Volunteer Vacation: About Best Friends Animal Society

I first heard about Best Friends Animal Society, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization, through a co-worker. My company, Cisco Systems, Inc., provides it’s employees dedicated paid time off, called Time2Give, to volunteer. My colleague had utilized his Time2Give to volunteer along with his wife and kids at Best Friends’ The Sanctuary in Utah the same year I spent my Time2Give with Habitat for Humanity building a home in Guatemala through a Cisco sponsored effort called Americas House.

In mid-July of 2021, with the realization that the year was passing quickly and I was running out of time to use my Time2Give hours, also knowing that Cisco’s America’s House with Habitat for Humanity was still not an option, I decided to look into Best Friends Animal Society for my volunteer vacation this year. I delved into Best Friends’ website and learned more about this wonderful organization that I’d like to share with as many people I can, in hopes this information will encourage more people to consider supporting animals who are in need.

The story of this organization dedicated to homeless and special-needs animals began in 1984, when 31 people made a leap of faith to realize a vision that they had long shared — to create a sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals. In the years that followed, their vision has enabled a significant reduction of the killing of 17 million dogs and cats who were dying in our nation’s shelters annually at that time. To read their full history, please visit this link.

Today, they are the largest no-kill (meaning a 90% save rate) animal sanctuary in the world. Their goal is to achieve no-kill by the year 2025, in every shelter across the United States. At the time of writing (September 2021), 48% of ~4,400 shelters, who accepts over 4 million cats and dogs across the U.S. are currently no-kill, with Los Angeles being the largest community. Last year under 350K dogs and cats were killed in shelters so help to change that is still very much needed!

Their locations include: Los Angeles, New York, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, Northwest Arkansas, Houston, Polk County in Florida, and Waynesboro in Pennsylvania. This organization also has 3000 Network Partners across all 50 states.

The Sanctuary is located in a red rock canyon, called Angel Canyon near Kanab, Utah, with Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyon nearby. Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, horses, pigs and other barnyard animals have all come here from across the country. On any given day, about 1,600 animals are cared for at The Sanctuary located in 5001 Angel Canyon Road in Kanab, Utah.

The Sanctuary may be most known for DogTown, which homes ~400 dogs on average, due to a 4 season documentary series that ran through National Geographic in 2008 through 2010. But there are many other areas of The Sanctuary that everyone should be aware of.

• Cat World consists of 11 buildings and ~600 cats
• Horse Haven not only has horses, but donkeys, mules and goats
• Marshall’s Piggy Paradise is a village of homes for potbellied pigs
• Bunny House is home to ~90 rabbits and some guinea pigs too
• Parrot Garden is where you find feathered friends, including those of the talking variety
• Wild Friends has all sorts of animals from birds, reptiles, rodents to ferrets and mink
• Animal Clinic is state-of-the-art and innovative to provide top notch animal care
• Angels Rest is the final resting place for Sanctuary animals and companions of staff

I truly hope you will consider helping to save them all by going to Best Friends Animal Society’s Sanctuary for your next volunteer vacation destination spot as their facility, staff and animals can use all the help they can get!

If a volunteer vacation is not in your plans, please consider donating financially. If this is something you would like to do, a one time donation may be submitted here or you can become a Guardian Angel by submitting monthly. There are also gifts that give back to the animals, from donating on behalf of someone or shopping the store which proceeds go back to the animals. Sponsoring an animal is possible as is Planned Giving through your will or trust as is donating stock or vehicles! If annual donations of $1,000 or more is provided, that results in becoming a Golden Circle member which provides special engagement opportunities if you choose to become one.

Don’t forget you may always make a difference for dogs and cats in your own community across the U.S regardless of where you reside by volunteering near you, participating in the nationwide annual fundraising event “Strut Your Mutt” or advocate for pets at the local, state or national level.

I truly hope you will consider joining the effort to SAVE THEM ALL!