How to Adopt from Best Friends Animal Society

Cat |

Dog |

Horse |

Parrot |

Pig |

Rabbit

How to Adopt a Cat

The first step is to complete our cat adoption application.

Which one do I choose?

You can find a terrific selection of cats waiting to meet someone just like you right here. If you find one you love, please put his or her name in your application.

Or, if you still aren't sure which cat is right for you, our adoption specialists love playing matchmaker! They’d be delighted to hear from you at catadoptions@bestfriends.org.

What happens after I apply?

After we look over your application, we will talk to you on the phone about the cat you'd like to adopt, and tell you more about any of his or her special needs. Then, we will do a home check. A home check is done by a Best Friends Animal Society member in your area; it helps ensure that the cat you’re selecting is the right fit for you.

The fun part: How do I get my new cat?

Although we are located in southern Utah, people from all over the country adopt our cats. We encourage adopters to come to Kanab to meet the cats, especially if their new cat has special needs, but it is not always necessary.

Best Friends can assist in arranging transportation. The average cost of flying a cat to his or her new home is $150 to $200; there is also a crate fee of $25. We do ask for a $65 adoption donation as well, since all of our cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. We also test for FIV and feline leukemia.

How to Adopt a Dog

The first step is to fill out an online adoption application.

Which one do I choose?

You can find a terrific selection of dogs waiting to meet someone just like you right here. If you find one you love, please put his or her name in your application.

Or, if you still aren't sure which dog is right for you, our adoption specialists love playing matchmaker! They’d be delighted to hear from you at dogadoptions@bestfriends.org.

What happens after I apply?

After we look over your application, we will talk to you on the phone about the dog you'd like to adopt, and tell you more about any of his or her special needs. Then, we will do a home check. A home check is done by a Best Friends Animal Society member in your area; it helps ensure that the dog you’re selecting is the right fit for you.

The fun part: How do I get my new dog?

Although we are located in southern Utah, people from all over the country adopt our dogs. We encourage adopters to come to Kanab to meet the dogs, especially if their new dog has special needs, but it is not always necessary.

Best Friends can assist in arranging transportation. The average cost of flying a dog to his or her new home is $200 to $300; there is also a crate fee of $50. We do ask for a $100 adoption donation as well ($125 for puppies), since all of our dogs are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. We also test for heartworm, Lyme disease and ehrlichia.

How to Adopt a Horse

It all begins when you fill out your application. Once we receive it, you’ll get a phone call from our adoption coordinator. After she goes over your application with you and discusses the horses, we’ll set up a home visit.

The home visit is an opportunity to show off your place and all your four-legged friends. A Best Friends staff member or representative will come over at your convenience to see whether your setup meets the needs of the particular horse you’re interested in adopting. We also recommend that you come meet your new horse to make sure he or she is just the animal you want.

Finally, it’s time to sign the adoption contract. We’ve made a lifetime commitment to every animal who comes to the sanctuary, so when you sign the contract, you agree to return the horse to Best Friends if, for any reason, you can no longer take care of him or her. Of course, we hope this won’t happen! But if it does, we want to ensure that the horse comes back to safety here at the sanctuary. Remember, though, that an adoption is an adoption for life. And by signing our contract, you’re also agreeing to do everything in your power to keep and take care of your new horse even after he or she is older and/or no longer ride-able.

What is the adoption fee?

All of the Best Friends horses have been vaccinated and wormed, and have had all of their needed dental and medical care. We ask for a $500 adoption donation to help recoup some of our costs.

The fun part: How do I get my new horse?

Once the adoption process is over, it’s time for the fun part – bringing home your new family member! The easiest way to do this is to come pick him or her up at the sanctuary. But if that’s not possible, we can give your new horse a ride, for a per-mile charge. Or, we can recommend reliable companies that will do it for reasonable rates.

Other options?

Please take a look at some of the horses waiting here at Best Friends to meet you! If you don’t find the right one, or if you’d rather adopt closer to home, we can refer you to horse rescues in your area. Contact us at horses@bestfriends.org to learn more.

How to Adopt a Parrot

Interested in adopting a parrot from Best Friends? That’s wonderful! The first step is to read all about the parrot adoption process, and then fill out our online adoption application.

Which one do I choose?

You can find a terrific selection of parrots waiting to meet someone just like you right here. If you find one you are attracted to, please put his or her name in your application. When you come to the sanctuary to meet your parrot, you can still change your mind if another one really reaches out to you. We know that it’s the heart that makes the final decision!

What happens after I apply?

After our adoption staff goes over your application, we will talk to you on the phone about the parrot you are interested in. We will also plan a time for you to visit Best Friends to meet the parrots. A simple home check will be arranged by a parrot staff person (or a Best Friends member in your area, if you live far away). The home check helps to ensure that the parrot you’re selecting is the right fit for you. If all goes well, you’ll then be ready to bring home your new family member!

The fun part: How do I get my new parrot?

Although we are located in southern Utah, people from all over the country adopt our parrots. We do ask you to come to Best Friends and meet your new parrot before you make a lifetime commitment. Plus, parrots have strong opinions, and always have to give their final seal of approval before adopting you! Once you and your parrot have chosen each other, and your application has been approved, you can start making plans to bring your new family member home. Parrots can travel in your vehicle, or, if you need to fly, we do ask that your new friend rides in the cabin with you. Parrots should never be shipped as cargo!

All Best Friends parrots have had complete health check-ups, along with the appropriate disease testing. We do ask for an adoption donation; the amount depends on the specific bird you select.

How to Adopt a Pig

Thank you for your interest in adopting a potbellied pig from Best Friends! Our adoption coordinator is here to help make sure a potbellied pig is the right pet for you.

How do I get started?

First, complete an adoption application, and we will send you some information about what it’s like to live with a potbellied pig, and how to keep your new friend healthy and happy. Next, our adoption coordinator will contact you to set up a home visit. The home visit will be done by either a Best Friends staff member or one of our representatives, and helps ensure that your home and/or yard are set up just right for a pig or two.

We always encourage you to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to meet the pig (or pigs) you are thinking about adopting. It gives you a chance to interact with them and make sure that they are a good fit for you and your family. But it isn’t always required.

How do I make it official?

Once the home visit has been done and you know which pig or pigs you’d like to adopt, it’s time to sign the adoption contract.

By signing this contract, you agree to provide good care to your new oinky family member for the remainder of his or her life. You also agree to return the pig to Best Friends if, for any reason, you are unable to take care of your pig.

All Best Friends pigs arrive spayed or neutered, to make them healthy and happy and to prevent more pigs from ending up unwanted. Pigs are vaccinated, have trimmed hooves and have had dental check-ups. For this reason, we ask for a $100 adoption donation.

The fun part: How do I get my new pig?

Congratulations! You have a darling new pig. Now, how do you get him or her home?

The easiest way is for you to come and pick him or her up. However, if you live near Best Friends, we may be able to offer a ride.

Pigs don’t enjoy traveling very long distances, so if you live too terribly far away, you may even want to consider adopting a pig closer to home. We can offer you a referral!

How to Adopt a Rabbit

Thanks for your interest in adopting a rabbit from Best Friends. We want this to be a great and lasting experience for you and the rabbits!

Rabbits are wonderful and unique pets. But to make sure that they’re exactly the kind of pet you want, we strongly suggest that you learn a little bit about bunnies by viewing our online resources about rabbit care or checking out a book like The House Rabbit Handbook by Marinell Harriman.

I have done my "homework" and I definitely want a new rabbit friend. What is the next step?

Please fill out an adoption application online and submit it electronically. We ask that one of your references be from your veterinarian or animal care provider.

What happens after I apply?

We will look carefully at your application and call your references. Next, one of our friendly staff will give you a call and answer any questions you may have. A simple home visit is done by a Best Friends Animal Society member in your area. The purpose of the home check is to help give you tips on setting up your home for a rabbit, and also to make sure that you and your new rabbit or rabbits will be happy together.

Which rabbit(s) do I choose?

That’s one of the fun parts! We have many deserving and adorable rabbits, each with his/her own unique personality. Some of our rabbits can be seen online. Or, give us a call or drop us an email, and we’ll be happy to help you with a match. Please note that if a rabbit has a best rabbit friend, we will ask that they be adopted together.

How do I get my new rabbit(s)?

That's the most fun part of all! We encourage adopters to come to Best Friends to meet their new rabbits and take them to their new homes. But Best Friends can also help in arranging transportation. We have some limited ground transport we can arrange, though there may be a fee.

We don’t recommend that rabbits fly as cargo in an airplane, since this can be very stressful for bunnies. Instead, if you’re taking an airplane, we would encourage you to fly home with your new bunny or bunnies in the cabin. Please check with your airline of choice. The adoption fee for a rabbit is $35, but only $60 for a pair.

All rabbits are spayed or neutered.

We hope to hear from you soon!

How to Adopt from Wild Friends

It’s called Wild Friends, but there are all kinds of domestic animals up for adoption here, too. If you see a duck or other domestic animal living at Wild Friends on our website, and you’d like to know more about bringing him or her home, please contact us. Our email is and we are always excited to talk about our adoptable animals.