When you’re in the direct path of a devastating hurricane, there’s not much time to take precautions. If you’re able to evacuate, that can be the safest route. But sometimes you can’t, especially if there are other people who would be difficult to move, like those with mobility issues. Or, in this case, animals. Hundreds of them. And when the hurricane was coming right for one man’s rescue animal sanctuary, he did the only thing he could think of: he moved 300 rescue dogs and farm animals into his house.

When natural disasters hit, it’s easy to forget about animals, which is why those that remember often go to extraordinary lengths to help our four-legged friends. Nobody loves pets more than us (which is why we started a new Facebook group about pets). And when it comes to stray animals and those in need of a home, even fewer are looking out for them during times of crisis.

Which is to say, we need more Ricardo Pimentels in the world. With Hurricane Delta heading straight for his home in Mexico, Pimentel decided he had to do something to help keep the hundreds of rescue animals at his animal sanctuary safe. In this case, it meant stocking up on supplies and getting them indoors. All of them. In his doors. The man opened up his home to hundreds of animals to keep them safe and it looks like something out of a Disney movie.

Pimentel was able to ride out the storm with his animal army and keep all of them safe, and somehow, himself sane. When the storm moved out, the time for clean up began.

The pictures of his house overtaken by small animals quickly went viral, with many lavishing praise on his efforts. The animal lover, though, kept his focus on repairing damage to the sanctuary and raising awareness about animals everywhere that need someone to look out for them, especially in their moment of greatest need.

Ricardo, we salute you.

With COVID disrupting sports as we know it, teams have gotten creative when it comes to making their stadiums look less empty. Some stadiums have gone to town with their creativity, turning their stadiums into canvases for whatever absurdity they could dream up. Others filled their stadiums with touching tributes, using their abundance of space for a good cause. When the Los Angeles Lakers played the Denver Nuggets in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, the NBA decided to tell a tail of their own.

During the broadcast, 28 “100% adoptable and 100% adorable” dogs and two kittens along with their foster families (virtually) sat courtside, watching the game and doing some shameless self-purrmotion. To make this furry magic happen, Best Friends Animal Society teamed up with Michelob ULTRA to highlight some of their top dogs (and cats).

 

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The Best Friends Animal Society website explains, “Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters nationwide from an estimated 17 million per year to around 625,000. That means there are still more than 1,700 dogs and cats killed every day in shelters, just because they don’t have safe places to call home. We are determined to bring the country to no-kill by the year 2025.”

To give some of their adoptable animals a running start in the race to find their forever homes, the broadcast also included a link where interested viewers could learn more about adopting the courtside critters. So far, the Lexington Humane Society adopted a Chihuahua named Jolene after a family spotted the 4-pound wonder in the stands. According to the Best Friends website, seven other pawsome pups have been adopted as well thanks to their baller friends.

Adopting and fostering is more important than ever, since many shelters across the country were forced to close to the public after the COVID pandemic began.

Valerie Dorian, chief development officer for Best Friends told Today, “We are concerned and we want to make sure that people are thinking about the animals and how they can help.” She continued, “Now is a great time to have a pet in your home as people are working at home, to have a buddy to watch an NBA game with, or just to be your companion in life and everything that you do.”

Best Friends hoped to both promote the adoption of shelter animals around the country, and to encourage others to foster animals in need. Opening your home to an animal who has been given a second chance at life is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Watching them grow and become bolder as they learn that with you, the world isn’t such a scary place. And even better, you’ll never watch a game alone again.

If you’re interested in adopting, check out the Best Friends website, or find a shelter near you.

Seemingly overnight, kids go from babies who can barely hold their own heads up to toddlers with escape artist capabilities that rival Houdini. It doesn’t exactly help that toddlers become crafty right around the time they become extremely curious about the world around them, a combination that means parents are perpetually on their toes.

Early Thursday morning, a tiny Houdini named Kh’amorion Taylor decided to let himself out of his dad’s house and go for a walk. The world can be a scary place, even for adults. But when you’re a toddler who probably isn’t well-versed in traffic laws, it’s downright dangerous. Fortunately for the tricky toddler, he wasn’t completely alone.

Though the St. Louis tot left his house by himself wearing only his pajamas and no shoes, he returned with a fellow wanderer. When a neighbor was walking her dog at 8 am, she spotted the toddler walking with a dog of his own. The dog that stuck by Taylor’s side was a stray pit bull, who evidently followed the small boy as he roamed around his neighborhood.

“He looked well taken care of, he was very neat, very clean; he just didn’t have the shoes on,” the neighbor told Fox 2 of Taylor.

Realizing Taylor had no adults with him, the neighbor began knocking on doors trying to find his parents. Amazingly, the sweet stray didn’t want to leave the boy’s side. Much like the neighbor who spent her morning trying to help the young boy, Taylor’s new furry friend seemingly wanted to protect him until he was undoubtedly safe.

Finally, Taylor’s dad recognized his son on a social media post and jumped into action. Thanks to the neighbor and self-proclaimed watchdog, Taylor and his dad were reunited.

“It is important that we stick together, that we help each other, that we go back to the things that our grandparents and their community used to do,” said Taylor’s neighbor. “That we build a sense of unity.”

Though happy to be back with his dad, Taylor didn’t want to leave his new friend.

“Puppy!” The boy repeated, thanking the dog with whatever vocabulary he had available.

This may be a happy ending for more than just Taylor – according to the St. Louis Police, the force is considering adopting the heroic pup.