Jake Woodruff, a musician and artist who appeared on Netflix’s Love on the Spectrum, wasn’t looking to adopt when he attended a BOBS® from Skechers® adoption event with the Lovejoy Foundation in 2024. Then he met Pablo — and everything changed.
“He had such a calm, gentle energy, and something about him just felt right,” Woodruff said.
For Woodruff, who is autistic, Pablo’s presence has made a profound difference in daily life — easing anxiety, encouraging social interaction, and lifting his overall sense of wellbeing.
“Growing up, I sometimes felt like I had to repress parts of my personality to fit in, but Pablo’s playful nature has helped me loosen up and be more present. Emotionally, I feel like my baseline happiness has improved, and I have fewer days where I experience strong anxiety.”
Nineteen months later, the two are inseparable.
A Shelter Dog Who Became a Service Dog
When Shannan Ajluni visited Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles hoping to find her next service animal, she wasn’t sure the right match existed. Then Pixie walked through the door.
“It was instant love at first sight on both our parts,” Ajluni said.
Pixie went on to complete basic, intermediate, and advanced obedience training, along with her Canine Good Citizen and Public Access certifications. Today, she helps Ajluni navigate life with Stage 4 cancer.
“On days we can only hang out on the couch, her cuddles remind me that I am not my disease and that I am human.”
Two Kittens Who Sparked a Career in Animal Welfare
For Samantha Bell, cat expert at Best Friends Animal Society, it was a fragile orange kitten named Yohan who set her life on a new path. While working a corporate desk job, Bell began volunteering in a kitten nursery and quickly became devoted to keeping Yohan alive.
“While I was there, I realized it wasn’t just Yohan I was falling in love with — it was animal rescue,” Bell said. “Yohan and Desmond are the reason I work in animal welfare. They are the reason I’ve been able to help thousands of cats feel happy and find homes.”
Rescue Animals Inspiring the Next Generation of Artists
This year’s BOBS® from Skechers® Paws for a Cause Design Scholarship winners — Elle Dalby of Penn State and Anelya Sapar of the School of Visual Arts — both drew inspiration from rescue animals for their winning sneaker designs. Their artwork will appear on limited-edition BOBS B Cute 2.0 footwear, and each student received a $10,000 scholarship through the Skechers Foundation.
Sapar’s design was inspired by her family’s rescue cat, Basik, and her time volunteering at a shelter in Kazakhstan. Dalby’s honored the rescue dogs who shaped her family’s life — Heinz, Cash, Winston, and Jack.
A Milestone Worth Celebrating
These stories are part of something much bigger. Over the past decade, BOBS® from Skechers® has donated more than $14 million to animal welfare organizations worldwide, helping support and save over 2 million shelter dogs and cats.
To build on that impact, BOBS® from Skechers® has committed $500,000 to Best Friends Animal Society throughout 2026, alongside a series of adoption events taking place across the country.
Because whether it’s easing anxiety, enabling independence, launching a career, or sparking creativity — rescue pets don’t just find homes. They transform the people lucky enough to welcome them.