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Life of a Best Friends Rescue Dog

The Story of a Best Friend Animal Society Adoption

This is the life story of a rescue dog, our Best Friends rescue dog. When we met, I had no idea how much you would change our lives for the better. Our time together was short but continues to have a lasting impact.

Thousands of miles and adventures in your years. Thank you for saving us, sweet girl. Run free…

We met at Best Friends Animal Society, a place that was on my bucket list after seeing their National Geographic “Dog Town” series. We scheduled a tour and then randomly checked their website for puppies available for adoption. There you were! Without hardly thinking, we submitted our adoption paperwork. It was late in the evening. The next morning during the tour, we got a call from the Best Friends Adoption Specialist. Our cell service was sketchy, so we could not connect. We were so nervous that we would miss the opportunity. But then…

From that day forward, life was full of lessons, adventures, and love. You taught us patience, how to work together, to take breaks, to enjoy daily walks. You literally made us laugh every single day. Your personality was larger than life. You loved to travel and road trips. Every hotel, every new location, was a place to discover and explore. You climbed on every table and chair even when you were too big to fit. You loved sitting on the lawn chairs in the backyard and taking it all in.

I could post a million pictures of you and tell a million stories. When we found out that you had kidney disease at your one year check-up, it was so heartbreaking. We made up our minds to fill your short life with adventure. Another thing that through you changed us forever. We grew closer, discovered ourselves through traveling, and became happier. I felt a strong connection to you because of struggling with my own pain. We both had challenges but we figured out ways to work around them and live our best lives. We took breaks when we needed them and pushed ourselves when we could. Together.

You were never sure what to do with your long legs. 🙂

You died at the young age of three (almost four). I’m so thankful for the time that you had with your brother, Allen. He brought out so much joy in you the last year of your life.

We miss you so much.

Best Friends Animal Society started over 35 years ago with a no-kill sanctuary in Utah. Today, they are helping homeless pets in every corner of the country. Their goal is to have the country no-kill by 2025. You can learn more HERE.

Learn more about Best Friends and make a gift in honor of your animal best friend at https://bfas.io/bfday23.

Life is short, do the things that stir your soul. ❤️

*Originally posted January 12, 2021. One year after Utah passed away.

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

June 7, 2023
Dog-Friendly Hotel In Southern Utah

The most pet-friendly hotel in Southern Utah

Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile is an awesome pet-friendly hotel in Kanab, Utah. It’s the perfect complement to a Best Friends Animal Sanctuary volunteer trip or the ideal place to stay with pets while traveling in Southern Utah.

Pet amenities with no high extra fees

It truly is the most pet-friendly hotel! Our dog, Allen, gives it 5 stars. He loved sleeping on the pullout bed. He also was impressed with the small touches like his personalized nameplate, welcome treats from the staff, and his very own drinking fountain. His favorite is the fenced pet park for running, playing ball, and meeting new friends. All of this and the pets stay free.

Look at that smile at the Best Friends Roadhouse pet park.

The pet park is spacious with plenty of running room and has a splash zone for hot summer days. There is also a small run area. Other pet amenities include a pet washing station, pet walking service, or pet visits from the staff. There is a fee for the walking service and visits.

This is the walk back to the pet park area. The mural is so beautiful and there’s a great spot to sit and enjoy a bonfire.

Allen enjoyed shopping at the mercantile and visiting with the staff.

Best Friends Roadhouse has a stage for upcoming community events and entertainment.

We were also super impressed with the technology. The internet worked great and these iPads were so nice with all the information about the Roadhouse and surrounding area.

Another added benefit is that you can walk to restaurants from Best Friends Roadhouse. You can read about our Top 5 Restaurants in Kanab by clicking HERE. This time we checked out Jakey Leigh’s Coffee Shop and the fresh-baked bagels lived up to the hype.

Our February 2020 stay was unexpected. Our dog, Utah, passed away while we were traveling in Arizona. We brought her back to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to lay her to rest at Angels Rest within the sanctuary.

The staff at the Roadhouse went above and beyond to help us through this hard time. I can’t say enough about their warmth and hospitality. We are incredibly thankful for them and everyone at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.

Sunset view from our room…

Please message me with any questions about Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Roadhouse, or Kanab. It’s a magical place!

©What Stirs Your Soul Media

May 2, 2021
Best Friends – Giving Tuesday Now

Today is Giving Tuesday Now. The current pandemic is affecting everyone including homeless pets and pet shelters. I’m so thankful for the hard work that Best Friends Animal Society is doing even during this uncertain time to save them all.

Giving Tuesday Now is an opportunity to support the organizations that you love most. If you give to Best Friends Animal Society today – your donation will be triple-matched by an anonymous donor.

Here is a post from the Best Friends Animal Society Facebook page explaining what they are doing:

In times of uncertainty and hardship, our pets are here for us, helping to ease our anxiety and lift our spirits. Their unconditional love provides priceless healing. Indeed, they make our families whole. That’s why during this crisis, Best Friends is:

🐶 Accelerating emergency foster programs, remote adoptions, pet food distribution, virtual vet care and whole family support to save lives and keep pets and people together

🐱 Helping nearly 3,000 shelters and rescue groups with essential resources and innovative lifesaving solutions tailored to meet community needs to save the most lives, even with social distancing in place

🐶 Organizing people in communities across the country to join together, take action and be a beacon of hope for animals at risk and neighbors in need

Our resolve to save lives doesn’t stop even in times of global crisis, and now more than ever, homeless pets need your kindness to continue receiving love, care and lifesaving second chances.

Let’s do what we can to save all these beautiful souls. Click here to give: BEST FRIENDS.

And may peace prevail on earth.

©Tracy Blowers

May 5, 2020
Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile – Kanab, Utah

If you love animals, then this hotel is for you! I’ve written about Best Friends Animal Society many times. We adopted our two dogs from Best Friends and we go back every year to volunteer at the sanctuary. (Which we highly recommend!) We are so excited that they recently built a hotel in Kanab, Utah which is located just a few miles from the sanctuary. Let me introduce, Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile! Follow the paw-steps…

There are many pet-friendly lodging options in Kanab, Utah but the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile goes beyond by offering a fenced dog park, dog splash zone, dog washing station, and more!

The Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile helps support the lifesaving works of Best Friends Animal Society. They offer sanctuary tours, entertainment, off-road tours, and community events. We will be staying at the hotel in April 2020 so stay tuned for more!

Utah and Allen are already daydreaming of staying at the hotel!

©Tracy Blowers

November 10, 2019
NE Minneapolis Dog Parade – Minnesota

Her face says it all!

The NE community always looks forward to the annual Northeast Minneapolis Dog Parade. They gather at the Historic Main Street Park where there are dog treats, samples and activities. After about 30 minutes, they line up and walk the neighborhood. Below are a few photos that I captured for Steven Scott Management and The M on Hennepin.

©Tracy Blowers

July 31, 2019
Best Friends Animal Society – Allen

Every year while volunteering at Best Friends Animal Society, we (of course!) discuss getting another dog or cat. We rescued our girl, Utah, when she was a puppy and this time we wanted to rescue an older dog. Utah has health issues so we knew it had to be the perfect fit.

While volunteering, we walked and met lots of dogs in search of Utah’s new sibling. Click their name below each photo to learn more about them.

This is sweet Corban.

Agatha

I fell in love with Agatha but we felt she wasn’t the right match for Utah which was heartbreaking. I did sponsor Agatha. Sponsoring is a great option if you’re not ready to adopt. You can read more about that at Best Friends Animal Society.

Marcie

Marcie was amazing too! We had so much fun together but she likes to be the only dog in the pack. If you want to be a one dog family, check her out.

Manny

Manny was hilarious! He would keep you on your toes and laughing all day. We loved ALL of these dogs so much and it was so hard as always not taking all of them home.

As our time to leave approached, we were having a hard time making a decision. We stopped at Dogtown Headquarters to visit Kristi, who helped us with adopting Utah. When I walked in, there was Allen sitting behind the help desk. I felt an immediate strong connection to him! The crazy thing is that he arrived at Best Friends the same day that we arrived. I think it was meant to be.

We set up a time for him and Utah to meet and the rest is history! Allen has been a light for Utah. They have so much fun playing together. Utah has been playing more and even eating better. I couldn’t be more thankful.

As I always say…we rescue them but I think that they really rescue US.

Happy National Pet Month!

Best Friends Animal Society is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the Nation. Their mission is to SAVE THEM ALL and someday live in a world where there are no homeless pets. The sanctuary is a little heaven on earth.

If you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring or donating – visit their website at bestfriends.org.

©Tracy Blowers

May 31, 2019

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