October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, a month dedicated to helping more shelter dogs find homes. In 2025, 2.8 million dogs entered shelters and rescues across the U.S., while 2 million dogs were adopted. Dog adoptions rose to 57% of dog intakes, but large, adult, and senior dogs continued to face greater challenges finding homes.  The dog standing in front of you at a shelter may also behave differently once they are in a home. A study of 99 adopted shelter dogs found that

After years of waiting, warmth finally feels like home. November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month , a time to honor the dogs and cats who have already given years of love, yet are now the ones most likely to be forgotten. Take Fiona’s story, a 13-year-old dog who spent 11 long years in an Alabama shelter before finally being adopted by a loving family in Wisconsin. After a lifetime of concrete floors and metal bars, she now has her own bed, warm meals, and people who greet her ev

Team 600 found in an abandoned lot surrounded by trash. We found Bianca standing alone near a pool of filthy, stagnant water at an abandoned site. She was thin, her head hung low, and every sound made her flinch. She barked when we first approached. Her fear was evident. But we waited quietly, letting her see she did not have to run anymore. Hunger finally pulled her closer. Bianca was still unsure if we would harm her. She approached us step by step, watching carefully t

Angela Fullmer knew something must be wrong when her rescued dog, Capone, wouldn’t stop barking at 1:30am, despite her calling for him to...

by Jen Thompson

by Alex Pacheco