Following initial analysis of my current questionnaire responses, both questionnaires #15 and #20 mention 'Best Friends Animal Society' when asked whether they know of any Rehabilitation Centres. In order to follow up on any potentially useful precedents, I decided to investigate into this organisation and its methods.
(A Family Vacation at Best Friends, 2011. [user generated content Youtube] BestFriendsVideos. 14th September 2011. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5LGhzKk2rM&feature=share&list=PL7hRNs_gx888_hyUewEz3nDO67qLvBD07 [Accessed 28th November 2014].)
" Located five miles north of Kanab, Utah, Angel Canyon, home of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and nearly 2,000 homeless animals, has been known for thousands of years as a sacred place to the people who lived here. It continues to this day to be a very unique and extraordinary place.
A place of healing for homeless pets When you arrive in the canyon, you immediately feel the peace and tranquility of a place where so many ancient peoples have gathered in centuries past, and where today, so many animals are loved and heal from their hard life journeys. The Sanctuary is home to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, pigs, goats, mules, sheep, burros and wildlife. An animal safe haven The animals come to this sanctuary in the canyon from far and wide. Some are ill, some have been neglected or abused, and all are homeless. But once they're at our animal refuge, at what is so much more than a no-kill animal shelter, they receive everything they need, physically, emotionally and psychologically, to thrive and find good homes. For those few who are never ready to take that next step, Best Friends is their safe haven for life. There really is nowhere else like the Sanctuary on earth. "
HOW DOES THE SHELTER WORK?
- "Potential admissions are considered in view of space and resources."
- "The majority of the animals we're able to accept at Best Friends are cats and dogs who need to be able to live in our very high-energy environment with staff, visitors, volunteers, and other animals."
" Aggressive and/or fearful animals
In order to provide the highest possible quality of life for animals at the Sanctuary, we house most of our residents in groups to provide social interaction with plenty of room for exercise. For this reason, we are unable to accommodate most requests involving aggressive animals and those who are fearful of others of the same species. Aggressive animals, especially those who pose a risk to other animals, as well as cats who are fearful of other cats and dogs who are fearful of other dogs, need to be housed individually, and there is very limited individual housing at Best Friends."
EVALUATIVE THOUGHTS
Best Friends upholds a strong mission to eliminate the high levels of unnecessary euthanasia within shelter. Unlike my hypothesis, it does not focus on seemingly aggressive dogs but the more general issue of overcrowding shelters, leading to euthanasia due to lack of space. As stated above, they do not take cases where the dog is showing any signs of aggression due to the method of housing animals altogether for space-saving / socialisation purposes.
Nonetheless, there are some elements of this case study which I find very inspiring. Firstly, the way they draw in volunteers. As shown in the above video, Best Friends entice volunteers by making it an enjoyable experience e.g. a fun, bonding day for families and making use of their idyllic scenery to entice them to volunteer whilst exploring the area in their spare time. This highlights the idea of the centre giving back to society, further implementing positive effects on the community.
(Best Friends Animal Society, 2014. Best Friends Animal Society Official Website [online]. Kanab, UT. Best Friends. Available at: http://bestfriends.org/Home.aspx [Accessed on 28th November 2014].)