Best Friends Animal Society

We started with little fanfare and even fewer resources: creating a sanctuary for homeless and special-needs animals literally from the ground up, forging roadways and erecting buildings with our bare hands. We were creating a better world through kindness to animals.

We did it with passion, believing that a humane path forward - one in which every pet has the chance to know love and companionship - was the only path forward.

There was no how-to manual for realizing such a vision, but we soon found we didn't need one. We emphasized positive change and what we could accomplish together, never guilt or shock to force people into joining us.

Even in those early days, each discrete act of lifesaving counted, no matter how small or unseen. Because we weren't just building a sanctuary. We were laying the groundwork for changing how this country looks at - and looks out for - its homeless dogs and cats.