My Trip to Best Friends - Part Two

Day 2: Before volunteering, we watched a brief safety video which was actually very informative about how to properly enter and unlatch various dog areas. It starred John Garcia, from the Dogtown show. We were in a conference room but unlike any work-related conference room I've ever been in: it had multiple dogs roaming in and out. One I especially liked was a grey, nearly-earless pitbull who was one of the staff member's dog. Before being resuced and spayed, the dog had probably birthed 70+ puppies. She was a sweetheart and a great example of a breed that often gets a bad rap. (I wish I had had my camera with me!)

The first full day of volunteering at Best Friends was met with cold, gray skies. We chose to stay inside and clean dog runs - as opposed to walking dogs in the windy mid-30 degree weather. Uh, I didn't take any photos of me sweeping, mopping or refilling water buckets. I met some friendly - yet very messy dogs, the red sand/dirt which is everywhere doesn't help keep fresly cleaned cement floors clear. Each dog run (indoor and outdoor space with raised beds, fleece blankets and toys) is well thought out: dogs are housed only with dogs of similar or agreeable temperament.

Lunch is available at Angels Village. It is always 100% vegetarian and 200% super yummy. There are amazing views from the open dining area and the open seating is a great way to meet fellow volunteers and staff. I saw Dr. Patti from the Dogtown show. They are like celebrities!

The afternoon was spent walking dogs from a different neighborhood than the one we cleaned - the dogs are not all kept one area, but spread out over the many acres of land, which must help keep the barking noise to a minimum. We got rained on a bit, but nothing too drastic. We picked out our second sleepover dog: Purdy. She is a 12year old girl and each time we told a staff member (whether they were near her living area or not) their faces wouldn't brighten and say how glad they were thatPurdy was getting a sleepover. She was a sweet, mellow (and a bit gassy) girl.

!!
Happy Ending: I just found out that Karina, our first night sleepover dog was adopted and has moved to Colorado with her forever family!! Hooray!!
!!