Best Friends Animal Society

Last updated

Best Friends Animal Society
Founded1991 [1]
Founders
  • Francis Battista
  • Judah Battista
  • Silva Battista
  • Gregory Castle
  • Gabriel Depeyer
  • Jana Depeyer
  • Steven Hirano
  • Faith Maloney
  • Anne Mejia
  • Cyrus Mejia
[2]
23-7147797 [3]
Legal status 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization [4]
Focus Animal welfare
Headquarters Kanab, Utah [3]
Locations
Coordinates 37°07′33″N112°32′37″W / 37.125773°N 112.543697°W / 37.125773; -112.543697
OriginsFoundation Faith of the Millennium;
Process Church of the Final Judgment
Julie Castle [5]
Francis Battista [5]
Marc A. Peralta [3]
Subsidiaries Best Friends Productions LLC,
1089 Wykoff LLC,
307 West Broadway LLC,
Chuff LLC,
Amber Housing LLC, Best Friends Wellness Center Inc [3]
Revenue (2016)
$87,144,293 [3]
Expenses (2016)$81,852,232 [3]
Endowment $19,383,509 [3]
Employees838 [3] (in 2015)
Volunteers (2015)
9,748 [3]
Website bestfriends.org
Formerly called
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary;
Foundation Faith of the Millennium; Process Church of the Final Judgement

Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization based in Kanab, Utah with satellite offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Bentonville, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, New York City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. [6] It also has a partnership network with shelters, rescue groups and members in all 50 states and Washington, DC, to promote pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter practices. [7] Best Friends has a 4-star 'Give With Confidence' rating from Charity Navigator. [8]

Contents

History

The group originated in England in 1966 as the Process Church of the Final Judgment, [9] co-founded by Mary Ann MacLean, who was married to former church member and Best Friends Animal Society co-founder Gabriel Depeyer, [10] and who lived on Best Friends' sanctuary grounds until her 2005 death. [11]

The Foundation church relocated animals from its Arizona ranch to property in Kanab, Utah, in 1984. [12] In 1991, the church was renamed Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which became a tax-exempt, nonprofit charity, and in 2003, renamed Best Friends Animal Society. [13]

In 2019, Best Friends Animal Society and Southern Utah University began a partnership that included a new certificate program at SUU that included coursework on how to set up and run a no-kill animal shelter. [14]

In 2020, NASCAR driver Alex Bowman added a Best Friends Animal Society paint scheme to his stock car to raise support for animal rescue. Ally Financial and Bowman pledged to make a total of $30,000 in donations to Best Friend affiliated shelters in race host cities during the 2021 season.

Utah animal sanctuary

After the Foundation church moved to its current grounds in 1984, the founders eventually informally called it "Best Friends" until 1991 when it began formally operating as Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a no-kill shelter [15] located in Southwestern Utah in Angel Canyon (formerly Kanab Canyon) near Kanab. [16]

The sanctuary is on 3,700 acres (15 km2) with an additional 33,000 acres (130 km2) leased from the United States Bureau of Land Management near Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon's North Rim, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Lake Powell. The sanctuary is home to around 1,500 homeless animals. [17]

Every kind of animal has its own area, considered neighborhoods, which includes Bunny House, Dogtown and Cat World among others. Animals that are unable to be placed in permanent homes and wild animals that cannot be released back into the wild can live out their lives at the sanctuary. [18]

Los Angeles adoption center

In 2011, the city of Los Angeles contracted Best Friends to operate in its Northeast Valley Shelter facility in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, which the city could no longer afford to run due to budget cuts. [19] Under the contract, BFAS was to provide adoptions for shelter animals it obtained solely from LA Animal Service shelters, and to provide spay and neuter services for the community. The contract prohibited BFAS from obtaining animals from any other sources, such as public intake or transfers from other organizations. [20] Best Friends was the only bidder for the contract to run the shelter that had cost the taxpayers $19 million to build just three years prior. There was controversy when other humane organizations discovered the contract, and complained that they had not been notified of the solicitation for bids. [21] As of 2021, BFAS no longer operate the shelter. [22]

Magazine

BFAS publishes Best Friends, a bimonthly magazine about animals, animal welfare, news events, and activities at the sanctuary. The magazine, which is distributed free to members, has 200,000 subscribers. [23] Originating as Foundation magazine in 1975 with its interview of Charles Manson referred to as the "death" issue, [10] the first edition of Best Friends magazine was published in 1993, two years after the religious group became an animal sanctuary. [24]

Hurricane Katrina work

Best Friends teams entered the Hurricane Katrina disaster area on September 2, 2005, and stayed eight months in and around New Orleans. [25] Best Friends did not have a significant presence doing animal disaster rescue or recovery work until Katrina.

The organization's official role post-Hurricane Katrina was that of a primary animal rescue organization [26] [27] overseen by animal specialist and then-Best Friends employee Sherry Woodard. [28]

Also after Katrina, Best Friends helped Pets Alive, an animal shelter in New York state, and rescued around 800 cats from an institutional hoarding situation in Nevada. [29] Best Friends also assisted local animal rescue groups following the Peruvian earthquakes of 2007. [30]

Michael Vick dogs

In 2007, after petitioning the state of Virginia to save the dogs seized from the Bad Newz Kennels dog fighting investigation, Best Friends took in 22 of the 47 fighting dogs of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick. [31] The dogs were expected to be euthanized for fear of aggressive behavior. [32] Seven other organizations took in the remaining 25 dogs. The court ordered Vick to pay $928,073 in restitution for the "past, present and long-term care of all the dogs." The court allocated $5,000 for dogs deemed likely to be adopted, and $18,275 for each of the dogs that went into longer-term or lifetime sanctuary care at Best Friends. [31] [33]

In December 2008, Georgia, a former Vick dog, appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with Best Friends dog trainer John Garcia. [34] The two also appeared on CNN's Larry King Live . [35]

Released in October 2015, The Champions is a documentary that covers the stories of five dogs and their impact they had had on their adopters and how society looks at pit bulls rescued from fighting cases. [36] The film received the 2015 Zelda Penzel "Giving Voice to the Voiceless" award at Hamptons International Film Festival. [37] The film also features the work of both Best Friends Animal Society and BAD RAP, an Oakland-based animal welfare rescue group. FilmRise acquired film rights in November 2015. [38] It was released through community screenings [39] and became available digitally in March 2016. [40]

Community cat programs

In August 2008, Best Friends and PetSmart Charities funded a program called "Feral Freedom" for free-roaming community cats in Jacksonville, Florida. [41] [42] The program was conceived by Rick Ducharme of First Coast No More Homeless Pets.

Similar programs were funded with a grant from PetSmart Charities and implemented by Best Friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico; DeKalb County, Georgia; San Antonio, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Osceola County, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; [43] and other communities. [44] In St. George, Utah, the city partnered with Best Friends on a trap-neuter-return program in January 2013. [45] [ failed verification ]

See also

Related Research Articles

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pet adoption</span> Adoption of pets that have been abandoned by previous owners

Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal shelter</span> Place where stray animals are housed

An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners.

An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is a group dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable homes for them. Many rescue groups are created by and run by volunteers, who take animals into their homes and care for them—including training, playing, handling medical issues, and solving behavior problems—until a suitable permanent home can be found.

In some countries there is an overpopulation of pets such as cats, dogs, and exotic animals. In the United States, six to eight million animals are brought to shelters each year, of which an estimated three to four million are subsequently euthanized, including 2.7 million considered healthy and adoptable. Euthanasia numbers have declined since the 1970s, when U.S. shelters euthanized an estimated 12 to 20 million animals. Most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters that could contribute to this dynamic.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. It works on issues including pets, wildlife, farm animals, horses and other equines, and animals used in research, testing and education. As of 2001, the group's major campaigns targeted factory farming, hunting, the fur trade, puppy mills, and wildlife abuse.

A no-kill shelter is an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals based on time limits or capacity, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals, animals suffering poor quality of life, or those considered dangerous to public safety. Some no-kill shelters will commit to not killing any animals at all, under any circumstance, except as required by law. A no-kill shelter uses many strategies to promote shelter animals; to expanding its resources using volunteers, housing and medical protocols; and to work actively to lower the number of homeless animals entering the shelter system. Up to ten percent of animals could be killed in a no-kill shelter and still be considered a no-kill shelter.

AB 1634 was a 2007 bill in the California State Legislature which would require that dogs and cats in California be spayed or neutered by 6 months of age.

BAD RAP is an animal welfare and rescue group based in Oakland, California, devoted to caring for and improving the public image of pit bull terriers as pets.

DogTown is a National Geographic Channel series set at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a 33,000-acre (130 km2) animal facility in southern Utah. It is a documentary-style program that profiles staff and volunteers as they care for dogs in need of homes. Many animals featured are severely abused or neglected or in need of specialized medical treatment. The goal is usually to secure each dog an adoptive home but if this is not possible, animals are cared for at the sanctuary for the remainder of their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Dawn</span> American animal rights advocate

Karen Dawn is an American animal rights and welfare advocate and writer.

The Lange Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1993 in West Los Angeles, California, by Gillian Lange. The organization is a no-kill shelter committed to rescuing stray and abandoned animals and facilitating adoptions. Animals that are not adopted may remain at the kennel indefinitely without consequence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabby's Place</span> Cat sanctuary in New Jersey, United States

Tabby's Place is a cat sanctuary situated in Ringoes, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2003, it can house approximately 130 cats, which come primarily from high-volume public animal shelters where they have been scheduled to be killed.

John Garcia is a dog trainer, star of National Geographic Channel's four-season DogTown series, and holder of a Guinness World Record.

Clay Myers is an American photographer, videographer and animal welfare advocate best known for his portraits of rescued companion animals.

Adopt a Pet is an adoption web service that advocates pet adoption, gathering information from over 15,000 pet shelters in the U.S. and Canada, with a searchable data base. The web site promotes spaying and neutering of pets and pet adoption through conventional and social media presence, public service announcements, and interactions with local governments. Since 2015, Adopt a Pet has been offering its visitors manuals for pets.

The now defunct Olympic Animal Sanctuary (OAS) was located in Forks, Washington. It was a 501(c)3 non-profit animal sanctuary, founded in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Animal Protection Society</span> Canadian non-profit organization

Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) is a no kill animal services agency in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. RAPS operates the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, a fostering network, social enterprise thrift stores, and the RAPS Animal Hospital, a full-service animal clinic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soi Dog Foundation</span> Thai nonprofit organisation

Soi Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to improving the welfare of stray dogs and cats across Asia. Its headquarters is in Phuket, Thailand, and it is a legally registered nonprofit organisation in Thailand, US, Canada, Australia, France, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Its primary goal is to care for homeless and abused dogs in Thailand.

Sherry Woodard is an American animal behavior consultant, certified dog trainer, and a star cast member of National Geographic Channel's four-season DogTown series.

References

  1. ↑ "ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society Join Forces to Subsidize Shelter Fees for Rescue Groups in Los Angeles". American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society has operated rescue and adoption programs in Los Angeles since 1991 and launched the NKLA coalition campaign in 2012.
  2. ↑ "Meet the Founders Archived 2018-01-27 at the Wayback Machine ". Best Friends Animal Society. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Best Friends Animal Society. Guidestar. September 30, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Best Friends Animal Society, Tax Exempt Organization Search". Internal Revenue Service . Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Leadership Archived 2017-09-06 at the Wayback Machine ". Best Friends Animal Society. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Locations" . Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Article, American Dog Magazine, "Los Angeles Programs Saves Lives in the Entertainment Capital of the World"". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Best Friends Animal Society". www.charitynavigator.org. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  9. ↑ Timothy Wyllie (2009). Love Sex Fear Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgement. Feral House. ISBN   978-1-932595-37-6.
  10. 1 2 Kilzer, Lou (February 28, 2004). "Friends find their calling". Rocky Mountain News.
  11. ↑ "Love Sex Fear Death: The Inside Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgment". LA Weekly. July 22, 2009.
  12. ↑ Glen, Samantha (2001). Best Friends: The True Story of the World's Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary. Kensington. ISBN   978-1-57566-735-5.
  13. ↑ "Friends Find Their Calling". Rocky Mountain News. February 28, 2004. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2012.(pay-per-view article)
  14. ↑ "Southern Utah University to teach students how to run a no-kill animal shelter". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. ↑ "AR-News: (UT) Best Friends a haven for unwanted animals". envirolink.org. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2008.
  16. ↑ "Best Friends, an Animal Sanctuary with a Difference, with Faith Maloney, by Diane Cooper". netmar.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  17. ↑ "Voluntourism - Peter Greenberg Travel Detective". petergreenberg.com. May 26, 2007. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Best Friends Animal Society". Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica. May 24, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  19. ↑ Linthicum, Kate (August 17, 2011). "Los Angeles to hand over animal shelter to nonprofit group". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  20. ↑ Clifton, Marritt (January 1, 2012). "L.A. shelter deal transfers cash crunch to Best Friends". Animals 24-7.
  21. ↑ Orlov, Rick (August 16, 2011). "Nonprofit to run city shelter". Los Angeles Daily News . Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  22. ↑ Daughertry, Phyllis (August 22, 2022). "'No Kill' Has Failed. 'Best Friends' Leaves LA City Animal Services Shelter, Annenberg Steps In". City Watch.
  23. ↑ "A close look at Best Friends Animal Society". Albert Lea Tribune. April 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014.
  24. ↑ "The Process Church Timeline (magazine history, page 22)" (PDF). feralhouse.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  25. ↑ Perkins, Nancy (September 1, 2007). "Art spotlights rescue of New Orleans pets". Deseret News . Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
  26. ↑ Manning, Anita (September 3, 2005). "Animal welfare groups rescue abandoned pets". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Shaggy survivors still hanging on after Katrina - Health - Pet health - NBC News". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  28. ↑ "'Dogtown': National Geographic Channel series profiles Utah's Best Friends Animal Society". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  29. ↑ "Volunteers say justice not served". Pahrump Valley Times. February 19, 2010. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Salt Lake Tribune". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  31. 1 2 Rhoden, William C. (March 12, 2008). "Vick Case Exposes Rift Among Animal-Rights Advocates". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  32. ↑ Villavicencio, Monica (July 19, 2007). "A History of Dogfighting". NPR.org. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Michael Vick's dogs get a second chance - The Daily Nightly - msnbc.com". May 24, 2009. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009.
  34. ↑ ""DogTown's John Garcia Shares His Story," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," December 15, 2008". EllenTV. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  35. ↑ "CNN transcripts, "Larry King Live," "Does Michael Vick Deserve A Second Chance?" with Best Friends' John Garcia and former fighting dog Georgia". Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  36. ↑ "The Champions (2015) - IMDb". Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2020– via www.imdb.com.
  37. ↑ "HIFF 2015: Awards". hamptonsfilmfest.org. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  38. ↑ Petski, Denise (November 24, 2015). "FilmRise Nabs Worldwide Rights To Pit Bull Rescue Documentary 'The Champions'". Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  39. ↑ "Tugg, The Champions". Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  40. ↑ "vhx". The Champions. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  41. ↑ "First Coast No More Homeless Pets - Annual Report" (PDF). fcnmhp.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  42. ↑ ""Program gives feral cats shot at freedom: More than 1,200 strays have been spayed or neutered - and saved from euthanasia," Tia Mitchell, The Florida Times-Union, November 20, 2008". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  43. ↑ "City shelter wins $700k grant to save cats" Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , Amy Worden, The Inquirer, August 25, 2014.
  44. ↑ "First Coast No More Homeless Pets Annual Report 10.01.12-9.30.13" Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , at p. 9.
  45. ↑ "St. George, Best Friends working together to save lives of community cats" Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , Best Friends Animal Society, January 08, 2014.

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