Road Trip - Part III (Best Friends/Work & Play)

Day Two at Best Friends started with fog.

And later, sleet.    I have to admit it was pretty, but we were waking up to temps in the 30s. Brrrr!



I decided to put on every thing I'd packed (borrowed) except for one outfit - that meant 2 pairs of pants (yes 2), 4 shirts/sweatshirts, and a jacket. I was more than happy to add gloves from my new best friend. Still brrrr!



That didn't stop me from hiking though! There was a trail that led to a stone labyrinth that we tried to get to and stopped short. But the views! You can not take a bad picture of Angel Canyon.

In the mornings, we cleaned.



At noon, we had a vegetarian buffet lunch at the cafe/cafeteria for $5. The views were spectacular.



In the afternoons, we played with, socialized, or exercised the animals that needed it most.



Love kitties... All up for adoption!



We also finagled the Best Friends' representatives into goofing off with us and Supa Kitty, Fearless Kitty's mascot. Yep, that's one of the victims good sports with the hat on.



Ah, good times. Plus we learned a lot and enjoyed the surroundings. Who's going with Fearless next year?

Thought we were done? So did we! But bonus - we took a different route heading back, passing by Glen Canyon Dam, which was also quite a sight.

Photo by: DesertUSA

As two of our three cars drove through Page, AZ, we saw a little, long-haired dachshund mix running along the busy highway, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We immediately pulled over. It turned out she was very friendly and very pregnant. If we backtracked, there were a couple of lone trailers on the other side of the freeway, so we U-turned and headed over to see if the dog belonged to someone. It was obvious as soon as we pulled onto the dirt road and passed the trailers (with terrified dogs hiding underneath), that there was no way this friendly, leash-trained dog (yep, someone actually had a collar & leash in her purse) had come from there. She was more likely dumped.

Well, she found the right people to save her. Two in our crew happen to either have a rescue with dogs or works with one and just happened to be the only two in the lead car. They took her, gave her food & water (yep, they had that too), and texted a few times that they were afraid she might go into labor. Yikes! Both car loads texted at the same time that the pooch's name should be "Paige." And so it was.

Once back to the Phoenix area, the dynamic duo managed to get Paige to a vet open on Sunday, who generously offered discounts and waived all kinds of fees. The furry mama is going to have about 4 puppies any day now; she's healthy. Lots of networking during the drive led to a foster. A generous soul appeared and offered to pick up that vet's tab. More calls may already have led to a home for her (not the puppies).

If you want to help Paige and her puppies, you can donate here.

And that's how we roll.

Fearless Kitty Rescue

Road Trip - Part II (Best Friends/The Property)

Now for the tour and photos (they're a mix of mine and other's on the trip). Twelve people/three vehicles - lots of luggage and food...and booze.

The view on the way there. The wild weather only made it more beautiful.



It was about a 5-hour drive, and we had to push it because we had to get there by 2 p.m. for a tour. During the drive and later the tour, it hailed.  

This place is huge - Best Friends owns nearly 3,700 acres and leases another 17,000 acres of state and federal land.

Interactive map: here

We were in awe before we left the welcome center.



It only got better.



During the 1 1/2 hour tour (and later when we went out on our own), we passed by various enclosures housing everything from horses...



... to pigs...



...to goats (and usually sheep)...



...to turkeys, which ran loose around the property...

...to bunnies (Best Friends took in 1,600 from just one hoarding situation), birds (including parrots)...

The feeders on the porch had the most hummingbirds we'd ever seen.
More than the actual hummingbird house in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum!

and dogs. They were the ones who took in all the dogs caught up in the Michael Vick dog-fighting debacle (Vicktory Dogs). A couple are still there, but most have gone on to fantastic homes.



And, of course, cats. There are many houses dedicated to the animals. Some of the kitties are paraplegics, some incontinent, some FIV positive, some forever feral, most are just plain unfortunate or unlucky. In 2006, there was a horrible situation in Nevada that included over 700 cats. Best Friends took in all of them. Some from that batch are still there.



Even they have a community cat, Meow, who has free reign of the property.

And finally, there is also a cemetery on-site, Angel's Rest, that includes both animals, over 5,000 of them, and a few people (staff, I think). There are more than 1,000 wind chimes, but it's less insane than you might think. It was a somber place, but if you ever want a name for your next pet, this is the place to come. We couldn't help but giggle at more than a few.



For you Fountain Hills folks, you might have seen the Greg Todd statue called Hugs N' Kitten located in the Community Center's Centennial Circle. It was donated by Jean and Rolland Lorenz in honor of "fearless kitties." Their kitty was buried at Best Friends, so we took a photo of the grave for them.


After a long day, we were left breathless once more when the sun headed south. Well done!

Part III tomorrow.