Best Friends Animal Sanctuary - Kanab, Utah - Animal Sanctuary, pet adoption, Cabins, cottages, RV sites

On any given day you'll find about 1700 plus dogs, cats, and other animals, at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. These animals come from shelters and rescue groups around the country to receive the special care they can only get at Best Friends. These are animals with special physical or behavioral needs. The staff at the sanctuary, including veterinarians, trainers and caregivers, provides these animals a safe environment, time to recover and all the medical assistance they require. Many of the animals are ready to go to new homes after a few weeks of special care. A few, those who are too old or too sick, or who have suffered extra trauma, find a permanent home at the sanctuary, and are given loving care for the rest of their lives.

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary offers tours and a place to stay while you extend your visit. Every tour at Best Friends starts at the Welcome Center. There are views of Horse Haven and Angel Canyon, a gift shop and a sundeck for relaxation. The well maintained landscaping and gardens surround the center. Here you'll find a lucky fish pond, hummingbirds, and sign up for one of four daily guided tours. The tours are free, provided seven days a week, and are often full so call ahead to make a reservation. The tours take about one and a half hours and wind through the red-rock landscape of Angel Canyon. This is a big place, and difficult to navigate at first. Visitors cannot go to the animal facilities unaccompanied.

If a few hours aren't enough, you can also interact with the sanctuary animals by signing up for volunteer opportunities. There are cabins, cottages and a couple of RV sites on the grounds for rent.

The tour includes:

One of the Cat buildings

One of the Dog buildings

Driving by the Horse Pastures

The Bunny House

Feathered Friends

Special tours are available for extended time at the Bunny House, Feathered Friends, and Pot-Bellied Pigs.

Tips for visiting:

Wear shoes not sandals - they are better for walking in the sand

Long pants - to guard against enthusiastic greetings by the dogs and cats

Glasses instead of contact lenses - because of the sand

Sun block and a hat - for protection from the sun

Bottled water - necessary all year in the dry climate

No Pets allowed - The Sanctuary doesn't offer any kind of "day care" for visiting pets, unless you are adopting a pet. In this case you are strongly encouraged to bring other pets with you to the adoption area only.

Places to stay:

Angel Canyon Guest Cottages - Eight guest cottages near the Welcome Center they include one bedroom, a sitting room and kitchen. Best Friends members receive a discount on nightly rate.

Cabins - Smaller than the Cottages, they are conveniently located on sanctuary property. Each studio has one queen-size bed, kitchenette, and a three quarter bath with a shower stall. Members receive a discount on nightly rate.

RV Sites - Two fully-equipped RV sites with 50 amp electricity, water, septic tank, 35' concrete platforms and an unobstructed sight line for SAT TV. The sites are not pull-through. You must bring a separate vehicle for transportation. Stays are limited to 14 days. The RV sites are closed from November 1 through March 15.

Best Friends Animal Society at Angel Canyon, is located at the heart of the Golden Circle of national parks in southern Utah. The physical address is 5001 Angel Canyon Road in Kanab, Utah. The closest airport is Las Vegas. Driving from Las Vegas takes approximately 4 hours (Remember that Kanab is on Mountain Time, an hour later than Nevada and California.) Take I-15 north from Las Vegas. Drive approximately 6 miles past St. George, Utah and take exit 16 (Hwy 9) into Hurricane. Go approximately 10 miles and turn right at the Main Street traffic light. Go one block and turn left at the 4-way stop onto Hwy 59. Drive approximately 55 miles into Fredonia, Arizona. Turn left (north) at the stop sign onto Highway 89, and drive 7 miles into Kanab. The entrance to Best Friends is about five miles north of Kanab on the east (right) side of Hwy 89. Between the 69 and 70 mile markers, a green highway sign indicates Kanab Canyon. Turn into Kanab Canyon and drive about 1.5 miles to the Welcome Center, which is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. seven days a week.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is the inspiration behind a grassroots effort to place dogs and cats that are considered "un-adoptable" into good homes and to reduce the number of unwanted pets through effective spay and neuter programs. Since they began, the number of dogs and cats being destroyed in shelters in the United States has fallen from over 17 million a year to approximately 5 million a year.

One August 2009 reviewer said, "A must see for animal lovers & people who watch Dogtown. We took the free tour and had a great time.''

A second 2009 reviewer said, "Being in a place where everyone-staff, volunteers and visitors-are there solely for love of animals was a rare, precious experience, especially for someone who has spent a lot of time in poorly managed, politics-ridden city animal shelters. The quiet tranquility and the beauty of Angel Canyon just adds to the peacefulness and spirituality of the place. We stayed in one of the cottages on the property, which I highly recommend because you are right there in the middle of everything. Also, we took one of the dogs for an overnight sleepover, which was also a delicious experience! Very close to major national parks like Zion and Bryce. We didn't make it to Bryce, but Zion is breathtaking and even just the drive from Zion to Kanab is worth it! Overall, an amazing, precious experience that we definitely plan to repeat again in the future.''