Ray

     One more day in Horses, I think I'll survive!!! This morning I did hay nets with Diane and took care of the goats with Katie. The goats are so comical... It is such a challenge trying to separate some of the goats for the feedings! When I was watching Buddy & Lambert eat this morning, I couldn't help but think of the sheep from the movie "Babe". Lol. I loved that movie when I was a kid! Anyway, here they are...

       Every Thursday, they have a Lunch Talk at the Village Cafe! Each animal area has a representative that stands up in front of everyone to talk about an adoption story, an informational story, etc. Today, I did the Lunch Talk with Michele! She wanted everyone to hear about bunnies from an intern's perspective. As nerve-racking as it was, I think I did ok! I explained how when I started working at bunnies, I didn't think there was much to them besides their cuteness. But after my week was over, I realized how much I had learned about bunnies and I think that everyone else needs to give bunnies a chance too! :)

       As I ate lunch and waited for our turn to talk, I couldn't help but notice this cute, little pitbull named Ray outside on the patio. Ray is one of the "Vicktory Dogs". He, among many others, have been adopted out in the years passed. He's a very sweet, and friendly dog... He walks up to everyone and says hello. As people greeted Ray, his owner explained that he was a Vicktory Dog. Many people were so surprised and just in awe of how far he had come and how nice of a dog he was after all he'd been through. Many people took pictures of Ray and admired his calm, easygoing demeanor. I sat back, also admiring his awesome demeanor. But then I couldn't help but think... What does Ray think of all this?? People are taking his picture, fawning all over him, speaking so highly of him. Not that he doesn't deserve all of this special treatment (because he does), but I think Ray could care less about all of the special attention. Even after everything that Ray has endured in his life... He's still kind, humble, affectionate, selfless... You name it. He didn't ask for any of his circumstances, but he did what he had to do to overcome them. Ray is a prime example of why I love dogs. Their resilience to come back from anything, their humility, and their lack of ego and pride in any given situation, is the most beautiful thing in the entire world. Dogs don't care if you want to take a picture with them because they overcame unimaginable circumstances, or if you tell them how proud you are of them for making it through the hard times. That's worthless to a dog. They don't need all of the shallow, ego-boosting crap.  All a dog wants is your love and your affection. If only people could begin to learn a thing or two from dogs, the world would be a much better place. Wouldn't it?

       Anyway, I just thought I would share my very small revelation that I had at lunch! Thanks for that, Ray :). After lunch was over, I had a few minutes before I needed to be back at horses. I decided to stop at Angels Rest. 

At Angels Rest, they have wind chimes everywhere. The reason for the wind chimes is because each time the wind blows, it's to remind us that our loved ones are near, or that they're doing ok. When I started to walk through Angels Rest, the wind was pretty still. A minute or two had passed, and suddenly, the wind picked up. All I could hear were wind chimes. It was such a beautiful, humbling experience. So many animals that had been loved by so many, that had forever changed people's lives, and that made this world a better place simply by being themselves. To feel all of those things at once, took my breath away. I was astounded by the amount of love and warmth that I felt within Angels Rest. It was undeniable. I feel like I could go on and on about how amazing Angels Rest is. It is definitely something you need to experience for yourself!

       After my lunch hour ended, I returned to horses. I basically did the same things in the afternoon that I did in the morning. But I got a chance to hang out with my favorite horse, Lady! I mentioned her already, but she is beautiful girl, and such a sweetheart! She's super friendly, and she loves all people. Lady let me pet her for a good 20 minutes. As many of you know, being near horses (let alone petting them) is a huge step for me! I think that I can honestly say that my fear of horses has been diminished! Yay! I actually think I'm going to miss the horses once I'm gone!

Feeding Day

      It's only Wednesday and I feel like I've been working in horses for over a month. I have NO CLUE how the staff does this all year round! It is beyond impressive. Today, it was my turn to go with Alice on the feed runs. Alice is the Head Feeder, meaning she's in charge of knowing what everyone gets to eat. These horses eat like champs! Some horses get flax seeds, sunflower seeds, papaya, and a bunch of different oils and supplements. Every horse has such a specific diet, and Alice knows them all! All of the horses get exactly what they need because they have such an amazing, caring, wonderful staff to take care of them!


      In addition to the feeding runs, I did LOTS of heavy lifting today! I moved hay bales upwards of 75 lbs and I helped Alice restock all of the feeds and pellets. It was a tough day! But even though it was a tough day, I still got a chance to takes some pictures!

From left to right: this is Fiona, Blaze, and Buddy enjoying their morning meals!

This is Uno and Red enjoying an afternoon dip.

Here's Uno and Daisy, getting very excited for their afternoon feeding!

It's not a very good picture, but these are two mini horses. The one in the front is Luna and the one behind her is Trixie. They're goofy little buddies!

These are the only two sheep at the sanctuary: Buddy & Lambert!

I'm blanking on this sweet goat's name right now!!! Isn't he/she so cute?!

LOL. This is a funny picture of Joseph. It got kind of blurry, but yes, that is his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth!

       I would write more if I wasn't so tired. It's only 6:00 in Utah, and I'm just about ready for bed! Today was another great, informative day, and I got a chance to work with another awesome staff member, Alice. As grueling as the work is down at Horses, the people I've been working with have been delightful. It truly does make a difference! They have a great philosophy at horses... If the people are laid back and calm, then the animals will follow their lead. Their philosophy is wildly successful! Everybody with two and four legs seems to be pretty happy... They're doing something (a lot of things) right!

Hoof Mapping

      Today was an interesting day at work, I did a lot of different things! In the morning, I went with Jackie to do hay nets. Hay nets are exactly what you think they are... A net that they put hay flakes into for feeding. Certain horses get hay nets to slow down their eating.  After we got done with that, I went with Katie to feed goats. Goats are such weird and funny! Some of the older goats get moistened hay, and most of the other goats get regular hay in their feeders. Here's an example of an older goat that is eating the moistened hay.

This is Joseph. He kneels over like that to eat to relieve some of the pain from his arthritis.

This is Emily, just hangin' out. She's a sweetheart!

And this is Lily... She's always up to no good!

      After feeding the goats and cleaning the barn, the interns had a Stages of Puppyhood Presentation. It was a pretty short, and informal presentation. We talked about puppies all the way from their gestation periods to their destructive adolescent stages! We learned about the various stages of puppyhood that are so incredibly crucial to developing their temperaments, confidence, sociability, etc. And unfortunately, if you or your dog don't do these things in the correct stage of development, it can affect the dog for the rest of his life! So luckily for me, I was able to get my puppy fix before the presentation started! I walked into Dogtown Headquarters and one of the staff members asked me if I wanted to socialize with a puppy... I said, "Say no more!!!"

This is Kavi. He's an 8-10 week old mixed breed puppy. They aren't exactly sure what he is yet! As soon as I walked in the room, he was so happy to see me! I laid down on the floor to play with him, he climbed all over me and eventually he laid right down on my chest and fell asleep. He was so precious.

Right now, Kavi is being kept separate from his siblings because he's having some health issues. He's also not eating that well, so I tried to hand-feed him and give him some treats. He did very well with the treats, and as you can see in the first picture, he knows how to sit; but I couldn't get him to eat his kibble. Either way, this pup was such a love and I'm so glad I got a chance to play with him today!!!

      After lunch, the Horse Haven staff and the Piggy Paradise staff went on a little adventure. Jen, the manager of both Horse Haven and Piggy Paradise, does tutorials/informative sessions the first Tuesday of every month. Today, she was teaching everyone how to map a horse's hooves. Jen has many, many years of experience in the horse industry, so she has a wealth of knowledge about them! I couldn't quite follow all of the anatomical jargon that she was saying, but I still found her demonstration to be extremely interesting. Not only is mapping and trimming horse hooves incredibly difficult, but it's so fascinating! There's a lot of logistics that go into the entire process. Not sure if I'll ever need to perform hoof mapping in my lifetime, but I'm glad that I at least know what it is now!

This is Jen doing hoof mapping on Jewel. Linda, one of the horse trainers, is holding Jewel while Jen works! I don't know how Jen managed to do this in the 90 degree heat and beating sun! She's awesome!

       To finish the day, I also got to watch Dr. Tara examine Linda's horse because of some oozing in his one ear. She first had to sedate Petey, and then she performed the exam. Even under sedation, Petey was not happy with Dr. Tara messing with his ear! She ended up finding a tick in his ear, which I guess horses are prone to, and then she flushed out his ear with saline. Dr. Tara is the large animal vet at Best Friends, and it's pretty impressive to watch her work! She's very quick, and knows exactly what to do.

Petey was falling asleep after Dr. Tara finished her exam! He was so cute.

So I finished the afternoon doing hay nets with Jackie, and the afternoon feedings for the goats with Katie. Like I said, it was an interesting day with lots of new experiences! I'm looking forward to spending more time with Linda to learn more about the horses. She's a wonderfully skilled trainer, and just like the rest of the staff at Horse Haven, she knows so much! We'll see where tomorrow takes me!

Fourth Week: Horses

       After spending all day in the 90 degree heat and the sun, I am even more exhausted than I was yesterday! My first day in horses was a lot of work but a lot of fun. I spent my day with Ron, he's the Volunteer Coordinator of the Horse Department. He's worked with horses his entire life, so he knows a great deal about them! We spent the morning mucking the pastures in the lower canyon (AKA raking up poop) and filling their water troughs. Right now at the sanctuary, Ron said there's about 40 horses. They try to stay as close to 40 as possible in case of any emergencies or rescues. I'll show you some of them now...

This is Lady and Kate. "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine!"

This is Emma (the dog) and Felix (the horse). Emma is Ron's Bernese Mountain Dog. She's a very shy girl, but super sweet! She rode in "Kermit" with us all day -- mostly on my lap :). Kermit is the name of the Ranger that they use to drive from pasture to pasture. I even got to drive it too!

This is Sweetie. She's a donkey!

This is Daisy. She's only 2 years old!

And this is River! He's a beautiful horse. I love the brown spots all over his neck and chest.

      In the afternoon Ron, the volunteers, and I took off to muck the pastures in the upper canyon! In addition to mucking, Ron took us on an awesome tour of the sanctuary; a tour that many people don't get a chance to go on!

It's pretty hard to see, but in this picture, there's petroglyphs from the Anasazi Indians over 800 years ago! If you look above the rectangle of light, you see two triangles... Those represent people. And then above the people, you see a squiggly line. That represents a rattlesnake! Pretty neat!!

This is what they call "The Disney Barn". In the 1973 Disney move, 'One Little Indian', this barn was featured! It is still the same foundation and structure, the only improvements/restorations that were made were on the roof! It's located in one of the horse pastures.

This is Kanab Creek. It runs right through the sanctuary. A lot of people take dogs on walks over in this area!

This was on our drive through the other side of the canyon where they keep other horses. I didn't even know there were horses over here!

Behind the wooden fence, there's ruins of the Anasazi Indians. This is where they kept a lot of their food and other items. The reason they (meaning Best Friends) put the fence up is so cows don't go through here and mess it all up! It's unbelievable that we're still able to see the structure and the original layout. Here's a closer look...

So cool!

In the same location, this figure is featured on the rock wall. Ron said that this is a universal symbol of gratitude.

       To finish the day, Ron took us to Hidden Lake. I am so glad that he showed us Hidden Lake because, staying true to its' name, I never would have found it!

If you walk towards that black hole behind me (kinda creepy!), the water is basically right there. And once you're in the shade of the rocks, it is ridiculously cold in there!!! Once you're down near the water, Ron said that the lake extends back about 40 feet. He also said that divers have tried to determine the depth, but they weren't able to because they just kept going down... and down... and down. It is actually believed that Hidden Lake connects with other water sources throughout the canyon. Pretty awesome!

      Today went so fast, probably because I was so busy all day! I'm glad that I learned more about the horses and way more about the canyon itself! I'm sure the rest of my week will go fast as well. And that's a good thing, because I will be with dogs for my last week! Yay! I like knowing that I'm going to end my internship on a good note. Lots to look forward to in the next two weeks... Especially coming home at the end of it!!! :)

Week Three: Complete!

       Now that I've worked with bunnies, pigs, and cats... It's time to move on to horses! Most of you know that I have a fear or horses, but I'm hoping that after this week, that fear will be no more! I'm anxious to learn more about horses, and I'm sure that once I gain a better understanding, I'll love them just as much as I love all of the other animals I've worked with!


      I apologize for not posting for a few days... But after work on Friday, I hopped in my car and headed for Las Vegas! Fortunately for me, some friends from home were going out to Vegas to celebrate her brother getting married. It was really good to see people from back home! We had a lot of fun, and I am super exhausted! Here's a picture of my best friend, Amanda, and me before Alex's (her brother) wedding. It was a short but beautiful ceremony right at the hotel we stayed in, the Excalibur. Congratulations Alex & Meghan!!! :)

       To finish my week in cats, on Friday we had a presentation by Dr. Frank on quality of life. It was a very interesting presentation, and once again, I learned a ton of new information! In both the human world and the animal world, we tend to equate quality of life with health and only health. But Dr. Frank encouraged us to also consider happiness as a large component of quality of life. Doctors and veterinarians tend to only look at the physical well-being of the subject, and they disregard the mental or emotional well-being that can have just as much of an impact, if not more, on one's quality of life. Overall, when assessing an animal's quality of life, it is never "black and white". There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration before the veterinarian and the owner can make the best possible decision for that animal. 

       Another good point that Dr. Frank brought up was how many people say, "All my dog does is eat and sleep, he's got it made!". And in reality, it means anything but. Just like humans do, dogs can use sleep as a coping mechanism to deal with stress, boredom, fear, etc. When you're sleeping, you can escape your stressors or your fears. The same goes for dogs. If a dog has a lot of anxiety, or even if he's just really bored... He will probably sleep more often in order to rid himself of those unpleasant feelings. Now this isn't to say that every time your dog is sleeping, he's stressed out or unhappy (because obviously animals need sleep to function), but it's important to recognize that sometimes it may be more than just fatigue that is making your dog sleep.

        I think a lot of us, including myself, take for granted that our pets need so little to survive. But I believe that every single one of us wants our pets to do way more than merely 'survive'. Everybody wants their pets to lead healthy, happy, enriched lives! Something as simple as going for a walk, reading to your pet, trying to teach new tricks, grooming, etc., can make a huge improvement to your pet's quality of life. Thanks to Dr. Frank, I am much more cognizant of all the things that are required for my baby girl, Lola, to live the best life she possibly can. There's no greater feeling than knowing when she is truly happy and at peace. She deserves more of those joyful moments. I am going to be a better dog mom! I love and miss you so much Lola Bean, 13 more days until I can give you a BIG HUG! :)

Emergency Response Team

       In addition to the normal duties in Cat World today, the interns got to attend a presentation with the Emergency Response Team at Best Friends. The ERT consist of 2 people: John Garcia & Ethan Gurney. John was (and is) an extremely famous dog trainer at Dogtown for over 10 years. In 2012, John decided to join the ERT as the Team Lead. His colleague, Ethan, is an ex-marine, who has been a part of the ERT for several years. Both John and Ethan have completed multiple trainings and certifications to get to where they are today.


       John and Ethan have encountered so many different situations... From natural disasters to hoarding situations. Probably the most significant situation to date was Hurricane Katrina. John and Ethan (and many volunteers) set up everything from triage tents, to temporary shelters, to search and rescue teams... You name it. Overall, the ERT recovered over 4,000 animals in Hurricane Katrina. It took a long, long time, and a large amount of people, but they managed to make the best out of that situation, and in the end, thousands of lives were saved. In addition to Hurricane Katrina, they've helped out with Hurricane Sandy, as well as, multiple devastating tornadoes through the midwest. Like I said, the ERT does a lot more than help with natural disaster situations. One of their main tasks is to help with Super Adoptions across the nation. Super Adoptions are when Best Friends loads up hundreds of animals, and takes them to a public place like Petco or Petsmart. They do this all over the country and it is wildly successful! Not only is it a chance for the sanctuary animals to get adopted, but it's a chance for the staff at Best Friends to educate people on what Best Friends is, how they can get involved, etc.


       One of the main things I took away from this presentation today, was having my own plan in place for disasters. Ethan said it best... He and John love to have volunteers in all of these situations, but one of the first questions they ask people is if they have their own plan for themselves and their animals when a natural disaster hits. And if the answer is no, then it's a good sign that they aren't qualified to volunteer. A disaster plan can be something as simple as having a designated bag for your animals basic needs (food, treats, poop bags, water, etc.). In many situations, it is also important to have your animal crate-trained, so if the time comes when you need to get out quickly... Transporting your pet(s) in a crate or carrier is usually your safest bet.


       I was extremely fascinated with all of their tales and stories today. John and Ethan truly have seen it all. They've rescued dogs off of cliffs, they've witnessed a hoarding situation with over 900 cats, they've traveled to places all over the country to set up TNR programs, and the list goes on and on. Despite only being 2 people, they have made such an extraordinary impact in the world of animal welfare. In addition to my fascination with their work, I'm inspired to take some courses to become more prepared, and possibly certified, for situations like these. So if the opportunity presents itself, I'll be able to volunteer and help out in any way that I can. I encourage all of you with pets to take the time to figure out a plan... It's always better to be safe than sorry. Especially when your fur children are involved!


I couldn't do an entire blog without posting any pictures... That would be just cruel!

This is Sunny. He is one of the lobby cats that does clicker training! He's got a slight head tilt, which makes him even cuter. He enjoys sleeping on the front desk and greeting all of the volunteers!

Clicker Training & Stroller Rides

       I want to start this post by wishing my Gram a Happy 75th Birthday today!!!! She is the coolest grandmother a granddaughter could ask for, and if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting my Gram, you know that she doesn't act her age! ;) I wish more than anything that she could be here in Utah to experience this journey with me (because it would be a hell of a lot more fun!!!). I love you Grammy, I hope you had a wonderful day!


        As many of you probably already know, I am a dog person. For one reason or another, I am drawn to dogs, I understand them better, I usually know what dogs do/don't like, etc. When it comes to cats, I'm pretty much clueless! I'm trying to learn as much as I can... But I guess part of the learning process is accepting that, no matter what, we'll never fully understand cats! Many of the staff members at Cat World have told me that even with all of their years of experience, they're constantly being surprised and challenged each and every day! Cats have a mind of their own; and that mind typically does not care what a human wants. I'm taking a lot from this experience in cats, and hopefully one day, the right cat will come into my life :).

This is Hamlet. I took this picture of him while we were on our "walk". I say 'walk', but what I really mean is, Hamlet rolling around in the bushes while he's attached to a leash. He's a funny cat.

This is Miri (looking extremely evil). Miri craves a lot of human attention, so she just sits in her cattery and meows constantly. I take her on at least one "walk" every day.

And this is Princess Blue. She is a purebred Korat cat. She has a lot of personality, and a loud mouth! Out of all of the cats that I walk, she's probably the best. She only lays down about 50% of the time...

       This morning, in addition to walking several cats, we had a presentation on TNR (Trap - Neuter - Return). For those of you that aren't familiar with TNR, it's a program that mainly focuses on feral or "community" cats, and it's been in existence for almost 20 years, but has only become popular within the last few years. Best Friends has been doing its' best to implement TNR programs in cities all over the country, and so far, they've made phenomenal progress. As many of you already know, thousands of animals are being killed in shelters every single day. Most of the time, it's for no reason at all. Through the implementation of TNR programs, reproduction rates are significantly decreased, which in turn, leads to less cats in shelters. If more rescues/shelters/sanctuaries took on the TNR mission, they would realize that it's a lot more effective (and not to mention cheaper) than euthanasia. In today's world, there is absolutely no reason for euthanizing innocent animals. The amount of ignorance and the lack of regard for the lives of animals is beyond disturbing... Something needs to change! And to bring about change, we need to increase awareness! So spread the word, everyone :)

       After lunch, I shadowed one of the vets at Best Friends, Dr. Frank. He specializes in animal behavior, but mainly, cat behavior. He has been using clicker training with some of the cats! Clicker training is typically used with dogs, but it can and does work for some cats. It was so interesting to watch these cats! One of the lobby cats, Sunny, has learned how to knock plastic bowling pins off of the counter with his paw. Once he knocks all of them off, he hears a click, and receives a treat. Dr. Frank repeats this procedure several times, and Sunny seems to really enjoy it! Another cat, Mozart, knows how to 'target' Dr. Frank's hand with his paw, once he does so, he hears a click, and receives a treat. Mozart can also spin around, and he knows that he will receive treats for doing so! And the last cat, Raed, has been deemed 'the smartest cat ever'. Raed knows tons of tricks, he knows how to target, and he also enjoys doing puzzles to find treats.

Overall, I found Dr. Frank's work to be extremely fascinating. It's remarkable how much cats are capable of! One of the main reasons to train cats is to keep them stimulated in order to avoid boredom and destructive behavior (basically, the same reason as dogs). An animal that has been stimulated, whether physically or mentally, will be more tired and usually, more well-behaved. I admire Dr. Frank's patience with the cats... I don't know if I could handle it!

       And to finish my day, I took a few cats for stroller rides. Yes, I said stroller rides. Some cats prefer to walk on leashes, but others find it too overwhelming, so they take these cats on stroller rides. The strollers are enclosed with a mesh fabric, so the cats can still see outside, but I guess they feel more safe. And they thoroughly enjoy these stroller rides. As a large-breed dog lover... Let me just say that this was a humbling experience. Never in my life did I think I would be pushing cats around in strollers. It felt vaguely degrading. Lol. Like I said before, I'm learning a lot about cats... :)