[Dallas, TX] ([October 2026]) – Dallas Pets Alive was among the nearly 60 leaders from animal welfare, academia, and business at the first Best Friends AI in Animal Welfare Summit, held Oct. 9-10 at Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, Utah. The invitation-only event focused on establishing guidelines for the responsible use of AI in animal welfare and exploring how the technology can help save the lives of pets in shelters nationwide.
Animal welfare organizations around the country are already using AI to improve analysis of their data, advance their marketing efforts, refine operational processes, and streamline communications with their stakeholders and communities. Prior to the Summit, a shared and agreed upon set of standards to guide this rapidly evolving work did not exist.
Attendees worked together on the Charter for Responsible AI in Animal Welfare, a shared set of principles centered on saving the lives of dogs and cats in shelters, the human-animal bond, and human judgment. The eight core commitments included in the Charter are animal lifesaving and welfare, humanity, integrity, oversight, accountability, intentionality, adaptability, and sustainability.
“We’re thrilled Best Friends selected us to take part in the first AI in Animal Welfare Summit,” said Leslie Sans, Founder & CEO of Dallas Pets Alive. “Saving the lives of pets in shelters has always been about working together, and that includes how our field uses AI. We’re honored to help guide how AI will be used in animal welfare and here in our community.”
The Summit was led by Best Friends Animal Society, a national nonprofit working to save every healthy or treatable pet in shelters across the country. Participants included leaders from the ASPCA, Humane World for Animals, PetSmart Charities, Petco Love, and 23 Best Friends Network Partners from across the country, including Dallas Pets Alive. These network partners represented municipal and private shelters, rescue groups, and spay/neuter organizations.
Representatives from Amazon Web Services (AWS), pet products company PetWise, and consultants from the technology and business sectors also took part. Thirteen SUU faculty and staff joined the Summit, including AI ethics experts who provided guidance to ensure the Charter is comprehensive and reflects best practices.
“It is important for animal welfare to shape its own AI future,” said Whitney Bollinger, director of strategy and network operations at Best Friends Animal Society. “For this Charter to be useful to the whole field, it had to be built by all of us. That’s why we brought together people and organizations with different perspectives, resources, and experience to work through hard questions and exciting opportunities. Dallas Pets Alive and the other Summit participants are leading animal welfare into this next chapter and making sure the principles we value most hold true in North Texas and across the country.”
A full list of Summit participants is available here. The Summit is the first step in a larger animal welfare AI initiative led by Best Friends that continues through summer 2027.
Learn more about Dallas Pets Alive’s lifesaving programs at www.dallaspetsalive.org.
About Dallas Pets Alive
Since 2012, Dallas Pets Alive has been dedicated to creating a North Texas where every pet has the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and loved life. Through innovative rescue, foster, adoption, and pet retention programs, DPA works to save the lives of pets most at risk of euthanasia while helping families overcome the challenges that can lead to pet surrender. Learn more at www.dallaspetsalive.org.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 6,000 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary, a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public, empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
###
