Press Release
March 23 is not just National Puppy Day, a day to celebrate those lovable furballs in our lives. It’s also the kick-off for Best Friends Animal Society’s Adopt Local Challenge, which will run through April 30.
This month-long initiative was created to help take the state of Utah to no-kill, a milestone in animal welfare that means at least 90% of the animals entering the shelter system will leave alive and not be killed due to lack of space.
With more than 60 shelters in the state of Utah, it can be difficult for people to know which shelter is closest to their home. In addition, Utah is one of the fastest growing states in the country and with that surge comes an increase in pets. This creates a bottleneck and the need for members of the community to know where to go to find a lost pet, or to adopt, foster, volunteer, or donate.
“Sadly, in 2021, nearly 900 dogs and cats were killed in animal shelters in Utah,” said Julie Castle, CEO at Best Friends Animal Society. “If every community member looking to add a dog or cat to their family adopted from their local shelter during this challenge, we would be able to add Utah to the growing list of no-kill states and be on track to take the rest of the country no-kill by 2025.”
During the Adopt Local Challenge, Best Friends, a national welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters by 2025, the community, and No Kill Utah partners—an initiative that brings together Utah shelters, rescue groups, other animal welfare organizations and passionate individuals—are challenging participating shelters to save more dogs and cats compared to the time period last year.
In addition, the campaign is challenging pet lovers to locate their nearest shelter and step up to support them by adopting, volunteering, fostering, and promoting the shelter to the rest of their community. The Adopt Local Challenge will run from March 23 to April 30.
For more information or to find a shelter near you, visit bestfriends.org.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to around 355,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 4,100 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.