Best Friends
Back in February I got a call from my friend Ken Vargo of Howard. He was wondering if I had any interest in joining him for a trip to Southwestern Utah in early March to volunteer for trail-building at the Best Friends Animal Society.
Having had few opportunities to spend time in the red-rock country of Utah since I moved here from Durango, I decided to take the trip with Ken in his trusty VW Westphalia van along with his dog, Buster.
This would be Ken’s third trip to Best Friends in as many years and he had made all the arrangements. Ken works for the U.S. Forest Service so has lots of experience with trail building; skills that are a good fit to help out at what is considered North America’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary.
The first leg of the trip brought us to the outskirts of Durango where we stayed with my friend Sean (he of the Irish stew recipe in the March issue, which he served up in delicious, steamy hot bowls with the obligatory Guinness, of course).
The next day we drove through the Four Corners and across the Navajo reservation in Arizona, past the Glen Canyon dam and north to Kanab, Utah where we were provided with a week’s lodging at the Willows Inn in exchange for some minor chores, compliments of the proprietor Matthew.
The next morning it was up and at ‘em with our first day at the facility, located on nearly 3,000 remote acres about 10 miles north of Kanab. Having no preconceptions of Best Friends I was shocked at the sheer scale of the place. We began our visit by entering via Angel Canyon surrounded by sheer red rock walls, stopping at Angel’s Rest, probably the largest pet cemetery in the world. Here, hundreds of memorial chimes hang from crossbars along with paving stones, pet names inscribed atop along with various trinkets dedicated to deceased pets of Best Friends members.
Our next stop was Dogtown, where we met Heather, a volunteer coordinator, and the three of us hiked the existing trails that Ken had been very instrumental in creating in the past two years.
Dogtown, with a population of hundreds of unwanted, homeless, “unadoptable” dogs, is like no place I’ve ever seen – or heard. This is where the problem dogs reside, dogs that have been abused, neglected or lack people skills. Best Friends employs trainers and caregivers to work with these dogs in the hope of eventually making them adoptable. Among the more notable canines at the facility are a number of Hurricane Katrina refugees as well as some the notorious fighting dogs that once belonged to NFL quarterback Michael Vick. The dogs are housed in “packs” with fenced running areas accessible from enclosed “dog-octagon” shelters where bedding and toys are provided.
The trails we worked on, with some help from college students from Michigan and Massachusetts on spring break, are used for dog-walking by volunteers and staff, away from the cacophony of the housing area. They meander through red sandy Juniper forests with magnificent views of the cliffs of the Grand Staircase.
In addition to Dogtown, there is Cat World (pictured above), Horse Haven, Piggy Paradise, Bunny House, Parrot Garden and other pet-specific facilities, all of which are clean and state-of-the-art. On any given day there are nearly 1,700 animals being cared for at the facility which was originally founded by a group of friends in the 1970s in Prescott, Arizona and moved to Utah when a good deal was found on a large parcel of land.
Volunteers come from all over the world and the sanctuary employs about 200. There is some lodging available within the facility but most volunteers prefer to camp or stay in Kanab (eat at Escobar’s). A vegetarian lunch is available for $5 at the Friends lunchroom, breathtakingly perched on the rim of Angel Canyon, with large-screen TVs rotating photos and info on currently adoptable pets.
After five days of trail maintenance, Ken and I were ready for a break, so on the last day of our visit we took the afternoon off and hiked along the beautiful Virgin River, north of Kanab, before setting off for the two-day trip home.
For more info please visit: www.bestfriends.org – Mike Rosso
