Experience The Magic of Best Friends
– Guest Writer –
There is a destination in Southern Utah where 30,000 animal lovers make a pilgrimage from all around the world every year. A place where dinosaur tracks and petroglyphs mark its red rock cliffs, where the Lone Ranger and John Wayne once roamed. A place that some people find so special that they make the journey to this destination in the high desert year after year, returning with friends, partners, and kids so that they can share an experience often described as “magical.”
This place is the home and headquarters of Best Friends Animal Society, which operates the largest animal sanctuary in the United States. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, located just outside Kanab, Utah, and in close proximity to Zion and Bryce National Parks, cares for about 1,600 animals on any given day and offers free visitor and volunteer experiences at every level.
It’s the dogs, cats, horses, bunnies, pigs, goats, and more that attract visitors for the first time. But it’s the sense of community, the stunning ambiance, and the peaceful energy of the Sanctuary that keep people coming back.
What began as a dream by its co-founders in 1984 to save homeless pets, Best Friends’ Sanctuary has grown from endless acres of rustic land formerly used as dinosaur stomping grounds and a backdrop for Western movies into a national organization that’s working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters.
Since Best Friends started, shelter deaths have decreased from 17 million a year to about 347,000. This has been accomplished by partnering with more than 3,300 shelters and operating lifesaving centers and programs in cities across the country, as well as the contribution of passionate individuals who foster, adopt, donate, volunteer, and advocate to bring about the day when there are no more homeless pets.
At the Sanctuary, visitors can see and experience Best Friends’ lifesaving work in action, while volunteers have the potential for such activities as socializing puppies or bunnies, feeding popcorn to pigs, taking a cat on a stroller ride, taking a dog for a walk, playing with kittens or taking select pets on a sleepover.
Lodging can be found on-site in one of the Sanctuary’s several cabins and cottages that offer views of horse pastures and starry skies or at the organization’s hotel the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile, in downtown Kanab, winner of the 2022 Best Motel Award from Best of State Utah.
Designed as the most pet-centric hotel in the country, the Roadhouse extends the Sanctuary experience by offering guests sleepovers of Sanctuary dogs, cats, and bunnies or offers a warm welcome to your own pets. What’s more, every stay benefits the lifesaving work of Best Friends Animal Society.
At the Roadhouse, pets can enjoy all the available activities, such as time in the play yards, a summer splash zone, the mercantile store, Saturday morning yoga and hanging out during live music and movie events happening throughout the year. There’s a fire pit going every night at the Roadhouse, so pick up a s’mores kit at the mercantile and experience some old-school joy with your travel mates. Each room comes with built-in trundle pet beds, and lots of pet treats, plus a delicious daily vegan continental breakfast is available for humans!
Just down the road, you’ll find free family fun at the Best Friends Visitor Center, with crafts, cookies, storytime, and more happening throughout the week.
However long you plan to visit Kanab – a few hours, days, or even weeks – you won’t want to miss the magic of the Best Friends experience. Visit www.bestfriends.org to learn more about the sanctuary and www.bestfriendsroadhouse.org to book a stay at the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile.
