Eeyore came to Animal Friends during the 2011 New Years Eve Rescue

For the past 16 years, Animal Friends’ annual New Years Eve Rescue has been a Pittsburgh tradition—and a last-chance lifeline for pets. On Monday, December 31, Animal Friends will once again rescue pets who are slated to be euthanized by the years’ end. 

Animal Friends’ staff and volunteers will travel to shelters and Animal Control facilities to bring back the pets who would not otherwise live to see 2013. Then, each rescued pet will bask in TLC at Animal Friends’ resource center, where they will be vaccinated, bathed, groomed, given a medical and behavioral evaluation, and scheduled for a spay or neuter surgery.

This year’s rescue will have a candy theme, and every rescued pet will be named after a kind of candy. After all, Pittsburgh is a candy loving town! With the Good Ship Lollipop sailing the three rivers, Clark Candy Company downtown, Sarris in the South, Gene and Boots in the East, Betsy Ann in the West, and Baldinger’s in the North, the Pittsburgh region is a veritable Candyland!


Animal Friends is happy to partner with Ferree Kennels, Greene County Humane Society, Hoffman Kennels, Monroeville Animal Control, Secreet Kennel and Clair’s Kennel this year. 

Rescues like this one are a shining example of why adopting from Animal Friends–all year round—is so critical. For every animal who finds a home through Animal Friends, there are others who desperately await a space and a second chance in our kennels. The rescue also casts a light on the staggering number of pets that are euthanized in our community every year.