Animals Should all be Treated Well

Don't all domestic animals deserve to be given the chance at a good, loving home, where they will be treated like a family member?  How can you get involved besides adopting another pet?

A great way to support animals rights is to work with a non-profit animals rescue group. Not all are created equal however. Many groups such as "humane societies" (but certainly not all have them!) have a very low adoption rate, a high number of animals euthanized and do not often put enough effort in "spay and neuter" programs to reduce the population of animals. Be careful whom you give your dollars or volunteer time to.

 Throughly research the group first. Ask questions. Go to one of their events to watch what goes on. Visit their shelter (if they have one). Talk to other volunteers or donors.  There are many, many small animal rescue groups that do a wonderful job and care very much about the animals they work for.

Here are some wonderful rescues that you must check out:

Common Misconceptions About Rescue Groups

by the California Rescue Network

*As you read the following question and answer, just replace the work "dog" with any adoptable pet your may be thinking of. These myths hold true for any rescue group.*

Myth:  Rescue groups are so desperate to find homes for animals that they should just give people whatever one they want so they can help more animals.

Truth:  Rescue groups work to find the RIGHT home for a pet.  There are many factors to consider when adopting out an animal to a family:  

There are only a few of the things that a rescue considers when adopting out a dog.  Our goal is always to make sure that the family is adequately prepared for the dog they have chosen, that they are able to make a LIFETIME commitment to the dog, and that the dog will be happy, safe, secure and part of the family.  

Myth:  A rescue group is a great place to go to adopt a purebred puppy.

Truth:  While rescues may VERY OCCASIONALLY have pedigreed puppies or young dogs available, it is usually mixed breed puppies or purebred ADULT dogs that are typically available for adoption.  The most common ages for dogs in rescue is 1 to 3 years.  Dogs in this age are generally easier to train than puppies because they are older and more focused, more ready to please.  In addition, rescues often have senior dogs (six years or older) that also need homes.  These dogs are especially wonderful to adopt - they are often fully housetrained, very loyal, and make great companions.  

Myth:  Rescues are a good place to give up a dog, especially if I'm in a rush to find it a home.

Truth:  Rescues are typically staffed by just a handful of volunteers.  These generous people often have full-time jobs, and donate their time to helping dogs find homes.  When a rescue is unable to assist immediately with picking up a dog or finding it a home, people sometimes assume that the rescue worker doesn't care.  It isn't that they don't care, but rather that there simply aren't enough resources (time, foster homes, financial assistance) to help every person who has a dog to give up.  Those needing assistance must be patient when working with rescue workers who are unpaid volunteers that give up most of their free time to help dogs in need.  When contacting a rescue, allow a couple of days for them to get back to you.  

Myth:  Rescue people are just trying to make money.  The dogs should be available for free - they shouldn't charge an adoption fee.

Truth:  Rescues often have horrendous expenses.  Veterinary care costs money.  Many of the dogs that enter rescue have had little or no previous veterinary care.  Most need to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.  In addition, rescues will provide medical care for any other conditions that a dog may have.  Many of the dogs that enter rescue are "bought" from the shelter.  Animal shelters do not allow rescues to take the dogs for free; there are fees that must be paid to the shelter in order to take the dog into a rescue program.  There are also transportation costs, phone bills, and other miscellaneous expenses involved in rescue, and adoption fees and donations help to cover these costs.

Myth:  Rescues will help find a home for my dog that has bitten or been aggressive with people.  My dog just needs a home without children.

Truth:  Rescues usually DO NOT take dogs that have demonstrated aggressiveness towards humans.  There simply are not enough resources to care of non-aggressive dogs, much less dogs that have bitten or tried to bite.  In addition, if a rescue knowingly adopts a dog to someone when the dog is known to have been aggressive, the adopting family may pursue legal action against the rescue organization.  The liability in placing a dog that has bitten is simply too great.  The best thing to do if you own a dog that has tried to bite is to consult your veterinarian to rule out medical causes for the behavior.  Ask for a referral to a behaviorist.  If you have consulted with the above specialists and your dog is still at risk of biting, the most humane thing is to have your dog gently put to sleep.  Do not take your dog to the shelter when you know he/she is aggressive.  The shelter will not knowingly adopt out an aggressive dog.  The separation from you is very traumatic for your dog, and it is much kinder to put your dog to sleep than to abandon him/her at the shelter where he/she will certainly be euthanized at the end of the required hold period.

Myth:  Rescue groups will go in my neighbor's yard and take their neglected dog in order to find it a new home.

Truth:  Legitimate rescues will not violate the law and "dog-nap".  If you see a dog that you feel is being neglected, call your local animal control.  However, understand that often animal control is unable to assist except in the most extreme cases of neglect involving lack of food, water or shelter.   If you have already called animal control, another option is to ask your neighbors if they still want the dog.  Often these people are glad to have someone offer to assist their dog, and will gladly give the dog to you.  If they do still want the dog and you yourself decide to "dog-nap", you may help the first dog but generally people like this will replace the dog with yet another that will be tied up outside or otherwise neglected

(Thanks to the California Rescue Network for dispelling some myths)

A Personal Journey to Best Friends Animal Sancturay

I attended the "How to Start An Animal Sanctuary Workshop" at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah November 2002. Driving from  the Midwest to Kanab, Utah took me about 36 hours.

Most of Kanab was settled down for the winter, with few restaurants or shops opened. I stayed at a rented cottage in downtown that provided  a lovely garden and luckily, a kitchen. Best friends was about 5 miles from the cottage, so I had a drive every day and night filled with beautiful scenery of flat-topped red mountains, brush, streams and caves.

The first night we all (32 individuals and couples) met at a hotel to introduce ourselves and get an overview of the program. Other participants came from California, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Utah, New Jersey, Texas and Missouri. People came from a variety of backgrounds, too. Included in the program were individuals that: rescued elderly dogs, provided transportation for injured animals via her private airplane, ran a farm sanctuary in New York, opened a vegetarian education center in California, was a vet tech, rescued Persian cats, began a mobile spay/neuter clinic, worked as a chiropractor that promoted animal therapy and many others. Obviously, we had an interesting group. We were each given two folders of information. One was a collection of brochures of vet products, training material and rescue information. The other was a booklet put together by Best Friends of forms, flyers, financial statistics, building plans, essays, and tons of ideas of how to make a difference in the animal world in about 600 pages. I have read the entire booklet and find it very informational and helpful to anyone interested in animal welfare or animal issues.

Best Friends supports animal rights and so every meal we were served was vegetarian and/or vegan. Every meal was very good – served by a chef who used to be an EMT and who would rather live his passion. In fact, most of the people I meet who worked at Best Friends moved from all over the county to be in an environment in which their values about animals and the environment were accepted. Animal rights people and environmentalists go together very well here. Many of the individuals who work at Best Friends, particularly those in direct animal care or general office management were individuals who worked in human societies (that aren’t very humane), rescue groups that failed, major animal rights organizations (such the American Anti-Vivisection Association, Animals First etc). Although, I’m sure Best Friends has their share of staff problems too, there seems to be a real sense of community and place.

On Monday, our first day of the program, we meet for a short historical overview of the sanctuary in a meeting place on the edge of a cliff, for a terrific view of Angel Canyon – the center of Best Friends and staff headquarters. For a normal visitor coming to Best Friends, a guided tour takes about 1-½ hours. Our group tour took over four hours and we missed several places. Obviously, the average visitors see only a few highlights. Our tour included the Visitor Center, Angel’s Rest (cemetery), Old and New Dogtown, Cat Headquarters, Wild Cats Village, For the Birds, Bunny House, Horses’ Haven, Staff Headquarters (offices), Vet Clinic and Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I had the impression that once we arrived at Best Friends we could just park our car and walk to where ever we needed to be – I would find out I was very wrong. The Sanctuary owns 33,000 acres – some of this is leased to cattle ranchers, basically to keep hunters away from the perimeters of the sanctuary. Of the 3,000 acres that make up Best Friends, the actual land used by the animals is about 750. Of course, some of the land is canyon and steep cliffs that are perfect for the wildlife that share the land.

I enjoyed the tour, seeing things that were so different from the way I was picturing them before I arrived. Beyond the beautiful, rugged landscape were just the sheer number of animals, many, many of them disabled. About 1,800 animals live at Best Friends at any given time. Good portions of them are dogs and cats. However, Best Friends also deals with horses, wildlife, rabbits, donkeys, raptors, parrots and songbirds, and the occasionally exotic (pot-bellied pigs, sugar gliders, lizards etc.). Ever hear nearly 600 dogs bark at one time? Or watch an injured mink play with its sibling? See a young blind horse being lead around by an elderly lame stallion? Or play fetch with a cat that had its back legs paralyzed in a car accident? Or yet, walk into an aviary with 200 injured pigeons flying around hoping you will put out food? Or enter a professional office building only to be accosted by the staff’s numerous animal companions – the official greeters? In just a short afternoon, I really got the sense that Best Friends was genuine, caring, professional and even a place with a sense of fun, really keying into our relationships with all animals and acknowledging the therapy power of them, too.

Everyday we had a classroom session with various topics of running a sanctuary, these included: forming a board for a non-profit, fund-raising, marketing tactics, failure of for-profit and non-profit rescues, caring for special needs animals, adopting rescued animals, environmental impact of large sanctuaries, community acceptance, alternatives to running a sanctuary, direct animal care issues, becoming a wildlife rehabilitator, veterinary training, networking, finances, accessing your own skills and personality (What type of work are you suited for?), and other topics. We also formed small groups to work on a joint project to "practice" becoming a non-profit in specific types of environments. Each group – there were four - had a different scenario based on a real life situation that Best Friends had assisted with. We also had the opportunity to take part in special tours and trainings offered throughout the week and to work in various animal care areas.

I participated in a backstage tour of Cat Headquarters, Angel Canyon, and temperament training for dogs. I worked in the following animal areas: horses, feral cats, birds/wildlife, and special needs cats. Typically, I worked in one area each day for about four hours (sometimes longer).

First to tell you about the tour of Cat Headquarters, which included areas for isolating new arrivals, ill cats, infectious diseased, "very adoptables" and feral cats. The tour broke down specific information about each area, introduced the manager and explained the policies. The tour leader talked about building design and problems, also addressing areas of visitation, long term care and financing. There are about 700 cats living in the cat areas. There are 28 individual "catteries" that can house up to 25 cats a piece. Morgaine’s Place is only for very "adoptable" cats that have little or no visible defects or diseases. Benton’s Place is for severely disabled cats, like those missing limbs; eyes, ears or that have a neurological problem. Kitty Motel is for cats that have FIV, Leukemia or have become paralyzed. Wild Cats Village is a collection of building with indoor and outdoor units for feral or nearly feral cats, that were trapped or were injured and brought to Best Friends. Best Friends also has a staff member that maintains feral cat colonies for 50 miles in each direction. That includes over 60 colonies. Cat Headquarters contains an isolation area for kittens and also houses offices. Happy Landings is a large building for new arrivals that need to be isolated until it is determined if they have any disease or injury. Every time I toured an area, it seemed exhausting – there was just so much to see and learn.

Angel Village was glorious, stretching for so many miles. Sunsets were lovely and the ability to watch the mule deer feeding, gave the area a real sense of peace. Although, in a way it seems unlikely that this landscape made for a good sanctuary, you’d have to read Best Friends by Samantha Glenn (True Story of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary) to understand the real meaning of Angel Canyon.

One place in Angel Canyon that was meaningful and peaceful was Angel’s Rest, the cemetery. It encompasses about 40 acres. The main gate was designed by Cyrus Meija, an artist and original founder, and is a dramatic entrance into a huge pet cemetery. Instead of a place of sorrow, it was one of beautiful peace. Everywhere you looked were "trees" of wind chimes, causing music to pour through the place. Each wind chime was a memorial placed by Best Friends or by individuals or families that lost a special animal companion. Every animal buried here has a name – there are no mass graves or numbers, every animal wild or domestic has a marker. If you ask the staff in advance, they can find any marker for you since they keep track of all memorials, even of animals not buried here. One of my cats, Lancelot, died of kidney failure at the age of five this summer – he has a wind chime remembering him. There are many statures, solar fountains, gravestones, benches and niches with memorial trinkets throughout the cemetery. It would be difficult not to be "touched" while walking though Angel’s Rest.

Temperament training for dogs took place on Thursday morning at the vet clinic. Best Friends trains all the dogs that enter the sanctuary to determine what type of home would be best for them. They "grade" the dogs on three major levels, indicated by their collar colors. A Green collar stands for a dog that is very friendly and suitable for really anyone. These dogs can be any breed or mix, any age and can have a disability, too. A Yellow collar stands for a dog that may have more serious behavior problems or a more serious medical condition; of course they are still very adoptable, but not for everyone. A Red collar stands for a dog that is aggressive with or without a medical reason. Many of these dogs are not adopted out to anyone without experience in dealing with biting and aggression toward children or other animals. I did not tour the area with the Red collared dogs because they are kept in a secure area near the vet’s office. There were a couple of people in our program group that worked with the "problem dogs". Most people would pass these dogs up and many would probably agree that they are dangerous and should stay at the sanctuary forever.

One of the first areas that I worked in was the Horse Haven. There is one full-time manager, two full-time employees and several part-time assistants plus many volunteers. There are about thirty horses, several burros and a few sheep and pot-bellied pigs in this area. We were required to watch a safety video in dealing with, approaching and feeding horses before we could enter any of the areas. I had to clean several of the horse areas with a huge rake and wheelbarrow first then return to the areas with hay and grain. Many of the horses near the Visitor’s Center were friendly and looking for a new home. Some of the outer lying pastures housed the horses with disabilities and the aged. After cleaning and feeding the main horses, four of us volunteers got into the back of a pickup truck with a young staff member who was in charge of special diets for the older horses in the far pastures. It was an interesting ride on narrow dirt roads looking way down the sides of the canyon. Tonya (the staff) had a Doberman that loved to run beside the truck to race to the top of the canyon and then had to be petted and rewarded after beating the truck. He also raced back down. Billie, the Doberman would enter the fenced horse areas, actually checking the horses legs for injuries. Tonya would then place salve on their legs to help them heal. The horse in the far pastures did not have barns or stalls to rest in. In the Midwest we are used to hard winters and having to put the horses in protected areas. In southern Utah, there are really so few bad winter days, that the horses roam free. They are only put in stalls if they are really sick and injured. Many of the horses in the fenced areas were elderly, blind, deaf or somehow injured. But all were gentle and seemed to love the special attention we volunteers gave them. When we worked in these areas we were given statistics on the cost of food, medical care and training for each horse. The numbers were amazing. In total, Best Friends has an annual budget of about 10 million dollars for about 1,800 animals – wow! None of the horses that come to Best Friends are ever ridden again – most horses need a break because many were not treated well before they came to the sanctuary.

The next day I worked with the feral cats. This area was extensive and many of the cats that live in these "colonies" were trapped or captured long before it was "acceptable" to manage feral colonies in cities and in rural areas. Many of the feral at Best Friends have become very friendly and seek out attention from visitors. All of the approximately 200 feral cats are considered to be appropriate to place as house cats now. I found that many of them preferred to stay in the rafters than visit. However, I loved playing with them and spent my time one half-day cleaning and feeding them. The manager, Bob, of the feral cats was originally from  Michigan. He seemed to care very much about the cats. He admitted he was very obsessive-compulsive and had color coordinated each and every feral cat area, so there was the purple room, the orange room, the blue room etc. Bob would get very upset if someone would put bedding, toys, blankets or food dishes in a room in which they did not match! I definitely found some humor in this, and I was very careful to match everything. The cat rooms were designed with an indoor and outdoor component. The outdoor area was about 250 square feet and was about 10 feet high. It was enclosed by heavy steel gage wire with a cement floor that could easily be mopped and included wooden rafters that cats would hide above. Many areas had litter boxes and food dishes above because some of the feral cats would never come down. The indoor area was about 250 feet also and included walkways and shelves that were built in. Everything was very, very clean and colorful. The heaters were put up high on the wall so that cats could not spray into them and the doors were placed so that if a cat did run out, it went into the interior greeting area, where there was a kitchen, laundry and a place for visitors to seek information. Many of the cats were let out on purpose, because they loved fresh water from the sink.

Feathered Friends was designed to house both parrots, songbirds, raptors, chickens and ducks and other birds. Sometimes, small wildlife was also put in this area, such as the minks that were there recuperating from trap injuries. Feathered Friends was located near the staff offices on a road that was not easy to find for the general public. No one was allowed in this area without an escort or working with a staff member because of the permits required by the state to rehabilitate wildlife. Although, a small trailer housed only parrots and other house birds, a majority of this area was dedicated to raptors and songbirds that come here to recoup from injuries or now live at Best Friends permanently as educational birds. My original intent was to work mainly with the wildlife, but because of a family emergency, they were short a key staff person that worked with volunteers. So I was able to spend some time at Feathered Friends and at other areas, too. Many of the parrots that come to Best Friends have behavioral problems such as screaming or biting. Some parrots, such as Quakers, can be a real environmental problem when let out of the house because of their nesting abilities. They often nest in groups causing problems with electrical wires, native birds and damaging trees or other types of property. Once these birds pick a "mate" whether human or avian they do not allow others to approach them, often biting hard.  An entire mobile home or trailer is filled with parrots and smaller house type birds. Needless to say it was very noisy and quite dusty because of all the feathers. There also were about 8 huge outdoor aviaries that housed several owls, raptors (which we were not allowed to go near since their fear was so strong they could injure themselves more from panic), pigeons, peacocks, songbirds, doves, a male bald eagle, several roosters and chickens, ducks and turtles, too. Just before we came in November, they had to put to sleep a bobcat that had been living at Best Friends for about 11 years. She was about 19 years old when she died, but she had a hard life. She came to Best Friends as a youngster, after being captured as a cub and was declawed on all four paws to be kept as a house pet. Obviously, she became too big and aggressive and the owners had to give her up. Unfortunately, she could not be released into the wild because she was not afraid of humans and would actually approach them for food. All we "saw" of her was an empty, large outdoor fenced area and a strong visual impression of a magnificent animals placed into captivity by stupid people. There were three owls in one aviary. Two of them were brought to the sanctuary because of severe injuries to their legs and the other one was missing a wing. All three of them, two males and one female had bonded together and looked liked a "family" since when I saw them they were all huddled together. One of the males, Hilltop, missing a wing, was brought to one of our classroom sessions about working with wildlife. They are such gorgeous birds and certainly do give off an air of wisdom and intelligence. Annabelle, a raven was also brought to class. She was found with leg injuries as a baby and was hand raised, so she could never be released into the wild. The people who found Annabelle did not think they were doing anything wrong since they had never heard about wildlife rehabilitation, nor did they think ravens were really wildlife. It was stressed that anyone working with any kind of animals should be familiar with their local wildlife rehabilitator, since you never know what kind of calls you may get when doing animal rescues. We walked through the pigeon areas, listened to about 50 doves cooing and admired many songbirds, not found in the Midwest, that were spending time healing from injuries, almost ready to be released again. Sharon St. Joan, is the wildlife rehabilitator for Best Friends and for much of the Southwest. She was also one of the original founders of the sanctuary. She shared with us her educational experience and the frustrations of dealing with people who care more about domestic animals than wildlife. I’m not sure it is lack of caring, but lack of knowledge and a lack of a connection to nature. Many people feel their dog is their closest link to animals. Many people never really experience animals in nature because their lifestyle or their choice of living in cities never gives them the opportunity.

The last day at Best Friends, I worked in the Kitty Motel, for FIV (Feline AIDS), Leukemia and incontinent cats. This building also housed cats that were severely paralyzed or elderly. One of the "greeter" cats, Crystal was 19 years old. Once a cat loses its ability to "use a litter box properly", then it becomes unwanted, especially if there is an underlying medical problem. Many of the cats in this area not effected by infectious disease had been abused, hit by cars or just somehow unluckly to come by injuries that left them incontinent. Many of these cats do not have tails, rear legs or have paws on stumps of legs or had spinal cord injuries. When I tell most people about these cats, they instantly feel their quality of life is gone and should be "put to sleep". They are very mistaken, because these cats love to play, be petted and act normal as if they have nothing wrong with them. True, the rooms must be cleaned more frequently, but it is a small price to pay for such unconditional love. Special needs cats are no different then elderly people in a good nursing or assisted living home. They actually require very little other then extra attention. The cats with FIV and leukemia are separated from all others. These diseases shorten their lifespans, sometimes dramatically and are very contagious. FIV is difficult to transmit, usually only by deep bite wounds, and so could be mixed in a normal, peaceful household with other cats. Leukemia cats cannot be mixed with others, because it is spread via food, saliva, and feces. This disease is a real problem with homeowners who let their cats outside to mingle with others. I really enjoyed working with the elderly cats that had leukemia – they absolutely loved attention. Many people are afraid of working with them because of bad rumors.

In discussing the environmental impact of running a large sanctuary, we covered several topics, although not in as much detail as I would have liked. For example, some of the animal waste (horse, rabbit, chicken) is used as fertilizer in the gardens throughout the sanctuary. The dog, cat and bird waste is either thrown away in the garbage or is buried on an unused part of the sanctuary. The buried waste is subject to disturbance by the wildlife and could eventually be a cause of concern. It is not buried near any water source. The closest recycling facility is nearly 31/2 hours away. Several staff members collect aluminum cans (pop cans, dog and cat food cans) and drive to the facility a couple of times a month. Otherwise, no recycling is done. They are looking into having someone donate a large truck to carry the recycables once a month to the facility, since obviously, with so many animals, to feed they throw away too many reusable items. No chemicals are used in their gardens or landscaping. A large portion of the food served in the cafeteria is organic. However, much of the animal food is donated – and they take what they get. Some of the donated food may not be the healthiest, containing animals-by-products or preservatives. None goes to waste with so many to feed. Sometimes, Best Friends receives a donation of something they do not need or use and they give it to another organization. All of the building supplies that can be recycled are also given to other struggling rescue groups or sanctuaries. Their water source is local and none of it is filtered except for use in the vet clinic. A majority of the cleaning supplies were also donated and many of them, unfortunately are toxic in some way. Although, most of the staff prefers a vinegar or bleach solution, they also use what is generously donated.

At Best Friends, most of the classroom portion of the program allowed us to freely ask questions both of the speaker and of others in the program that had experience in a certain area. The information was almost overwhelming.  I walked away with a future goal in mind of actually operating a very small sanctuary with some family members that are like-minded. I always thought I would like to work with animals that have infectious diseases and/or disabilities and coming to Best Friends just confirmed that. Animals with disabilities and infectious diseases have a lot to teach us, both about love and compassion, not to mention determination to live as normally as possible. These animals make wonderful companions, whether they are dogs, cats, horses or exotics – to the right person. They are also a wonderful support network for humans that have infectious diseases or severe disabilities. Fostering a love for companion animals and wildlife link us back to the natural world so many people are distant from. At least being able to love another creature takes us a step closer to loving earth again.

Check out www.bestfriends.org for more information.

Send mail to biocentriceducation@lycros.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 07/29/03