Shelter Me, the uplifting PBS film series about pets and the people who help them, is sharing a very special sneak peek of a new episode with us! In Episode 9, “The Art of Kindness,” Lights Down Low singer MAX hosts concerts at animal shelters to help promote adoption. In this clip, you’ll see the amazing work MAX is doing across the country and why he believes spreading the message of pet adoption is so important. Check it out here!

Be sure to tune in to PBS this summer to watch the full episode. You’ll meet a famous painting pooch named DogVinci who helps to teach kids about creativity and sells his paintings to raise money for animal shelters. The episode also highlights a senior dog adoption fair that helps give exposure to pups that are often overlooked. We can’t wait for you to see the entire episode! You can also watch past episodes online now.

Shelter Me is presented by the Petco Foundation and produced by Steven Latham Productions. Learn more about Shelter Me here.

Looking to adopt a pet of your own? Get started here! 

When Kelsey began looking for a pet to adopt, she didn’t know or expect the life-changing journey she was about to embark on with one very special dog. 

At the start of her search, all Kelsey knew for certain was that she wanted a large, lovable dog. After receiving multiple emails and alerts from Adopt-a-Pet.com about adoptable dogs in her area, she finally laid eyes on a Golden Retriever named Phil. As soon as she saw his photo, she had a feeling he was the one. Phil’s big smiley face completely melted her heart and she made arrangements to meet him as soon as she could. Phil was posted on Adopt-a-Pet.com’s Rehome, the safe, reliable, and free peer-to-peer pet adoption platform, by a family who could no longer care for him and knew he deserved more. When the two met, the connection was completely undeniable. Phil’s previous owners picked up on the bond between Kelsey and Phil immediately as well and knew she was the perfect new owner for him. Kelsey even feels like Phil knew that they were a perfect match. “I know how stubborn [Phil] can be when it comes to getting in the car,” Kelsey said. “Looking at it now, the day I adopted him he got into my car with more ease than ever. I can tell he knew he was going ‘home.’”

There was one big problem though. Phil weighed 148 pounds, about double the weight of an average male Golden Retriever. Kelsey learned that Phil was previously free fed, meaning there was always food out for him and no limits on how much he could eat. She worked closely with her vet to create a game plan to help Phil get back to a healthy weight. It was not without challenges though. “The first few weeks were equally challenging and amazing,” Kelsey said. “I live in a second-floor condo with wood floors. The first two weeks I had to lift Phil up every single step.” On top of this, Phil wasn’t able to walk even a half mile at a time.

With a lot of love and patience, Kelsey took things day by day with Phil. The two took baby steps together so that Phil could build up his strength and begin shedding pounds. Within a few weeks, Phil had conquered getting up the stairs on his own and was able to walk a half mile.  “It was amazing to witness Phil’s excitement when he was able to do something that he wasn’t able to do before. He would look at me with the biggest smile to make sure I saw his accomplishments!” said Kelsey.

Since being rehomed, Phil’s personality has blossomed. He is a very sweet and sassy guy with good manners and a big heart. Phil also continues to push himself everyday and seems just as motivated as Kelsey to live a healthy lifestyle. These days, Phil loves to go on walks and is usually the one pushing Kelsey to go even further distances. 

Despite his love of the outdoors though, Phil is still a couch potato at heart. When he was first adopted, Phil wasn’t able to jump up on the couch due to his weight. About a month after living with Kelsey, he figured out how to hoist himself up, something that he has never in his life been able to do. He now loves spending time on the couch with Kelsey binge-watching Parks and Rec, Schitt’s Creek, and live hockey.

Phil is now down to 107 pounds, but his journey is far from over. Kelsey continues to work closely with Phil’s vet to monitor his food intake and make sure he is getting plenty of exercise.

Once Phil hits 100 pounds, he will be fully evaluated again and Kelsey and the vet will decide on an ideal weight for Phil to maintain.

You can watch as Phil’s transformation continues on his Instagram account @OrangeboyPhil. 

Ready to start a Happy Beginning of your own with a new pet? Begin your search now. 

By now, we’ve all come to know and love Baby Yoda. He’s cute, he’s meme-able, he’s blowing up the internet. Who wouldn’t want to adopt a pet that looks just like him? Check out these 7 super cute, super adoptable pets that look like Baby Yoda. The force is strong with these ones.

1. Baby Yoda’s long lost brother Peanut is.

Peanut’s profile can be viewed. Here, that is.

2. Giving us Baby Yoda vibes Flower and her big eyes are.

Available for adoption here Flower is.

3. Pass as Baby Yoda this Chinchilla could. 

This little furball’s profile here you can view.

4. Brando has it. A wise Yoda-y face, that is.

Adopt him right now you could.

5. So certain, we are, that Sy Snoodles the bun has the look down.

Hippity hop over to her profile you should.

6. Baby Yoda’s face shape Sweet Thing has.

See more about her you must.

7. Think Pumba looks like Baby Yoda, do you? 

Tempting, it is, to adopt Pumba now.

 

If you want to find your own Baby Yoda lookalike to adopt, get started here.

We love our quirky pets – every sploot, mlem, bork, and boop makes them unique. Show us the hilarious, outrageous, adorable things your pet does to keep you smiling. You may even wind up featured on Adopt-a-Pet.com. Submit your videos and photos now!

Check out some of our favorite submissions from pet owners just like you! 

Have you ever seen anything cuter than this dog and cat cuddle session? Submitted by @liv.and.leo

We get it, not everyone loves eating their greens. Submitted by @Ghostiethezero

The holiday season is here and it’s time to celebrate. One of the best parts of the season is giving back, but it can be hard to find the time through the hustle and bustle. We compiled a list of 5 easy ways to give back to homeless pets this season – and most of them you can do from home without ever getting out of your new holiday pajamas.

1. Make a donation

If you’re low on time but still want to help make a difference in animals’ lives, making a donation is a great way to do so. When you donate to Adopt-a-Pet.com, your gift goes directly towards helping more pets find forever homes. In less than 5 minutes, you’ll be benefiting homeless pets in a huge way! Make your donation here.

2. Share an adoptable pet 

One of the most important elements about getting a pet adopted is making sure that as many people as possible see them. More exposure leads to a higher chance of adoption. Head to Adopt-a-Pet.com, search adoptable pets in your area, find one you’d like to share, and click the Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter icon in the middle of their page to post to your social media. Imagine what a gift it would be to help a pet find a forever home for the holidays! Click here to start searching for adoptable pets.

3. Help keep pets who need new homes safe

Wouldn’t it be great if you could volunteer from your couch? With this new opportunity, you can! We want you to share Rehome with the people in your community who need it most. Rehome helps guide current pet owners on how to choose the best new home for their cat or dog. From creating your pet’s profile, to asking the right questions to potential new owners, to finalizing the adoption contract, the Rehome team will be there to assist you. Sharing Rehome with people posting on Craigslist could be the difference between a perfect new home and a dangerous situation. All you need to do to help is head to your local Craigslist pet section and find posts about people looking for a new home for their cat or dog. Message or email the person with a message similar to this:

Hello, I see that you’re rehoming your pet and I wanted to share a helpful resource called Rehome with you. It’s a no-cost service that helps you find a safe new home for your pet. After you create a profile, your pet will be posted on Adopt-a-Pet.com for millions of potential adopters to see. You can get started here: rehome.adoptapet.com?utm_source=Volunteers&utm_campaign=Craigslist

4. Shop Through Amazon Smile!

You’ll surely be doing plenty of shopping this holiday season, so why not donate while you shop? All you have to do is click this link and shop as normal. A portion of the purchase price will be donated back to Adopt-a-Pet.com so we can continue to help more pets find homes. It doesn’t get any easier than that! Pro tip: bookmark Amazon Smile to your browser so you never forget to use it.

5. Make an in-kind donation to your local shelter

Animal welfare organizations can always benefit from in-kind donations. Some of the items these organizations most often need are towels, blankets, old shirts or scraps of fabric, newspapers, collars, and leashes. You can find an organization near you here. We suggest calling prior to dropping off your donation to see if the organization has any specific needs and where/when is the best time to drop off donations. If you need to purchase any products for donation that you don’t already have, order them through Amazon Smile so you’ll be giving back in two ways!

Giving back this holiday season doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult! With these 5 simple ideas, you’ll be giving back to homeless pets sooner than you thought was possible.

Any animal lover can tell you that the “dream” is to open up a farm where you can “save all the animals.” Imagine meeting a dog so wonderful that you are inspired to really make it happen. Renee didn’t know it at the time, but her search for a new dog would turn into much more than a cuddle buddy. 

It all started on a Sunday morning at 6:30am when Renee first laid eyes on her soon-to-be dog London. Scrolling through her New Pet Alert email, London’s giant ears caught her attention and captured her heart. Renee recalls what happened next. “I wake up my boyfriend and I’m shoving my phone in his face showing him the picture of this dog…and I [said], “we have to find her. We have to go today.” London was available for adoption through the Pennsylvania SPCA Lancaster Center, about two hours from where Renee lived.

When they arrived at the rescue a few hours later, Renee made a beeline for London. She remembers not wanting to look at any other dogs because she was so focused on finding London and already felt loyal to her. “I made this promise to her that I would take her home,” Renee said. 

When the two first met and had a play session with her outside, Renee says that London’s tail, “wagged a million miles an hour.” Renee could see how special London was with her loving personality and zest for life. Their connection was instantaneous. “I knew I had to take her home. There was no question about it. I couldn’t leave without her,”  Renee said. As they made their 2-hour trip back home, London fell right asleep on Renee’s lap. “I think [London] knew she was going home,” recalled Renee.

And she did know she was going home because London is settling in very smoothly. Since that first day, London’s tail hasn’t stopped wagging – she’s truly enjoying every moment of her new life. Renee is extremely impressed by the way that London can adapt to any situation – most notably with how she behaves with children. London is usually a ball of energy, but when it comes to kids, she is an overwhelmingly gentle girl. “She doesn’t jump on [kids], she isn’t rough with them. She gives their hands little kisses,” Renee said. 

In addition to spending time with children, one of London’s favorite things to do is go with Renee to the horse farm to run around while Renee rides. Renee said London, “ has a passion for horses too” and the two of them treasure their time together at the farm. London has taken a strong liking to the horses and even once jumped over a barn door into the horses’ stall to hang out with them while Renee was riding. “They always find a way to give you a heart attack,” said Renee, “but it’s a love that non-animal people cannot understand.”

This unconditional love and happiness that London and Renee give each other has inspired Renee to give back to other animals. Renee and her boyfriend are currently in the process of buying a farm where they can foster and rehab horses and dogs. “London has inspired me to be able to create a life that I have provided for her for other animals,” said Renee. With London as her driving force, she wants to take in as many animals and species as she has the ability and knowledge to help. 

London will be the perfect dog to have on the rehab farm. She has a lot of energy and can run up to eight miles at a time, so she won’t tire out of keeping the other animals company during their stay. Visitors of any age that come to the rehab farm will always receive a warm welcome from London.

Renee can’t wait to get started with the farm. She says, “it will be so rewarding and hopefully people over the years will follow up and show me their happy success stories.” Best of luck, Renee and London! 

Ready to start a Happy Beginning of your own with a new pet? Begin your search now. 

The San Francisco 49ers are the first team in the NFL to have an emotional support animal join their team. Her name is Zoë and she’s an adorable French Bulldog.

She’s a great stress reliever for the players, who spend time with her in between practices or before games. Back in October 2018, the director of player engagement for the 49ers, Austin Moss, adopted Zoë and she’s been part of the family ever since. In an interview with KRON, Moss said, “These guys are very strong powerful men that aren’t used to be able to express their emotions freely. But when you come in here in a safe space, and you know that it’s just about being yourself and having a good time and getting some help that you may need — Zoë brings a lot of value to that.”

Cue “awws!”

Zoë even has her very own Instagram account, where you can follow her adventures and catch her posing with her teammates.

Want to adopt a stress-relieving-buddy of your own? Start your search now!

H/T: People.com

After visiting animal shelters across the state of Utah, staff members at the Humane Society of Utah realized there was a problem…a big problem. The shelters are bursting at the seams with cats and they are at risk of being euthanized due to lack of space.

The reason for the above average influx of cats is an increase in the number of unspayed and unneutered cats. In an effort to save these healthy cats and get them into loving homes, The Humane Society of Utah launched a campaign to get 400 cats adopted in just 4 weeks. To accomplish this, they are waiving all adoption fees on cats through November 16. The more cats they adopt out, the more cats they can take in from shelters struggling to manage their cat population.

Keep up with their progress on their Facebook page or their website.

Interested in adopting a cat of your own? Get started with a search here.

H/T CNN.com

OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING.

PROMOTION DESCRIPTION:  The Adopt-a-Pet.com and Basepaws Cat DNA Test giveaway contest (the “Contest”) begins on or about October 3rd, 2019, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on October 9th, 2019 (the “Contest Period”). To enter the Contest, you must follow @adoptapetcom and @basepaws on Instagram or Facebook, tag a friend in the comments, and comment with the name of your cat and your guess about which wildcat and breed your cat is most similar to (each comment, a “Submission”).  At the end of the Contest Period, two (2) Grand Prize winners will be selected from all eligible Instagram and Facebook Submissions received during the Contest Period, as more fully set forth below.  By participating in the Contest, each entrant unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Humane America Animal Foundation, d/b/a Adopt-a-Pet.com, 310 N. Indian Hill Blvd., #800, Claremont‎, CA ‎ 91711 and Basepaws, 840 Apollo St., STE 100, El Segundo, CA 90245, (“Sponsors”), which shall be final and binding in all respects.

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HOW TO ENTER:  During the Contest Period, like/follow Sponsors’ Facebook and/or Instagram page (http://facebook.com/adoptapetcom, https://www.facebook.com/basepaws/, http://instagram.com/adoptapetcom, https://www.instagram.com/basepaws/), tag a friend in the comments and comment with the name of your cat and your guess about which wildcat and breed your cat is most similar to. Each Submission that is entered into the Contest must be the submitting entrant’s original, previously unpublished work and not feature any material owned or controlled by third parties (including without limitation, third party copyrighted material).  Submissions must be received by the end of the Contest Period.  Any personal information collected by Sponsors in connection with the Contest will be used in accordance with its online privacy policy, located at http://www.adoptapet.com/public/privacy_policy and https://www.basepaws.com/privacy-policy/. Proof of submission is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt of such entry.  Sponsors shall have no liability for any Submission that is lost, intercepted or not received by the Sponsors.

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PRIZES The Grand Prize winners will receive a Basepaws Cat DNA Test. The approximate retail value of the Grand Prize is $99.

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