10 of the Most Heartwarming Animal Adoptions of 2023

We've met so many deserving shelters pets this past year who finally found their forever homes, and there's nothing more heartwarming than knowing a cat or dog is going to a family that will give them all the love and care they deserve.

Approximately four million shelter pets find their forever home each year, and here are just a handful of some of these wonderful stories.

10 of the Most Heartwarming Animal Adoptions of 2023

1: Pecan the three-legged pit bull finds a forever home after a car accident

In Florida, one Pit Bull puppy named Pecan was left with only three legs after a car accident, and she had quite a long recovery. Despite her injuries, though, this dog's resilience and joyful spirit helped her find a forever home before her first birthday.

2: Poison's Bret Michaels adopts a heroic husky who shares his name 

After the rockstar heard about a husky also named Bret Michaels who gave a tiny kitten a blood transfusion, the celebrity rewarded the pup by giving him a forever home.

3: Couple ditches their wedding ceremony to adopt a shelter dog

A happy newly wedded couple went went straight from their wedding ceremony to the Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Virginia to be first in line to adopt a German Shepherd puppy.

4: A shelter dog got adopted and held his new owner's hand all the way home

A shelter dog seems to understand he was being rescued after a sweet video showed him holding his new owner's hand all the way home.

Related: Animal Shelter Shares Recent Adoption Stories in Hopes of Inspiring More Happy Endings

5: Strawberry the 'Unicorn Dog' finds a forever home right before she's euthanized

Strawberry had a distinctive bump on her head from a previous injury and she was in danger of being put down until a family in Pasadena gave her a forever home.

6: Washington shelter cat with no interest in being adopted finds her forever home 

A calico cat named Quinn found her forever home after her brutally honest adoption description went viral.

7: Sweet Ohio dog finds forever home after 2,000 long days in a shelter

Hershel spent around five and a half years in a shelter before finally finding a family to love him for the rest of his days.

8: A 40 pound cat found his forever home in Virginia 

Chonky Patches found his forever home and a family dedicated to helping him live a healthier life in Virginia.

9: A woman flew to another state to adopt a puppy sight unseen

After a woman lost her dog of 15 years she flew to another state to adopt a puppy and her reaction is just so touching.

10: Dog has the best reaction to finally being adopted. 

A sweet dog named Buttons found her forever home in Florida and she just couldn't stop smiling afterwards.

There are many more heartwarming stories of animal adoptions we brought you in 2023, and we hope 2024 finds so many more deserving animals finding their forever home.

Adopting a new fur baby sounds like a perfect New Year's resolution to us!

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