Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

I got an incredible opportunity to visit Kanab, UT and volunteer at Best Friends. It is a huge no kill animal sanctuary and I got to experience it for 2 days. I honestly could have stayed the week but school calls...
The first day of volunteering we got to work with the puppies and sit in for a puppy training session. I learned a lot about training and have been putting it to good use on Payton. He knows lay down now :) SO PROUD! We then got to walk the pups and then do some socializing. That means they want the puppies to get used to different humans so that when they go to a home they are used to people being around and lovin on them. I loved every second and I wish I could have taken all the puppies home, but my mommy said no so...
That afternoon we got to visit the kitty houses, and I was seriously amazed at how clean everything was. They had several houses for all the kitties they had to have over 200 kitties while we were there. The houses that we visited did not even smell like over 50 kitties lived in one house. They kept everything so clean and organized and were trying to give each kitty a quality life even if they had medical needs like paralized in the back legs or kitty leukemia, they even had a house for kitties doing the "biggest loser." Haha seriously one of the Kitties Milly was 30 lbs!! Seriously the fattest kitty I have ever seen in my whole life!
The next day we got to visit the bunny house, the bunnies weren't as much fun because they did not want love or to be held. so we cleaned out their cages because it had rained on them the night before and gave them new blankies to lay on and new toys to chew on. Again so clean and giving the bunnies so much love and a better life.

That afternoon we got to visit another dog town area, we were doing walks and scooping poop. (well at least I was scooping poop my group had other plans...whatever) I also got to walk one of the Michael Vicks dogs who was rescued from his dog fighting operation. His name was Lucas and he had just had surgery, I am not sure for what, but he was seriously the sweetest guy I met. He was so mild mannered and loved pets and treats... LOVED treats :)
The only thing I was instructed to not under any circumstance get him anywhere near another dog. There was an area for the dogs who had dog agressions and I am sure that is why he had not been adopted because people want more than one dog. In all honesty if I didn't have other pets I would want to take him home. Such a sweetie. Its amazing to me that the Best friends sanctuary saves these dogs that otherwise would be killed just for the idea of being untrainable and they have adopted out I think 15 of the 20 they saved. Don't quote me on those numbers but I was amazed at the training they did and how they rehabilitated the animals to be able to live inside a home and live normal lives even after the hell they had endured.

I seriously want to go back every year and volunteer I was so moved and my heart melted with every tail wag and purr noise. I am glad I went and I feel like I made a difference in the animals lives even if it's a small way. If you are an animal lover I say you come with me next year to volunteer!