A Volunteer Trip: Paid By Licks And Love!

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with a trip?! Well, that’s what Gavin and I agree on! There has been a seed of desire within us for nearly three years now to do a volunteer trip to Kanab, Utah to one of the most wonderful places on Earth! We made it happen for his 14th birthday. The stars aligned and our trip unfolded into one of the most beautiful experiences we have had! As I nestled in the chair to write this article I grabbed a cup of coffee but overlooked the fact that I may need a Kleenex. Don’t worry, keep reading. This does not contain mass amounts of sadness. Have you ever cried tears of happiness and gratitude? Yes, that’s what this whole venture was for me! So read on! I am excited to relive this!

So, if you have followed me at all, you know that healthy eating is the foundation of life for me and I try to pass that on to my children as well. I knew that we would have some long travel days so I prepared with some good healthy travel snacks for us. Saving us money and supporting our journey with some great fuel.

Uncured aged pepperoni, fresh apples, plums, raw pecans, all organic of course and a bag of assorted fruit leather that I made the week before our trip!

And off we go!! Thanks to our wonderful photographer, Draven, for capturing Gavin and I bubbling with excitement!

Once we arrived in Las Vegas we rented a car and zigged and zagged through Vegas rush hour traffic to our destination. Although reaching our destination is never the goal! If you learn one thing in this life, know that the joy of the whole journey is what its all about. Those are not just words to be considered. Live it and your life will contain so much more meaning. So, it was great that our exit from Vegas ran parallel with the Vegas strip! Gavin got a close up view of it and was just in awe. That’s always fun for me as a mom when I get to see my children be in awe of what this big world contains. I have been to Vegas a couple times but Dan has not so he was a bit envious when Gavin called him on the phone to tell him all about it! The greatest highlight of our drive out to Utah was taking in the dusk sunset and just as we were leaving Vegas watching the FULL MOON rise up over the distant mountains, so bright and beautiful! Just purely majestic!

And, it was Oct 18th and 70 degrees so we had the windows down and the sunroof open. Taking it all in! Using all of our senses to take it all in! I often see things as an omen and that to me was definitely a sign of an amazing  journey ahead!

Our drive was estimated to be about 4 hours to Kanab Utah. I set the GPS and Gavin got some shut eye for a of couple hours. With no wrong turns we arrived at our cottage at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary several hours later. The drive was so mystical. We could see that the terrain was “not home” anymore and although we could not fully see in the dark we could get some great glimpses due to the full moonlight! As we drove up to our cottage there were mule deer bedded down right along the road so close that we could have reached out to touch them.

It was getting really late when we finally reached our cottage but as soon as I saw the journals sitting on the counter I had to snatch them up and read about all whom had been there before us and their experiences! As if we were not already elated enough, that just got us even more amped up!

It was super fun the next morning at daybreak getting to step out our front door to fully see what our new surroundings looked like!
We had reservations for a bright and early at 8 a.m. full tour of the Sanctuary the next morning.

The tour was very informative. It was great to take that because we were not signed up to work in every area so this gave us a chance to see the entire place! A whopping 3,700 acres of heaven of Earth!

We stopped at Cat World during part of the tour. The sanctuary is home to over 1,700 animals on any given day and their cat population hovers around 600. Although they did have a recent influx of cats due to a recent rescue from a hoarding situation. They rescued 800 cats from one lady!!!!

We quickly observed that lots of wildlife found safety and good foraging on the sanctuary lands. They wild turkeys were right outside of the cat housing during our morning tour. Some of the cats were ready and trying to pounce on them but that darn fence between them was not allowing any fun!

During our tour we stopped at Dogtown. Home to all of their beautiful canines. During the tour we all got to meet Norton.

He was a shy and beautiful Pit that was rescued from a shelter in Texas. We sat in a circle and all offered treats from our hands but not making any eye contact with him. When his treats were gone he did move toward a few of us for a couple gentle pets. And it was exciting that he was attracted to Gavin and I and allowed us to pet him.

I need to mention one important thing. I get asked this all the time. How did you hear about/find out about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary?
One cold and snowy January night nearly three years ago, Gavin and I were nestled in my bed with my netbook computer and we were tired and ready for bed but it was too early to turn in. Something like 6 pm so we decided to fish through our Netflix and find something of interest. We stumbled upon a series called DogTown that was under the “streaming live” options. We decided to give it a try. One episode and we were HOOKED! DogTown is part of Best Friends. It was aired on The National Geographic Channel and ran as a four season series. During our tour we learned that the initial intention of National Geographic was to do a couple 1 hour shows and they were such a huge hit that it turned into the four season series.

After our great tour we were scheduled for a mandatory volunteer orientation. When volunteering at Best Friends you have to complete paperwork and forms online, register and have everything set up before you go so I had been working on the details of this trip for a couple months before arriving there. Since this trip was in celebration of Gavin’s 14th birthday, I let him choose which areas of the sanctuary we would be working in. He chose to do every block of time in with the dogs but one. And the one remaining block he chose the pigs!

The different areas of the sanctuary are DogTown, Cat World, Horse Haven which also houses the goats and sheep, Marshall’s Piggy Paradise, Bunny House, Parrot Garden and Wild Friends.

Everyday the sanctuary offered a great vegetarianlunch buffet for only $5! And it was located at one of the most beautiful areas of the sanctuary on a tremendous overlook!

After lunch it was time for our first volunteer block of time! The afternoon hours were from 1:15 until 4 pm. We got to choose which area of Dogtown we wanted to work in. They have MANY runs and each building has its own name. Our first duties were some cleaning chores.

Gavin scooped poop from the runs while I filled each dogs bucket to the brim with fresh water.

After that we then washed and dried food bowls, kongs and dog toys.

This may not seem like much fun but I have always tried to teach Gavin to do your work with a happy heart. So, no matter what you are doing, do your work happily. And keeping a homeless pets surroundings clean was the least we could do to keep them happy! After that we swept out each run in the building we were working in and then mopped.

The floors of all of the runs were so clean all the time. I think they got cleaned at least twice a day. Of all of the hours that we spent volunteering, that was the only time that we did cleaning duties. One of our favorite jobs was taking the dogs on walks. They had many great dog trails laid out!

Me walking a high energy, fun loving canine! This innocent pup was found by a park ranger, abandoned at a campground in Arizona. He was so sweet and fun.

After we were done with hikes we were able to have time to socialize with the dogs in their runs! Rainy (on my left) also quickly tugged at our heart strings.
She was left at the doorstep of a vet clinic in Colorado and had just had a batch of puppies recently to being abandoned. Every single animal that arrives at Best Friends has an incredible story. I was so intrigued with each ones story of how they had arrived there. They were all channels of pure positive energy and love even though many of them had been through such traumatic and horrible life events. They are so loving and forgiving. I think that’s what attracts Gavin and I to them so much! Our volunteer hours quickly passed by. We would end one block of time and be excited to start the next!

We will always have such great memories of out time in Piggy Paradise! It was ALL FUN! We began that day with preparing each pigs fresh meals.

We had a board with all of the “recipes” for each pig listed out and got right to our fun. Each pigs diet was individually set up for their needs. Talk about great care.

Gavin went to scooping vegetables, pellets and almonds and I stayed busy chopping and mincing heads of romaine.

I went through an entire huge case of over 40 heads of romaine for one feeding!

Gavin standing by all of our top chef pig meals!

Meet Sammy!

She laid in the back room as we mixed up meals. She was tucked in under blankets like a teenager not wanting to crawl out of bed! When the staff lady made her get up, she got very vocal and was showing her disapproval for having to get up and moving. Gavin and I could not hold back the laughter! The staff lady said she was telling her off! And, in deed, that is exactly what she was doing! Sammy was made to walk from her bed in the building to outdoors where she receives her meals and then lays on a platform that they built for her, sunning herself as the days pass by. Just the act of her walking out to her platform was a huge action to be celebrated! When Sammy arrived at Best Friends she was a whopping 200 pounds over weight! She could not walk or stand and could not even see because she has too much fat around her eyes, head and face. She has lost 100 pounds since arriving at the sanctuary. She’s on her way to a better life everyday! She receives routine acupuncture for joint damage from being too obese.

Best Friends received a call from a vet stating the condition of Sammy and saying that she needed to be put down unless they could help her. She was brought to the vet by her owner whom had been over feeding her to her death.

They had several different pens of pigs. Each pig having their own story

After feeding duties were done, we got to take pigs for a hike! Yup, that’s right! Free range! No leashes.

The secret was to have a palm full of almonds and if they got distracted and quit following us, then we would toss an almond down in front of them to keep them on course! Lots of laughs were had on that venture!

When the pig duties were done we had some time left and a staff member took us up to tour all of the parrots/birds. We were very grateful for that experience since we were not working with them we would not have seen them or their set up. And there was an abundance of them! We learned so much from being in their rescue area! They each had their own personalities and such a great sense of humor!

Whenever this bird would see anyone in the next room, she would hop over, perch on the handle and use her beak to knock on the window to let her out. They had so many birds due to their long life span. Many people will buy one of these birds not fully knowing the responsibility that comes along with them. They all need a very specific diet to stay healthy and these birds almost always outlive their owners so they lose their homes when their owners give up on them or pass away or get to elderly to care for them. These birds also go through self destructive behaviors when they are loved and then their life changes suddenly and they get shifted into a new environment. They will tear out their feathers and often tear their own skin open. One in particular had been breaking pieces of wood off from its perch and shoving the wood into its neck. Enough of those sad stories. Its all a great reminder to make choices mindfully and consciously each and every day.

Making feathered friends!

One highlight that Gavin and I were looking forward to was having a sleepover with the dog of our choice!! We chose Pearl or Pearl chose us. Im not sure which way it happened but she was the perfect companion!

Sleepovers give the dogs a chance to be out into the real world and get them ready for adoption. I can’t say enough  about what a sweet and loving girl she was. When having a sleepover with a dog or cat you do a “checkout” at headquarters with them and you receive an overnight bag for them containing a blanket, treats, water bowl, toys and evaluation form. Filling out all of the details of your overnight venture allows them to pass along that info to the trainer of the dogs.

Pearl sat in the back seat of the car with Gavin on the way to our hotel. She was panting and nervous. When we got to our room she was pacing. I knew after a bit she would settle down and she did! She snuggled right up next to Gavins body all night. And her precious tail wags were worth everything to us! She was rescued from Texas. She had been part of an illegal fighting ring. They did not know what role she played in it. They only know what vision they hold for her future and Gavin and I were part of creating that! So, we got her back bright and early the next morning and fed her breakfast. We also spent some time hand feeding the dogs that were shy and had trust issues. That was a very touching activity for us to be involved with!

We then chose to work in “Old Friends” the rest of the day. That is their Senior dog section of the sanctuary.

We did lots of hikes that morning with the dogs. Each one having a different speed. We were then asked if we would like to do an “outing” and that was lots of fun! Nadia was due for an outing so off we set with her to explore the outside world! She is a boxer. Her owners had began traveling too much and didn’t have time for her. That’s what lead her to Best Friends. So, with an outing you check your dog out for the day. You receive a bag of care items much like the overnight bag and you’re off! We could do whatever we wanted! Take her to town, to lunch, shopping, hiking, etc. We decided to take her on a car ride and let the wind blow through out hair! Windows down, sunroof open!! We were free and loving it!

We ended up taking her for a hike. We wound down over a mountain and followed a stream along, playing, running and enjoying the sunshine and our surroundings.

When it was time to go back to her run we loaded her up next to Gavin in the back seat. For Nadia, next to Gavin was not good enough, she ended up laying on his lap!

And within a couple minutes she was snoring away! Feeling safe, content and loved! Can it get any better than that?! After we returned her, we filled out her evaluation form and turned it in.

She got an A+! She was wonderful!

We took the rest of the afternoon to explore Angels Rest. That is their cemetery. Thousands of beautiful furry friends have stones and memorials there! Best Friends has existed in this canyon since the early 80′s so you can image how huge it was!!! There were well over 3,000 wind chimes in the memorial so anytime a gentle breeze came through it sounded like what one would imagine being like the heavens. Each stone contained a collar, picture or something special and personal to each pet.

Our last evening was winding down and we were not ready to leave. It was hard to wrap our minds around all we had learned, felt and experienced over the last several days! I was overflowing with gratitude for every second of it.

We spent the evening out on our cottage patio, reflecting, chatting and watching the mule deer move in and steal from the horses salt licks and feed bins.

Before returning to our cottage we strolled through the gift shop where I had picked up a book that I knew would be a great read to round out my time at this wonderful place.

This place was a beautiful reminder to always follow your dreams! No matter how big they seem! This place once started as just a thought and a dream by a group of animal loving friends and has become the biggest no kill animal sanctuary in the world! Its the perfect place to love and be loved! A volunteer trip where we received much more than any paid job could ever give. This experience will forever hold a special place in my heart. And I’m sure Gavin’s too!