2 posts tagged “best friends animal sanctuary”

I know that I have blogged about Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary before, but this no-kill shelter is my favorite charity because they help the most vulnerable animals of all: those afflicted with permanent illnesses, handicaps or other debilitating conditions that otherwise would have been abandoned, ignored, or euthanized by other shelters.*

Best Friends also reaches out to animal lovers in other nations (e.g., Thailand after the tsunami, Lebanon after the bombings) to help animals in crisis and in the aftermath of natural disasters. Furthermore, Best Friends teaches other organizations how to successfully establish, maintain, and fund new no-kill shelters.

Anyone can volunteer at Best Friends' facility in Utah, if only to walk a dog or play with a cat for a few hours; and if your pet ever comes down with a weird, mysterious condition (as happened with our cat Kahlua last year), you can send Best Friends an email and they will respond with their unique expertise.

This year, Best Friends aims to double its membership, so my family and I renewed our own $25 membership and then bought another one for my animal loving sister Becky as a birthday gift for her. If you are an animal advocate, at least check out all of the interactive resources available on the Best Friends site, www.bestfriends.org.

*Animals are euthanized at Best Friends only if they are suffering from continuous extreme pain and no other medical measures are available to save them and let them lead comfortable lives.

What are some charitable causes that you support or would like to support?

This Question of the Day is a great opportunity for me to ramble on about my favorite charity in the world, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (www.bestfriends.org). I contribute money to Best Friends every year, and this year I might even make and donate a necklace of semi-precious stones for them to give away as a prize in their summer fundraiser.

This huge no-kill shelter in Utah takes in domestic animals large and small, from parakeets to horses, and rehabilitates local injured wildlife as well. They have a wonderfully innovative and sustainable business model: in addition to standard fundraising efforts, they generate money to run the Sanctuary by marketing it as a fun travel destination where visitors can relax and/or volunteer. You can do anything from mucking stalls to cuddling kittens and puppies that need socialization with humans. (This is a form of "Volun-tourism.") The Sanctuary also has a great gift shop onsite so you can buy a souvenir from your trip or purchase some treats for your pets at home.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary also works with other no-kill shelters around the world, publicizing their efforts and coordinating fundraising opportunities with them. Recent good works include trapping abandoned pets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi, and airlifting cats and dogs to safety during the bombing of Lebanon. (Many of these animals subsequently ended up being adopted into safe American homes.)

Speaking of adoption, no matter where you live, Best Friends is a great source for pet adoptions, or for pinpointing you to other local no-kill shelters where you can adopt rabbits, birds, cats, dogs, goats, etc.

Best Friends promotes Trap-Neuter-Release programs for feral cat colonies; sponsors educational seminars and classes about animal care; publishes a full color glossy magazine that describes how your donated dollars are hard at work saving the animals; and much more. I love them and am thrilled that such a large no-kill shelter is experiencing such great success taking care of the animals.