Hello, all! I missed the Celebrate hop last week because I had the good fortune to be traveling out west and visiting Utah. It was an amazing trip and definitely something to celebrate.
I've wanted to visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, since I volunteered as a writer for them back in 2010. That experience led me to the blogging and writing journey that has changed my life in truly wonderful ways, so it meant a great deal to finally visit the place in person.
The sanctuary is located in beautiful Angel Canyon, shown in the picture above, which is of the view from the Angel Cafe lunchroom. It's home to nearly 2,000 animals, including dogs, cats, pigs, horses, birds, rabbits, and many others.
My friend and I stayed at one of the sanctuary cottages, which was located right by Horse Haven and Piggie Paradise. So we got to meet these cuties.
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| Three little pigs enjoying an afternoon nap |
I also volunteered at Dog Town and took several doggies on walks along trails in the canyon. That was not a chore, as this was the view at the end of one of the trails.
Two of my walking pals:
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| Petunia |
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| Rumba, who was found as a feral stray in the Mojave Desert |
Best Friends was one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I've ever visited, and I loved it even more than I thought I would. It was heartwarming and good for my soul to see so many sweet animals being treated with love and kindness. And while I'm sure it's not a utopia, the people we encountered all seemed happy and peaceful too. I think maybe there is something in the Angel Canyon air. ;)
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| The sun going down over Angel Canyon |
I also visited Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks and will post about those adventures next week. It's safe to say I'm now totally in love with Utah's Canyon Country.
The Celebrate the Small Things hop is hosted by my buddy Lexa Cain and co-hosted by L.G Keltner at Writing Off the Edge, Tonja Drecker at Kidbits, and Katie at The Cyborg Mom. Visit Lexa's blog here to find out how join in the hop yourself and to see the list of participants.
Happy April and best of luck to everyone participating in the A-Z Challenge. Have fun! :)
Hi Julie - sounds wonderful ... love the photos and the descriptions. So glad you had a happy time ... I've withdrawn from the A-Z challenge .. but I'm around .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI've been loving your pictures on Facebook. Glad you had such a wonderful time! :)
ReplyDeleteWith views like that, I'd be walking the dogs all the time. Glad it was such an amazing trip.
ReplyDelete@Hilary, sorry to hear you've withdrawn - your theme sounded great. But glad you'll still be around. :)
ReplyDelete@Christine, thanks!
@Alex, exactly LOL. I would happily walk the dogs all day. They were so sweet anyway.
Beautiful photos, particularly the golden sunset! It sounds like a peaceful place. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. That bunny is so cute! Happy Friday!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great trip and looks like a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place! It's really like a vacation with animal friends. Thanks for all the great pics. I especially liked Rumba. He's so furry! Have a lovely weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a fun trip and shared those beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
Lovely, and such fun. I'm so glad you had a wonderful time. Can't wait to learn more! Happy A to Z -ing!
ReplyDeleteJulie, it looks like a fantastic vacation!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou volunteered at my husband's favorite place in all the land. He loves bunnies! Such a great trip and great cause. Thank you for all you do. Glad you had a great trip and for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures and pooches!! Thanks for being such a caring influence on the world, Julie. X
ReplyDeleteI've loved all the pictures you've posted. What an amazing trip!!
ReplyDelete@lori, so glad you liked the photos, thanks!
ReplyDelete@Kate, it really was, on both counts.
@Lexa, Rumba was a doll! I would love to go back and spend more time with all of them.
@Yolanda, thanks!
@Cathy, it was!:)
@Elsie, oh, how cool that you guys know about it! I had never been around bunnies before but now I am in love. So precious.
@Shah, aww, thanks for saying that, so nice.
@MJ, thanks!
Love the photos, Julie, especially the first one - gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteHey, any tortoises/turtles at the Sanctuary? :)
I love that I'm following you on Instagram because I've seen these already. ;) I have been enjoying it and everytime I check in on Instagram, I look to see what you've shared from your trip. Your images are amazing. I'm envious!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful place. It sounds like an amazing trip. I would've loved to snuggle with a bunny too. They are so cute! Animals are so beautiful and most people forget they need love too. Thank you for always speaking up on their behalf.
ReplyDeleteJulie, that sounds like an amazing trip! And 2000 animals there! Wow.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to B through Z.
Yvonne
Doing good changes our lives immeasurably!
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures.
Wow. I adore the look of this place, especially with all those animals... I'd probably try to snuggle them all:)
ReplyDeleteAn animal sanctuary...What a delightful place to visit. My daughter lives in Utah. I'll let her know. And Bryce Canyon and Mt. Zion go without saying. Incredible scenery!
ReplyDeleteThat's so awesome you got to go there. I've always admired the work they do and their commitment to helping so many animals.
ReplyDeleteAwwww .... can't turn down petting a fuzzy little bunny!
ReplyDeleteOh, this will be something that you will keep in your heart forever. Bunnies are sweet and sonics to hold. I love these photos. The one dog looks like it's head is a German shepherd but the body of a smaller dog. He looks so sweet. Love the views and that picture with the sun hitting that one area is purely majestic
ReplyDeleteUtah has awesome, amazing canyons and parks. Your photos capture that.
ReplyDeleteMy son and husband climbed up Angel's Landing years ago. It made for a strong bond.
Thanks for your comment on my blog. Beautiful place in the world.
ReplyDeleteUtah is an amazing place, so many natural wonders. It sounds like you have a great time. And bunnies!
ReplyDeleteRumba has such a cute face...
ReplyDeleteYour photos are wonderful. Looks like you had a blast!
That's such a beautiful area! It looks like you had a great time. Can't wait to see your Zion and Bryce photos!
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't have celebrated a better place and time.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! Julie, this is fabulous! I saw some of the photos you posted on Facebook, and I was wondering where you were. And now I want to go visit this sanctuary! How wonderful that they exist, and that you were able to spend time there. I love that writing for them had such profound impact on your life; I'll have to go back and check earlier posts of yours to find out more about that story :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming over to Life In Dogs for a visit, and for the lovely comment. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Looks like an amazing trip. Travelling is awesome.
ReplyDeleteHello Julie, it was so great to see your comment. If I had a bucket list, this is the trip I would want to take. Best Friends, Zion and Bryce, it doesn't get any better than that.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had an AMAZING time, Julie. So a wonderful experience that I hope to encounter some day!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing more pics on you next post...
Lovely pictures Julie. I have always wanted to visit a wildlife sanctuary, maybe stay a day or two in one of the cottages there.
ReplyDelete