Another month, another set of wholesome pet adoption photos. Bored Panda has yet again collected some of the most heartwarming images of animals enjoying their new families and homes. We've got cats, dogs, even ferrets, and hens for you this time, all finding comfort after suffering abandonment.
Best Friends Animal Society estimates that 5.4 million cats and dogs entered US shelters in 2019 (52% of them were dogs and 48% were cats). 79% of these animals were saved. And while it breaks my heart that 625,000 cats and dogs were killed, we've come a long way since 2014, when as many as 4 million animals were killed in American shelters and the national save rate was just 50%. And we're not going to stop!
If you want more similar pics (why wouldn't you?), check out our March, February, and January editions of the series.
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This Guy Got No Shows For 3 Different Adoption Days. When We Met He Climbed Right Into My Lap And I Fell In Love. Now He's My First Dog And Lifelong Best Friend. Meet Winston!
We Adopted This Cat And Now He Sits Like He Is About To Drop The Worst Dad Jokes Ever
One cute bundle of joy who landed on the list is Harvey, or Harvey The Magnificent as he is known online. He's a Mini Aussie and Rat Terrier mix, and his owner, Reddit user mightbedylan, describes the little guy as a handful. But in a good way! "He's a great puppy but that boy got some energy to burn off," they told Bored Panda.
"I don't know much [about his past] as he was actually just put up for adoption by one of my mom's neighbors. It was an older couple and they liked him a lot but said he played too rough and that they were running out of bandaids."
Harvey has been living with mightbedylan for about a month now. Luckily, they're getting along just great. "It took my cats a while to get used to him (and for him to figure out that cat tails aren't toys) but besides that, he seems happy! He spends most of his time chilling out on my patio. At least when he's not trying to gnaw my arm off," Harvey's owner joked. "He's a really sweet dog. My last doggy passed away back in February and I just got lonely without a doggo around. I live alone and cats tend to make boring roommates."
I Was Fostering This Goof When A Family Adopted Him. The Family Brought Him Back For Being "Too Large" So I Adopted Him. Welcome Home, Big Guy
Two Weeks Ago, I Adopted A Boy With The Saddest Face From A Nearby Shelter. He's Really Come Out Of His Shell In That Time, And Has Already Grown Attached To Me. Meet Tom Bombadog!
This Little Girl Decided To Break In Through Our Front Window Every Day For A Week And Adopt Us. It's Been A Month And No One's Claimed Her, So We Adopted Her Back
Jester is another pet whose photo ended up on this list. "He is, well, a goofball," Jester's owner, Reddit user Harding44, explained to Bored Panda. "He absolutely loves his big sister, Bella, and follows her around everywhere. He is super energetic and loves to play. He thinks he is a lap dog and always tries to lay his whole 70 pounds on you."
One of the reasons why Harding44 adopted Jester was because of how much he reminded them of their old dog. "He was so loving and silly. After just a few days, he was so protective of me. It didn't take me long to realize he belonged with me."
"He has been with me for about a month or so now. He settled in nicely and already feels so comfortable with my family and I. We are lucky to have him!"
"My roommates and I originally were fostering him," Harding44 added. "He was with us for a week before being adopted by someone else. They returned him to the shelter for being 'too large and hard to control.' I immediately took him and haven't looked back since!"
This Is My New Friend, Harvey! Took This Just Minutes After Adopting Him!
A Few Weeks Ago I Adopted A Puppy (Right) And Today A New Dog Appeared In Front Of The Door And He Looks Like He Is The Same Dog From The Future And He Is Trying To Warn Himself About Something
Say Hello To Our Retired Military Working Dog We Adopted. He Gets Toys For Life Now; Including The Biggest Tennis Balls He’s Ever Seen
Kelly DiCicco, Manager, Adoptions Promotions at the ASPCA Adoption Center told Bored Panda in an earlier interview that by adopting an animal in need – no matter the species, breed, or size – you are not only saving that animal's life but are freeing up valuable shelter space and resources for other animals who need a second chance in life too.
"A huge benefit of adopting animals from a shelter is that shelter staff know the animals well and can provide detailed information about an animal's history, medical needs, behavior, and temperament. They also consider a potential adopter's lifestyle, home environment, and the animal's potential compatibility with children and other animals in the home in order to make matches that are a good fit," DiCicco said.
I Adopted My First Ever Cat Last Month. I Was Nervous About It, But I Think She’s Found Her Home. Meet Blueberry
Going To The New Home. Adopted
Yesterday, I Helped This Sweet Girl Get Adopted. Her Parents Sent Me This Photo Of Her In Their New Home
DiCicco encourages those who are seriously interested in taking home a new pet to keep an open mind and heart when visiting a shelter or rescue as they may walk out with a pet they'd never considered before, like a senior animal or even those of a different breed, size or species. "When it comes to choosing which pet to adopt, prospective adopters should feel comfortable asking plenty of questions and lean on shelter staff for guidance, as every shelter has a unique population of animals and no one knows them like the people who work with them every day," Kelly said.
"Plus, shelter staff have expertise in making successful matches and can help prospective adopters decide whether an animal is a good personality and lifestyle fit. They also consider each animal's background and energy level, as well as how the animal might get along with other people and pets in the home."
Harvey and Jester's cases are perfect examples of just how good these matches can be!
This Is Old Lady (Almost 18), Her Family Of 16 Years Gave Her To A Shelter Where She Lived For Almost A Year, Until We Adopted Her A Few Months Ago. Giving Her The Best Life Possible
Before And After Adoption. Meet Dixie
What a change in expression, they just know when things have changed for the better.
Just Adopted This Old Lady And I'm In Love. Sushi, 9 Years Old
Meet Van Gogh. Trying To Get Him To Pose For His Adoption Photo
Shelter Doggo With A Huge Smile Being Adopted
We Adopted Him Two Weeks Ago. This Is Their First Cuddle
I Adopted An Anteater
We Adopted This Five Year Old Shelter Cat Last Week, I Adore Her And She Adores Us. Couldn't Ask For A Better Girl, Ily Rosie
Akali Was Returned To The Shelter By Her First Adopter, But Now I Have A Best Friend
Why would anyone abandon this beauty?? You're both lucky to have one another!
Our Dog Adopted A Puppy
4 Day Old Kitten! Her Mama Disappeared, So I'm Bottle Feeding And Adopting Her
We Just Adopted This Beautiful Senior Lady And I'm So In Love With Her Already
I Adopted A Silly One
Recently Adopted A Stray Cat, Two Weeks Ago She Wouldn’t Be In The Same Room As A Human. Tonight, She Scratched At My Bedroom Door To Come In. No Touching Though!
Baxter Lived To Twice His Life Expectancy (8/16.5). I'm So Proud To Be His Rescue Mom. Love, Boop Snoots And Adopt!
I Adopted Two Special-Needs Kittens Separately. Today They Held Hands
I’m So Happy I Adopted This Boy
We Adopted A Corgi Two Weeks Ago. One Of Her Ears Just Popped Up Overnight!
After Fostering 4 Pups Over A Period Of 3 Mths, I’ve Decided To Adopt The 5th One! You’re Coming With Me Wherever I Go From Now On! Welcome To Your Forever Family, Haribo!
I Think The Ol’ Bastard Is Starting To Fall In Love With Me. We Adopted Him Last Month And He’s Just Now Getting Comfortable Enough For Some Attention
Wasn't Planning On Adopting A Kitten Until She Jumped Up On My Back. Libby Is All Mine Now
After Spending Most Of My Adult Life Living In Tiny Apartments, I Finally Moved Out Of The City And Was Able To Adopt This Happy Girl. Meet Grace!
Read Here Yesterday Black Cats Aren’t Adopted As Much As They Don’t Look As Good In Photos. Meet Morningstar
Meet Luna! We Adopted Her From A Local Shelter A Week Ago And All She Wants All Day (And Night) Long Is Belly Rubs
Adopted A Deaf Kitten, My Wife Picked Him Out Specifically For Those Amazing Eyes!
I Adopted This Little Guy A Couple Of Weeks Ago. He’s Extremely Very Shy And Has Been Hiding Under My Bed Since Day One. I’m Happy To Finally See Him Out Enjoying The Sun—even Though I Had To Hide To Take This Picture. I’ll Win His Little Heart One Step At A Time!
Adopted Baby Flora After She Was Found Left Outside An Elementary School. Who Could Ever Do Such A Thing After Seeing This Pretty Face?
I've Been Wanting To Adopt A Cat For Such A Long Time And I Finally Got The Chance To Do It. Here Is Kiki, My 3 Months Old Kitten!
Little Kratos Sleeping From The Excitement Of Adoption Day
After Waiting A Week For Our Adoption Appointment To Finally Come, My Kids Are Smiling As Much As This Happy Boy Is
Adopting A Second Cat Was The Best Decision. They Love Each Other!
This Little Aussie Tyke Was Adopted For My Mom. Can’t Wait To Introduce Her To The Rest Of The Family
Adopted This Sweetheart Yesterday: 65lb, 7 Months Old, Supersonic Hearing
The Kittens I Just Adopted
We Adopted The Smaller Kitty 3 Days Ago. They’ve Bonded So Quickly
Something's caught their interest.Older cat: "Stay away from No. 47, big dog"
Meet Sally. She’s 12 Weeks Old And We Just Adopted Her From A Rescue
Took About A Hundred Attempts To Get This But Here’s My Pupper Named Milo. Adopted 3 Weeks Ago
Two Days After Adoption And They’ve Already Settled In
My Girlfriend And I Adopted This Little Lady Today, Had Her For 4 Hours And She's Spent About Half Of It Purring Our Laps, And The Other Half Demanding Strokes. Meet Verity!
Hello Verity, a very demanding lady by the sound of it. Give her a stroke for me.
Adopted This Little Girl Today. Named Her Venus
My Name Is Newton And I Just Got Adopted!
Hello Newton, Loving the pose. (I used to have a poodle that sat like that)
He Literally Fell Right Into Our Lap, How Could We Not Adopt Him? Meet Alfie!
When I Adopted Rumi It Didn’t Take Long To Realize I Had Adopted My Spirit Animal. He’s The Bestest Boy
Adopted A Dog Last Week. This Is How She Slept The Other Night
Went To Look At New Born Cats And This Guy Crawled Into My Hoodie Filled Out The Adoption Papers Not Just A Minute Later With The Fluff Ball Still In My Hood
Adoption Day
Hardest Thing About Fostering? Trying To Convince Yourself You Won’t Cave In And Adopt Them. Well, I Stopped Trying To Convince Myself. Here’s My Newest Foster Fail, “Chopper”!
My Newly Adopted Girl Is Recovering From Anaplasmosis And Heartworms, But Despite Everything She Is The Biggest Cuddlebutt And Has Opened Up So Much In Just A Week. Hoping For Many Healthy Buttscritches With Gigi
I Planned On Adopting One- But When I Got There I Didn’t Have The Heart To Separate Him From His Sister. Now I Have Two
We Adopted This Sweet Girl Piper Today. She’s Very Photogenic
We Adopted A 5 Yr Old Catahoula Leopard Mix, Meet Mocha
Say Hi To Puppy "Zemo". Adopted Yesterday And Is Now Master Of All He Surveys
A Barn Cat Adopted Us. Meet #turkeycat
I Adopted This Itty Bitty Kitty In Indonesia, Her Mom Abandoned Her In Our Attic Space. She Could Fit In The Palm Of My Hand And Didn’t Even Have Her Eyes Open Yet! First Photo Is From A Few Weeks After We Found Her, Second Is Now, In Ohio, 8 Years Later
semoga Tuhan YME mengganti kebaikan hatimu dengan yang lebih baik aamiin
My Recently Retired Parents Adopted A Pair Of Kittens And They’re Literally Two Halves Of A Heart
My Recently Adopted Little Girl. Found On The Streets
All Five Of My Hen's Adopted Babies Ate From My Hand For The First Time!
Adoption Day For The King Of Hearts
He just won one more heart, plus have his own away, from the looks of it.
Just Adopted Her, Already Made Herself Comfy
I Adopted My Favorite Dog From My Job. Welcome Home, Buster!
I Just Adopted This Long Legged Foxyboi And Renamed Him Pepperjack!
This Babe Just Got Adopted!
My Angel That We Adopted A Few Months Ago, She's Awesome Wicked
Adopted My First Puppy Yesterday, Good Morning From Alphie!
Today We Got To Bring Home Our Little Guy From Adoption! Girlfriend Is Loving It
My Shy Adopted Kitty Is Becoming Less Shy By The Day! He Said Hi To Me This Morning. Yay!
He Shoots Snot Everywhere, Needs Regular Anal Gland Maintenance, Is Deaf, And Has A Silly Broken Tail. But One Thing He Is Not Is Unadoptable......because I Foster Failed And Adopted Him Before He Got Labeled As Such. Welcome To Our Family, Figaro!
We Adopted The Middle One Three Weeks Ago
My Poor Foster Dog Wanda Had Her Bag Packed To Go To Her Forever Home, But The Adoption Fell Through Because The Adopter’s Apartment Complex Doesn’t Allow Pit Bulls. Nothing A Pup Cup Can’t Fix!
That's ridiculous - that's like saying they don't allow Lithuanians. Either allow all dogs or none. Breed-specific rules are just stupid and overlook the thousands who get bitten by poodles.
Picture Of Our Rescue Boy A Few Days Before We Adopted Him. The Shelter Never Even Got To Post The Pic, So They Sent It To Us Instead. We Named Him Admiral Linguini
My Cousin Found (What Seems To Be) A 6 Week Old Puppy On The Streets And Adopted It... Meet Duke
Doggo Who We Are (Hopefully) Adopting Very Soon. She Sits On Your Lap And Will Happily Kiss Your Face Off
Look Who I Adopted This Weekend! His Name Is Albus — Or The ‘Bus, As He’s Called On The Streets
At 31 Years Old And After Years And Years I Finally Adopted A Dog. This Is Brownies And I Love Him
Meet Louie! We Adopted Him Last Weekend From A Local Rescue Shelter!
Tried Adopting For Months And Had Given Up. Then On My Birthday I Found Ludo. Or Did He Find Me?
His Adoption Date Was 4/12/21! He's A Four Year Old Sweetheart Who Already Cuddles. His Name Is Sylvester, He's My First Pet
I Adopted My First Pet Today! Evie Has Stolen My Heart Already!
You named your cat after ME? Why thank you!(just kidding, it’s the best name though)
Our Sweet Girl Ruby. Adopted Her A Little Over A Week Ago And She’s Fitting Right In!
Reddit, Meet Kodi (8 Weeks Old Mixed Breed Adopted Week Ago)
It’s Been Three Weeks Since I Adopted A Shy Rescue Girl, And This Morning I Woke Up To This! Meet Willow
Adopted Her Today. She Hasn’t Told Me Her Name Yet. Shelter Said She Was Shy And Would Probably Hide For The Day
Adopting This Absolute Angel
We Adopted A 7 Week Old Kitty Today. This Is The First Pic With My Son
Just Recently Expanded Our Family! Little Girl Was Up For Free Adoption After Being Rescued From An Animal Hoarders Home. My Sweet Redditors, Meet Mavis!
Just Adopted My (Rescue) Dog! Meet Iggy!
Won Some Money Playing Blackjack Last Weekend, So I Adopted A New Kitty, Moonworm!
The Stray Cat We Adopted Just Had Kittens
First Day After Being Adopted And He's Already Making Himself Comfy
Meet Sid! Our Adopted 1.5 Yr Old Mountain Cur/Shar-Pei Mix
This Beautiful Baby Started Eating My Cat’s Food And Asking For Us To Pet Her Every Once In A While. A Week Later And She’s Inside, Sleeping In My Bed. She Adopted Us! This Is Nico
Adopted My Jessi Girl From The Shelter Today
Just Adopted This Handsome Boy. Welcome Home Finley
My Brother Went Out And Adopted A Rescue Yesterday. Her Name Is Zoey And My Family Already Loves Her!
Just Adopted This Little Guy Yesterday
Adopted Two New Puppies Today. Cute Little Fellas Asleep In The Box During The Road Home
Adopted This Beautiful Boy Today, His Name Is Charlie, And He Is A Mixed Breed Birman. I Got Him From The Local Cat Shelter. Their Theory Behind Him Was That He Escaped From A Backyard Breeder. He’s Very Shy And Timid At The Present, But Is Settling In Well
Just Adopted Today, Abby (Left) Doesn’t Seem Impressed, But Kidding, They Are Really Getting Along Great. Welcome To Forever Home!
I'm No Expert, But I'd Say The Adoption Is A Success! This Little Lady Here Arrived Only A Few Hours Ago In Her Forever Home, And Is Already Claiming All The Hugs For Herself
We Just Adopted Toula, 4 Months Old!
My Wife Adopted 2 Beagle - Maddie And Coco
I’m Adopting This Little Guy Soon!
I Recently Adopted A Kitten And I Personally Find Him Rly Cute (His Name Is Zeke)
The Adoption Agency Gave Her The Name Donna And It Was Too Weird Not To Keep
Brother And Sister Kittens Me And My Girlfriend Recently Adopted
My Newly Adopted Boy Riot, Age 20 Months
I’m 25 And Today I Adopted My First Furry Friend !! Everyone Meet Sterling !
Gracie Is My Quarantine Rescue
Adopted Bug A Week Ago Today, He Is Now The King Of The House
We Adopted A Kitten
Adopted These Two Little Brothers Last Year. They Grow Up So Quick
So Here Is My New Adopted Kitten! His Name Is Fry!
Adopted This Good Boy Today. Henceforth You Shall Be Known As Darth Vader
Adopted A Mixed Puppy A Couple Weeks Ago, She’s 3 Months Old; Can Anyone Identify What Kind Of Mix She Is?
Adopted A New Kitten On Wednesday!
Adopted These Two Siblings Last Week. Cliff And Cleo
Our Adopted Cat
We were only gonna get one puppy to begin with but than we saw this little lady and we knew we had to get her too! Screenshot...200772.png
this is her now with her brother. their names are Petra and Oliver <3 IMG_202011...09f2a7.jpg
Load More Replies...Meet spike :3 my mom found him and his sister roaming an outdoor restroom at a school she worked at.My mom wanted to get him adopted but we (as in the kids of the house) started naming him.He is now a family member here ^^.May be big and scary-sounding bark but he is a big baby...also he is named after a dragon in a child cartoon ^^...(he is actually sleeping rn :3 ) IMG_202104...16741a.jpg
sorry for the bad pic :3 here is a somewhat better one IMG_202104...2d76bb.jpg
Load More Replies...This was too cute. I love every single one of these posts, they are so frickin adorable!
My rescue, Bamboo. She was found wondering the streets at a few months old and is about to turn 14! IMG-3391-6...e6043a.jpg
She's adorable! Happy soon to be birthday Bamboo!
Load More Replies...Here is my rescue - Panda the Jawless. He received the "Jawless" title because of the cheeks that cover the lower jaw completely making him look like he's missing one. Took him 5 years ago as a pup. On my way to the shelter the worker told me Panda was taken by someone else. But when i arrived there, he was there too. It appeared that people who took him drove halfway home with him and then realized he's going to grow into a large dog. So they drove him back to the shelter 10 minutes before I arrived. BTW at this pic he found his jaw photo_2021...b77f82.jpg
Just lovely, nearly brings me to happy tears, as a rescue shelter volunteer all I want is all animals to have they life they deserve, full of love, comfort and happiness. Sadly there are too many scumbags in the world, but also a lot of good people, like the adopters here, best of luck to them all and their new family members.
We have a kelpie called Mac we adopted about 9 years ago from a farmer who was going to put him down because he couldn't work sheep. Initial plan was to foster him off, and my dad made that very clear but fell in love with the beautiful bastard on the way home😂
an old friend, one year older then me, adopted same year I was born. my family walked into the shelter and this guy was the first to come say hi. 24% chow, x% Australian shepherd. loved to explore, RIP bear DSCF0562-1...d8bc0d.jpg
Speciesism at its best. This is nice and all but what about rescuing other animals too?! Daily seeing only cats and dogs getting homes.
there is also a ferret! But I agree it would be cool to get more varity.
Load More Replies...We were only gonna get one puppy to begin with but than we saw this little lady and we knew we had to get her too! Screenshot...200772.png
this is her now with her brother. their names are Petra and Oliver <3 IMG_202011...09f2a7.jpg
Load More Replies...Meet spike :3 my mom found him and his sister roaming an outdoor restroom at a school she worked at.My mom wanted to get him adopted but we (as in the kids of the house) started naming him.He is now a family member here ^^.May be big and scary-sounding bark but he is a big baby...also he is named after a dragon in a child cartoon ^^...(he is actually sleeping rn :3 ) IMG_202104...16741a.jpg
sorry for the bad pic :3 here is a somewhat better one IMG_202104...2d76bb.jpg
Load More Replies...This was too cute. I love every single one of these posts, they are so frickin adorable!
My rescue, Bamboo. She was found wondering the streets at a few months old and is about to turn 14! IMG-3391-6...e6043a.jpg
She's adorable! Happy soon to be birthday Bamboo!
Load More Replies...Here is my rescue - Panda the Jawless. He received the "Jawless" title because of the cheeks that cover the lower jaw completely making him look like he's missing one. Took him 5 years ago as a pup. On my way to the shelter the worker told me Panda was taken by someone else. But when i arrived there, he was there too. It appeared that people who took him drove halfway home with him and then realized he's going to grow into a large dog. So they drove him back to the shelter 10 minutes before I arrived. BTW at this pic he found his jaw photo_2021...b77f82.jpg
Just lovely, nearly brings me to happy tears, as a rescue shelter volunteer all I want is all animals to have they life they deserve, full of love, comfort and happiness. Sadly there are too many scumbags in the world, but also a lot of good people, like the adopters here, best of luck to them all and their new family members.
We have a kelpie called Mac we adopted about 9 years ago from a farmer who was going to put him down because he couldn't work sheep. Initial plan was to foster him off, and my dad made that very clear but fell in love with the beautiful bastard on the way home😂
an old friend, one year older then me, adopted same year I was born. my family walked into the shelter and this guy was the first to come say hi. 24% chow, x% Australian shepherd. loved to explore, RIP bear DSCF0562-1...d8bc0d.jpg
Speciesism at its best. This is nice and all but what about rescuing other animals too?! Daily seeing only cats and dogs getting homes.
there is also a ferret! But I agree it would be cool to get more varity.
Load More Replies...