We made our way back to the hotel in Mount Carmel, a sleepy little Utah town, and settled in for the night with great memories of all that we had seen that day. It was truly astounding and wondrous. The next day took us to another of the MANY highlights of our trip, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah which is about 15 miles from where we were staying. We arrived early for our tour and took a look around the gift shop. It is a neat little place set in Angel Canyon on about 3000 acres, although the sanctuary itself only covers about 700. (Only?) They show an introductory film inside before the tour and that alone nearly brought us to tears. It's always so hard to comprehend what people can and will do to animals. But that's another story.
What impressed me most I think is how clean and organized it all was. We stopped at different "houses" with dogs and cats and even bunnies, and were allowed a tour through the interiors and there were sinks and dishwashers and it was all very tidy. And the animals were very happy. They all get individual attention every day by loads of volunteers and all have their own little areas to sleep and play. Lots of it, too.
<<< This is one of the dog octagon houses. They're free to go in and out of their rooms out into the fresh air with open runs where they can "socialize" with other dogs through the fence.
Along the tour, we passed Angel's Rest Memorial which is where you can have a commemorative marker or windchime to dedicate to your own pet who has passed on. It was touching to view from the road so we decided to check it out after the tour. After the tour we went to the gift shop and got a few things and then took off down the breezy, dusty canyon road to see Angel's Rest. This was another moment in our vacation that was unexpected. This was a warm sunny day and there was just enough breeze to get all the chimes going softly.
The feeling as we walked through the memorials one by one, seeing all the names, just brought out waves of emotion. Neither of us ever experienced anything like that. It was very spiritual. You see cemetaries every day but it's not often you see one dedicated to pets and this one was so special. You could feel the love and the sadness of the people who mourned their lost pets in this sacred place.
The trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary had to be one of the best highlights of this trip. If you are an animal lover and have the time and/or inclination, we'd encourage you to see this place for yourself. It's truly amazing.
^ There were pooches running around all over, it was
great. This little guy was particularly lovable.
And the cute little Siamese to the right was born with a neurological disorder that made her not have any balance whatsoever. She walked around like she was drunk but was very friendly and sweet. >>>
Best Friends is the best place any animal could end up. They are the country's largest no-kill animal shelter and they house 1800 abused, neglected and abandoned animals. They have about a 75% placement rate for adoptable animals and the "unadoptables", those with special needs or just not able to get along in "society", live their life out here. And for an animal, there are a lot worse things than that! The Welcome Center. >>>
Spectacular view of Angel Canyon, the property where the sanctuary is located. It used to be an old western movie set and looking at this picture, you can see why...
Mr. Snoopynut here with some burros. Best Friends took in 170 burros that were taken from the Grand Canyon that were due to be killed. They have found homes for all but 2 that remain there at the sanctuary.
