Friends For Life Animal Shelter

At just 1.5 years old, Walker is at the age where you might expect nonstop zoomies, big puppy energy, and a little chaos. But Walker has surprised everyone with her soft, gentle heart.

She is affectionate, sweet, and especially tender with the smallest humans and even the tiniest puppies. She has that rare kind of kindness that makes you stop and say, “Oh, this one is special.”

Walker is still new to us, but she is already showing us exactly who she is: loving, gentle, and ready to be someone’s very best friend.

Keep an eye on this sweet girl. We have a feeling Walker is going to walk right into someone’s heart.

Stay tuned for her online bio.

“I want to share about our sweet shy girl, Lola, who we adopted from FFL in 2013.

At the time, I was volunteering at FFL and Lola, Lady at that time, wanted nothing to do with visitors. She didn’t wag her tail, make eye contact, or jump up with joy when potential adopters came to visit.

I knew she needed the right people to love and understand her. She hesitantly joined our family, but with time her true personality started she show.

She was loyal, loved to give surprise kisses, and going bye-bye in the car. I’m so happy we crossed paths and had 10 beautiful years together.

Take a chance on the shy, overlooked pup! They might just be your new bestie.”

Our recent post about Shep prompted Rae to share Lola’s story with us.

It’s now been two years since Lola’s passing, and she’s still remembered for the joy she brought to her family.

Stories like this remind us why we never give up on shy animals. We are so grateful that Lola found a family who understood her and gave her such a wonderful life.

To everyone who has opened their home to a shy animal: thank you. Our behavior team works hard to help these pets build confidence and supports adopters even after they go home.

But there is something special about having a family, a routine, and a place to belong. Time and again, we see animals begin to relax, trust, and show their true personalities once they are in a home.

And Shep? Shep is meeting his stranger #7 today. Soon, he’ll be ready to meet adopters.

No, these are not stock photos. This is our foster Ana working magic with her camera*. What’s even more impressive? She managed to save these three babies.

It wasn’t easy.

A box of four orphaned kittens was found by a bayou. Three were about a week old. One appeared to be a complete newborn, with the umbilical cord still attached.

Bottle feeding began immediately—every two hours, around the clock.

The kittens struggled. One by one, they developed infections, and sadly, one of them didn’t survive.

It’s heartbreaking when you pour so much effort into saving animals and things don’t go as planned. But it’s also important to remember that, no matter how hard you try, sometimes the odds are against them. The best we can do is give them a chance.

Ana nursed the remaining three kittens back to health. She learned how to tube-feed, administered medications, and gave them all the time, care, and love they needed.

And look at them now!

Soon Misty, Cinder and Stormy will be ready for adoption.

If you’re thinking about adding a kitten to your family, please apply.

And to Ana—and all of our fosters—thank you for the love, patience, and care you give to animals who need it most. 💜

* We just learned from Ana that the photo credit goes to her husband James Evins 😻

Wednesday was extraordinary!

In just 24 hours, you helped us raise $157,397 for shelter animals — the most we've EVER raised in a single day.

Plus, we raised more than any other charity in the Chevron fundraising challenge. 😃 While the official results haven't been announced yet, we're very hopeful that the extra $25,000 for the animals is headed our way.

To our charity runners: thank you.

Thank you for sending emails, making posts, sharing your stories, asking friends for support, and believing that animals are worth running for.

To our matching donors: thank you.

You doubled gifts, inspired people to give, and helped make this day such a success.

To the Main Family Foundation: thank you.

Your $50,000 gift helped turn a great day into a record-breaking one. We are so grateful for your generosity and for everything it will mean for the animals.

And to everyone who answered our call for donations: thank you!

This record-breaking day was only possible because so many people stepped up for the animals. Every donation mattered.

The numbers are exciting. But what matters most is what comes next:
More animals saved. More lives changed. More second chances.

From all of us at Friends For Life — and from the animals whose lives will be changed because of this day — thank you. 💜

Our charity running team is off to a great start this season!

The January races are still seven months away, so there’s plenty of time to support a runner or join the team yourself as a runner or walker. 🐶

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If you run into these June 3 matching donors, please show them some love:

The Main Family Foundation • The Red Cardinal Group at Morgan Stanley • Titan Subsea Innovations • Holly Bronson • Jane and Paula Cizik • The Hrap Family • Fiona and Richard Layfield • Martha Rocks • Meera Manahan • Meredith Raine • Tadd Hatcher • Rox Ann Schanzenbach • Jessie's Bites • Gulf Shore Orthodontics • Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom LLP

Nicholas update, and yes, you may need tissues. 🥹

When Nicholas first came to us, he had already known more pain than any dog should. Someone had cut off his tail, and still, this sweet boy showed up with the softest heart. He did not let what happened to him become the whole story.

And now?

Now Nicholas is home.

He is living the kind of life we dreamed about for him. The kind where his days are full of soft places to land, a dog sibling to play with, new adventures to sniff, and even ponies to meet. He is safe. He is loved. He is someone’s baby.

The boy who came to us hurt is now running toward joy. The boy who deserved better finally got it.

This is what your support makes possible. Not just survival, but healing. Not just rescue, but a whole new life.

Happy tails, Nicholas. You were always worthy of this. ❤️

P.S. A big thank you to everyone who donated yesterday for the Chevron contest. You helped us raise a record amount! Details coming tomorrow.

“Shiloh is a very special girl. She is a 5/5 for new people, which is kind of rare in our dog intakes!”

That’s what our behavior team wrote during a recent intake assessment with Shiloh.

This senior girl doesn’t want to miss out on any fun.

Tonight, she joined our charity running team and for an event, and we can confirm she has been making friends all evening.

Did the busy crowd bother her? Not at all. Shiloh is deaf, so the noise didn’t faze her one bit. She happily mingled with runners and soaked up the attention.

Today is Global Running Day and the day of the Chevron contest, where the charity team that raises the most money wins $25,000.

Five hours remain, and we’re still in the lead! 🎉

Thank you for all the donations so far! Please keep supporting our team and charity runners. Every penny donated goes to the animals.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could win an extra $25,000 from Chevron to help dogs like Shiloh live the lives they deserve?

Donation link in the comments. 💜

10 a.m. update: We're in the lead! 🎉

The day is still young and rankings can change, but we're incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated since midnight. Together, we've already raised more than $25,000 today!

A special shoutout to our matching donors. Thanks to these generous animal lovers, donations made directly to our charity runners are being matched. That means your donation is doubled!

ABOUT THE CONTEST:
Today is a rare chance to win an extra $25,000 for the animals.

Chevron will award $25,000 to the charity that raises the most money on June 3 (midnight to midnight). To count toward the contest, please donate through our Chevron fundraising page (link in the comments).

Donate to our team or to any of our charity runners.

💜 We've won before. Let's do it again and save more animals!