If you could pay $15 to get your dog a microchip and rabies shot, would you jump at the chance? If you would, you’re not alone, which was the whole point behind the second annual Best Friends Animal Care fair, held in Kanab, Utah (home of the sanctuary). Best Friends wanted to help out the local community and sure enough, people were lined up with pooches in hand, ready to take their turn.
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It'll only hurt for a second. |
This was the second annual Animal Care Fair. The goal of the whole event was not only to make rabies shots and microchipping as painless on the pocketbook as possible, it was a chance to visit with the community about all sorts of things. There were Q&A booths, tables, meet-and-greets, chair massages, trainers, animals from around the sanctuary to meet, the works! And, just like the first year, the whole thing was a resounding success.
Since the sanctuary is located some six miles north of town, the fair is held in town at Honey’s Jubilee, a local grocery store, which graciously gives up their parking lot for the cause. People could come with their dogs and hit the microchip and rabies vaccination table, or they could ask any number of questions from the experts on hand. It was like having a free doctor’s panel, except it was all about animal care. So somebody who zipped over for a loaf of bread could have also gone home knowing how to keep his dog from jumping up on strangers. Not bad for a trip to the store!
No sanctuary animals were there for adoption promotion, but several animals did come from Kane Humane, a local rescue organization, which is how one of the highlights of the day came to pass.
Nina Laycook of Kanab, Utah is on the city council and is running unopposed for mayor next month. She has long been a supporter of Best Friends, and sponsored her first Best Friends dog back in the early 90s. Nina, as it turns out, is a big advocate of these community fairs. "They’re a great resource for people," Nina says.
As she and her husband Lloyd were stopping by to say hello, they met Leah, a dog from Kane Humane. They all hit it off, spent some time together, and then the Laycooks went off to run some errands. To those at the fair, that seemed to be the end of it. And it almost was. But you know how these things go. Sometimes the dog has other plans!
"We had no intentions of adopting another dog," explains Nina. However, she and her husband kept thinking about Leah and decided to head back with their dog Honey Girl just in case the two might get along. The rest is history. Leah is all set to become co-first dog of Kanab!
Now that’s a great way to spend a Saturday.
Story by David Dickson
Photos by Cherie Damron
The Animal Care Fair is just one example of Best Friends’work toward the day when there will be No More Homeless Pets. Read about more of our outreach programs.
