![Person smiling while standing with a group of donkeys](/sites/default/files/styles/image_mobile_square/public/image/JorahDonkeys9004_650h.jpg?h=76bac639&itok=NNCiYFdQ)
The Best Friends Story
Back in 1984, a scrappy group of friends from far corners of the globe settled in a remote area of Utah’s high desert … and took the first steps to forever changing the future for pets in shelters.
It’s the story of Best Friends, but it’s much more than the history of a spot on the map. This group of ordinary but passionate people believed that every pet has a story, too, each one worth saving, each life individual and important. Today, nearly four decades after they broke ground for a sanctuary in a remote region of the Southwest, achieving no-kill across the entire country is within reach.
![Historical images at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary](/sites/default/files/styles/image_small_mobile/public/image/whoweare_history_imagery_4.jpg?itok=nSSgR6Ol)
We started with little fanfare
And even fewer resources. We were creating a sanctuary for homeless and special-needs animals literally from the ground up. We were forging roadways and erecting buildings with our bare hands. We were creating a better world through kindness to animals.
The Sanctuary remains our anchor
But, even today, it still comes down to small, simple acts of kindness — and the belief that every animal deserves a chance.
![Person holding a small dog in front of a Best Friends location](/sites/default/files/styles/image_mobile/public/image/bfas-DuckyRachel1956sak_3.jpg?itok=R2SwW_Dd)