The dogs (and cats) of Best Friends Animal Society

It’s easy to love a puppy.

They’re fuzzy and silly. They’re clumsy. You can’t watch a puppy dash and trip and slip and skate across a room without smiling.

They play, sleep, and eat with equal aplomb. And, of course, they have those round Buddha bellies you get to rub when they wriggle around on their backs.

Puppies are easy to love.

And we got to spend the morning at Best Friends Animal Society playing with piles of them…

Puppy Preschool is the name of the building at BFAS where puppies live and play. They attend socialization classes with volunteers–which is what we on the media tour got to do for an entire morning!–where they’re exposed to everything from a doorbell sound and mirrors to skateboards and walkers and really just about anything they might encounter in a home. Those early efforts set them up for long-term success by making them more confident, safe, adjusted pups.

Our batch of puppies had just that morning arrived from quarantine. Not only did we get to socialize (aka… play with…) them all morning, we got to take them on their very first ever leash walk. It was a super fun, hilarious cluster. My puppy crapped out and sat, whining a bit, until I picked him up and carried him for his first walk ever. After socialization and the walk, they went back to their kennel and, well, zonked. See the bottom pic above… Look at the little guy under the cot!

Puppies. You can’t not love them!

Of course, not all animals are as easy as puppies… not all get the start at life that these guys are getting. Those dogs (and cats) have to work so much harder to find homes.

But, for all the work the animals have to put in, the BFAS staff matches their efforts.

Take Houdini, for instance. (Photo courtesy of Best Friends. Mine turned out fuzzy!)

A Hurricane Katrina rescue, Houdini earned his name by escaping every enclosure the rescue tried to keep him in. He ended up at Best Friends and, well, he’s been there ever since. Another volunteer, Jenny, and I got to spend the afternoon with shy pups like Houdini. This sweet guy doesn’t care to be petted by people he doesn’t know and trust (can’t blame him for that one… I don’t like strangers touching me…) and to build up that trust, we got to hand-feed him his dinner. He hung out with us, ate, took some treats, and just kind of absorbed our presence. He’s a senior now, having spent almost his entire life sheltered. He deserves a home for his golden years, a place to feel safe and relaxed, to nap in the sun, and to gobble up food out of someone’s hand. {Here’s his adoption info if you’re interested in sharing! Or taking him home!!! It says German Shepherd mix, but he’s actually pretty medium-ish and short-haired.}

We spent another hour with sweet, shy Annie Sue. (Photo courtesy of Best Friends. I was afraid to snap a pic while we were working with her so that I could stay focused and not derail her progress!)

This girl… I left a piece of my heart in her kennel.

When she came into the kitchen where Jenny and I were washing their bowls, she flattened herself against the wall in the corner. If she could have disappeared into the wall, she would have. She didn’t want to acknowledge us. Her caretaker came in and explained that he’s working on eye contact. He’s getting her to look him in the eye, then he clicks and treats–a lick of a bacon-flavored Lickety Stik. It took her a few minutes to warm up to him, then she was on it! Looking him in the eye and collecting her licks!

He gave us the treats, and we waited… and waited… and waited… After a few minutes, she sneaked furtive glances our way. We rewarded immediately! Even though it wasn’t eye contact exactly, it was an improvement over her efforts to squish herself into invisibility in the corner. We then moved into her kennel. She went back to ignoring us. Jenny and I sat on her cot. She approached… click and treat! Over the next hour, we went through two tubes of bacon-flavored Lickety Stiks and a handful of chicken jerky. All worthwhile when, toward the end, she wagged her tail and licked our hands! When our time was up, Jenny asked the caretaker for two more hours with her, “I’m sure she’ll lick our chins by then!”

I didn’t want to leave her because I felt like we had come so far in just a short hour!

Here’s the thing about Annie Sue: She’s good with dogs. If she had a strong, confident dog to model behavior for her–like an Emmett, not a Cooper–she’d learn so fast! That and someone with lots of patience. {Here’s Annie Sue’s adoption info! Share away! This little girl would be soooo much happier in a quiet, peaceful home!}

Houdini and Annie Sue, along with the other shy dogs we worked with like Kay and Lego, aren’t on the surface as easy to love as puppies. They don’t “fly off the shelves,” so to speak, like puppies do. But their caretakers, every single caretaker we met, love them thoroughly. They dedicate every second of every day to getting to know their individual personalities, to understand and acknowledge their quirks. They love them as individuals, regardless of whether they’re sweet roly-poly puppies or terrified survivors.

Those of us who volunteered in Dogtown in the afternoon got to take a glace around Cat World at the end of the day. Cat World is a misnomer. It should be called Cat Heaven-on-Earth! There were cat trees and perches, cots and bunk beds, climbing furniture and reclining furniture, scratchers, pouncers, and–the epitome of cat heaven–a series of wooden beams running from the floor to the rafters where a series of boards created a sky-high obstacle course. It actually made me a bit nervous watching them sprint up and down and above and over and under at top speed, but they were having a blast!

Some were aloof. Some were friendly. Some were gigantic (of course, I measure against Newt who tops 8 pounds) and some were micro. They all had so much to DO! They weren’t lounging around like bored house cats; they were busy!

And we got to meet the special cats, the ones who have injuries, the ones who have incontinence issues because of a health problem or abuse, the ones who have neurologic disorders. While were were chatting, a cat dashed across the floor dripping pee the whole entire way. He went about his merry business, oblivious to the fact, but a caretaker swooped in behind him with a mop and a wry little smile: Who cares? He’s happy!

Those are the cats, of course, who struggle to find love. Well, to find love in a home. They’re all loved, thoroughly and wholeheartedly, by their caretakers.

That’s the thing about Best Friends: There is no shortage of love. Not anywhere. Not for the incontinent cats who need to be manually expressed every day. Not for the little bunnies or the screeching birds I introduced you to last week. Not for the lovable puppies or for the shy dogs who need so very much.

They all deserve love.

And they all get it at Best Friends.

We all left our time there with one story of compassion: Sure, they all belong in forever homes, and it would be best if they found their family sooner than later. But if they have to be anywhere else while waiting for that home, Best Friends is the best place in the world for any animal.

To learn more about the cats, check out this post from Glogirly. There’s a pic of me and my friend, adoptable Tara. Also, be sure to read her post about Angel’s Rest.

To learn more about the no-kill efforts, check out this post on Big Think.

To learn more about Best Friends or to search for an adoptable animal, check out their website.

It was an incredible trip. Truly life changing. I’m already brainstorming my next trip out there. I was so lucky and so grateful to have been included on this media tour. I have so much more to say and to share, but if there are any questions YOU have about Best Friends or my experience there, please leave them in the comments so I can be sure to address them!