making network participation accessible to groups of all sizes and budgets.
Q: What if my organization is just starting out or has limited resources?
A: Best Friends welcomes organizations of all sizes and experience levels. The network provides resources, training, and support specifically designed to help smaller groups expand their capacity and impact. Grant opportunities and technical assistance are available to help new and growing organizations succeed.
Q: How does Best Friends support remote or rural communities?
A: Best Friends has satellite offices across the country and works with partner organizations in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The organization provides remote support, customized resources, and connections to other partners in your region to ensure distance is not a barrier to collaboration.
Q: Can individual volunteers join through the network?
A: Yes, individual advocates can join the 2025 Action Team, Best Friends’ grassroots volunteer initiative. With over 101,000 members, the Action Team offers numerous ways for individuals to contribute to the no-kill movement through advocacy, education, and community organizing.
Q: What is Best Friends’ mission, and how does partnership advance it?
A: Best Friends’ mission is to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets. Partnership advances this mission by multiplying impact through collaboration, sharing resources and expertise, and creating a nationwide movement dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters.
Q: How has the Best Friends Network impacted the no-kill movement?
A: The network has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million annually to approximately 378,000. This dramatic reduction demonstrates the effectiveness of collaborative, network-based approaches to animal welfare.
References
- Best Friends Animal Society – Mission and History — Best Friends Animal Society. 2025. https://bestfriends.org/who-we-are/our-mission
- Best Friends Animal Society Profile — GuideStar/Candid. 2025. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/shared/bfb99ed2-03d4-4e80-9f09-68c8ac1b5a98
- Rating for Best Friends Animal Society — Charity Navigator. 2025. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/237147797
- Best Friends Animal Society – Our Story — Best Friends Animal Society. 2025. https://bestfriends.org/who-we-are/our-story
- Best Friends Animal Society – Who We Are — Best Friends Animal Society. 2025. https://bestfriends.org/who-we-are
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