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Collaboration aims to boost lifesaving efforts and enhance animal welfare
Greater Miami-Dade community is urged to adopt, foster, and reunite lost pets
Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization working to end the killing of cats and dogs in America’s shelters and Miami-Dade Animal Services (MDAS) are teaming up to enhance the standard of care and maximize the effectiveness of lifesaving programming at Miami-Dade’s Pet Adoption and Protection Center.
Despite maintaining a save rate above the 90% no-kill benchmark*, MDAS continues to face significant challenges. The shelter consistently operates beyond its intended capacity, with an average of 500 dogs and cats in care at any given time.
“We are incredibly grateful for the partnership and support from Best Friends Animal Society,” said Annette Jose, Director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. “Their expertise and resources are helping us strengthen our lifesaving programs and improve the overall well-being of the pets in our care. MDAS has worked with consultants before, but Best Friends is different, —they embed staff who work side-by-side with our team to help implement meaningful, lasting change. Together, we’re working to ensure that Miami-Dade expands capacity to find loving homes, reunite lost pets with their families, and continue raising the standard of care for every animal that comes through our doors.”
As part of its commitment, Best Friends is embedding staff within MDAS to support the sustainability of key lifesaving programs. The focus of this partnership includes improving adoption, foster, and return-to-home outcomes, while optimizing the welfare of pets currently in both the Doral and Medley shelter locations.
“We are incredibly moved by the unwavering commitment of the Miami-Dade Animal Services team,” said Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society. “Despite the overwhelming challenges they face—from high intake numbers to limited space—they remain fiercely dedicated to saving lives and serving their community. Through our partnership, we’re working together to build sustainable programs that not only keep MDAS no-kill but also creates a national model for what’s possible when innovation, determination, and heart come together.”
As the shelter works to maintain no-kill, the continued support of the Miami-Dade community is essential. Here are the most impactful ways residents can help pets at MDAS right now:
- Adopt a Pet – Choosing to adopt from MDAS instead of purchasing from a breeder or pet store not only saves a life but also comes with added benefits: no adoption fee through end of September, a customized pet tag, and MDAS adopters will receive a coupon book worth $300 in valuable discounts and services upon presenting their adoption contract at participating PetSmart locations. All pets are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and up to date on age-appropriate vaccinations.
- Foster a Pet – Fostering gives pets a much-needed break from the shelter and increases their chances of adoption. Whether for a few days or a few weeks, fostering is free, and MDAS provides supplies and covers medical care. To get started, residents can complete a short online form.
Visit pets available to adopt or foster at:
Miami-Dade Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center
3599 NW 79 Avenue Doral, FL 33122
Monday through Friday – 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Closed on County holidays)
Miami-Dade Animal Services Medley Shelter
7401 NW 74th Street Medley, FL 33166
Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (
Closed on County holidays)
Offsite adoption locations:
PetSmart Flagler, 8241 W Flagler St Ste 101, Miami, FL 33144
PetSmart West Kendall,16514 SW 88th St, Miami, FL 33196
Petco Adoption Center in Partnership with Animal Services ,6200 South Dixie Highway, South Miami, FL 33143
Petco Homestead (cats only),2565 NE 10TH Court Homestead, FL 33033
Petco Doral (cats only)10610 NW 19TH Street Doral, FL 33172
Petco (cats only)12014 SW 88th St, Miami, FL 33186
Petco South-Dade (cats only) 18579 South Dixie Highway 33157
To learn more about Miami-Dade Animal Services visit miamidade.gov/animals. For more on Best Friends Animal Society, visit bestfriends.org.
What Does No-Kill Mean?
*“No-Kill” is defined by a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters, making it a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress.
About Miami-Dade Animal Services
Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge to almost 15,000 lost, abandoned, injured, ill, or abused dogs and cats and affords vaccination and sterilization services to almost 20,000 free-roaming community cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these shelter animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting offsite adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers, and adoption partners.
For more information visit www.miamidade.gov/animals and/or follow @adoptmiamipets on Facebook, and X.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,500 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.
