At Best Friends Animal Society, we know lasting change for pets happens when compassionate people like you come together. That’s why the Best Friends Action Team exists: to give animal lovers a powerful way to speak up for cats and dogs in communities across the country.
Because of supporters like you, the action team has grown to an incredible 201,601 advocates speaking out for pets. Over the past year, advocates have sent 33,714 letters to elected officials through our platform — with countless more sent directly in their own communities — and signed 20,974 petitions on behalf of homeless dogs and cats so far this year.
Friend, your compassion and action helped make every one of these wins possible:
You helped advance bills to increase access to veterinary care in eight states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
You stood with Best Friends and fellow advocates in supporting humane pet store laws in California, Colorado, Delaware, and Oklahoma to help end puppy mills.
Your support helped lead 18 cities to adopt local humane pet store ordinances.
Your advocacy for no-kill proclamations in 23 states laid the groundwork for the U.S. Conference of Mayors to adopt a model resolution supporting no-kill programs and encouraging cities to embrace them. This industry organization also spotlighted the collaboration between Best Friends and Gillette, Wyoming, which helped Gillette achieve no-kill as a model business practice.
Together, advocates helped repeal the long-standing pit bull ban in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and supported four other communities in ending breed-specific laws.
You helped support laws embracing trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) as the humane approach to community cat management in five communities, including North Little Rock, Arkansas.
In Virginia, 2,000 people signed our petition calling for accountability after Eve’s death.
And in Utah, advocates sent more than 1,300 letters to elected officials in favor of S.B. 201, along with 199 phone calls — and those are only the actions we could track. This new law will increase the number of dogs and cats saved in Utah shelters and establish consistent protocols for shelters and rescues across the state.
Thank you for being part of this lifesaving work for pets. Your support, your voice, and your compassion are helping to create a future where every dog and cat has the chance to thrive.