Volunteer Stories Stories

Volunteer Betty Grieb wearing a blue protective gown and gloves, holding a puppy on her shoulder

Volunteer prepares puppies for their best lives

Betty Grieb offers the puppies at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary lots of TLC to hel...
Read what motivates her to help
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Steve Pack with kittens on his shoulder and around him

How 2 tiny kittens inspired a life of volunteerism

After Steve Pack’s first foray into the world of trap-neuter-vaccinate-return, he ...
Learn what volunteering means to him
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Volunteer David Sprague lying in a bed with a brown and white dog sleeping and snuggled next to him

New Yorker finds stress relief in volunteering with pets

Nursing student David Sprague fosters dogs, is a volunteer driver, and considers t...
Read what inspires him
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Smiling volunteer Vicki Williams holding Sunny her dog in front of a brick wall background

NYC volunteer is a feline matchmaker

Vicki Williams loves mentoring new volunteers and being a matchmaker for adopters ...
Read what inspires her to volunteer
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Painting of two happy parakeets (one green and one blue) with their eyes closed

Artists spread joy and highlight homeless pets

The team of artists at Art While Apart give pets of all shapes and sizes the model...
See their work
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Susan Fishbein sitting outside in the sand with a large brown dog

Volunteers expand homeless dogs’ worlds

From walks and car etiquette to first-time sleepovers and long-term fostering, Sus...
They've become invaluable team members
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Volunteers Russ and Elizabeth Duszak in front of a display at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Northwest Arkansas

Nearly 2 decades of volunteering with Best Friends

Russ Duszak, a commercial pilot, and his wife, Elizabeth, have volunteered in anim...
Helping Best Friends animals around the country
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Group of volunteers from a Best Friends in Houston takeover day at a local animal shelter

Volunteers team up to support Texas shelters

Best Friends volunteers go into shelters for a full day of doing whatever the shel...
Providing extra support and enrichment to pets
Best Friends Magazine
Volunteer Bill Splitter, smiling, between his two daughters Trischa and Elizabeth

Air Force vet to full-time volunteer with dogs

Volunteering changed veteran, dog lover, logistics legend, and epic animal transpo...
Remembering Bill's legacy
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Ira and Vanni with two other people and a mascot wearing a cowboy hat with the word "Texas"

Friends speak up for pets in local shelters

Meet two 2025 Action Team volunteers in Weslaco, Texas, committed to saving pets i...
See grassroots advocacy at its finest
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Volunteer Lisa Zarek holding a black and white puppy

From finance exec to service for animals

Lisa Zarek supports new volunteers, coaches foster caregivers, and connects with s...
Read what motivates her to volunteer
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Brenda and Marty Winnick smiling and holding an orange tabby cat

Volunteers work and play hard at Best Friends

For Brenda and Marty Winnick, volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary means ...
They do a bit of everything
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Volunteer Cheryl Baker smiling and holding a gray and white kitten

Cat-loving L.A. volunteer donates over 5,000 hours

When Cheryl Baker and her husband, Paul, stopped for a tour while vacationing in U...
She does a little of everything, including fostering
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Volunteer wearing a Best Friends T-shirt sitting down and hand-feeding a treat to a dog

An enormous thank-you to Best Friends volunteers

This week is for you....
Celebrating volunteers who help animals nationwide
Julie Castle Blog
Credit One volunteers in front of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary sign

Credit One Bank team gets hands-on at Best Friends

Volunteers from Credit One Bank spend two weekends on a large project to make the ...
Now they can't wait to return
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