April 30 is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, celebrated annually to raise awareness for the millions of animals waiting in shelters to find their fur-ever homes. The day aims to encourage people to adopt. If you are not ready to adopt, you can still support your local animal shelter by volunteering or donating.
This month, NPR's Up First newsletter wanted to participate by sharing stories of how readers' pets have changed their lives. Over 600 people offered up stories of their pets, from rabbits to dogs - all written with love. Pet owners expressed how pets have saved their lives, helped them heal, and provided them with community in unexpected ways. Here are a few of their stories.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Levi looking like a model as he rests on the couch. Jessa Gillis hide caption
"I'm sure you're going to get stories of how the love of an animal can be absolutely life-changing, and it is," Jessa Gillis said. "Levi's impact on my life, however, is literally life-saving." In July 2020, Gillis got Levi when he was a five-month-old puppy. At that point, he had never been in a car. When it was time for his first vet appointment, Gillis knew she would have to lift him into the vehicle. However, she was experiencing back pain. As soon as she went to pick Levi up, Gillis felt a pop in her back and instant, intense pain.
After ignoring it for a while, Gillis finally went to the doctor, where she learned she had sustained a compression fracture in her spine. "I was originally diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2018, but that fracture in 2020 was a sign that it had returned and progressed to stage 4, now present in my bones. If I hadn't picked up Levi and gotten that fracture, it could have taken much longer to be diagnosed and could have progressed farther," she said.
Timber the dog being embraced by Lois Brumfield's husband. Lois Brumfield hide caption
Lois Brumfield said her husband's 13-year battle with prostate cancer came to an end in January 2025. He was receiving hospice care at home, and he said hoped Timber, their 9-year-old pitbull mix, would wake her up if he ever died in the middle of the night.
"The night that my husband passed away, Timber did indeed wake me up. He jumped off the bed to get a drink of water, and then refused to jump back up on the bed. I turned on the light and saw that he was staring at my husband in his hospital bed," Brumfield explained. She says Timber had an odd look on his face. After coaxing him back onto the bed, she went to check on her husband. "He took a deep breath and then another, and then his final breath. Timber has been a blessing to me since my husband passed," Brumfield said.
Penelope the dog rests her head. Cara Loffredo hide caption
At 26, Cara Loffredo and her best friend quit their jobs and moved across the country to California. They packed up a two-door Toyota Yaris with a suitcase each - and Penelope, of course. One of her favorite memories with her dog happened on this trip. When they made a stop at Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park, Penelope saw the big sand dunes and bolted. Loffredo initially thought she had just lost her dog in the desert, but a few minutes later, Penelope came zooming back to her, clearly having a blast.
"I adopted Penelope when I was just turning 24, and now, 15 years later, I feel like I grew up with her by my side and became the adult, business owner, a new mom I am today," Loffredo said. "She has been by my side through every moment of heartbreak and amazing life-changing moment. I don't know me without her."
Freya the dog licks Ammi Midstokke's nose. Ammi Midstokke hide caption
Ammi Midstokke has a seizure disorder. Shortly after bringing Freya home from the shelter, she had one. Freya crawled on top of her, interrupting the seizure. Two weeks later, she did the same thing. "Then she started pre-empting them so I could respond and often avoid having one altogether," Midstokke said. Freya then began working with a trainer to be trained as a service animal.
Before Freya, Midstokke spent her entire adult life impacted by the seizures. Now, they are less frequent. Midstokke says they just celebrated an entire year seizure-free. "Freya has helped me reclaim parts of me I did not know were missing," she said. "She has healed some of my deepest wounds, opened my heart to the sweetness of unconditional and enthusiastic love, and taught me how to play again."
Ruth Cantor's dog Gemma. Ruth Cantor hide caption