Recently, Fort Worth has had an increasing number of animal adoptions. Most stray animals that would usually roam the streets, have been accepted by families. The city has had one of the best adoption rates of any major cities in the world.

“We were walking in and, I don’t know, the big pitbull attracted me,” Reggi Pitkin said.

People walk in and are happy to adopt the mistreated and broken animals. The number of animals being put down has decreased.

“It is one of the loneliest, and definitely, to witness, is not just the euthanasia of an animal at the shelter, but to see pain the staff has to go through when they have to do it,” Brandon Bennett, supervisor of the shelter, said.

Dogs can wag their tail with excitement as more people come in to adopt them. The “live release rate” was just 22 percent in 2005. It has jumped to 77 percent today.

“And now, euthanasia is just a few animals, maybe once or twice a week. It’s been a really good journey,” Bennett said.

People are more open to adopting shelter animals and genuinely care for them. The staff has played a major role in giving the animals hope.

“There are a lot of people who care about animals. And what we’ve found in Fort Worth is, you reach out to these folks that care, and they put their heart and soul into making good things happen,” Bennett said.