The medium and the message, February 2008
When the media carry news stories of Best Friends, untold numbers of viewers, readers and listeners are introduced to our message of kindness toward animals and our goal of No More Homeless Pets. Our hope is that they adopt our philosophy in their daily lives and take action to support animal welfare in their hometowns across America.
This occasional feature will review the good news about Best Friends.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Oprah’s "Valentine’s Day Surprises" special included the story of Oogy, a badly injured bait dog – his jaw had been crushed and his skull damaged – who became an inspiration to the family that adopted him.
After the feature, viewers were directed to Oprah’s website, where they could find:
Oogy’s story: "Larry and his twin boys were at the vet to drop off their cat when Oogy walked down the hall … and right into their hearts," the story goes. "‘He looked like part of him had melted,’ Larry says. ‘But he just covered us with kisses. It's like he didn't know that anything bad had happened to him – he was just full of love. He jumped in our arms.’"
A slideshow of 20 Best Friends adoptables: "Best Friends works hard to find good homes for the animals whose beauty runs a lot more than just skin-deep."
KKCO Channel 11
Grand Junction, Colorado
The local NBC affiliate ran a blurb about our Horse Haven manager, Jen Reid, who "spent some time at the Central Library talking about horse adoptions and rescues."
"Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, ... helps communities throughout the nation set up spay/neuter, shelter, foster and adoption programs."
The story included a link to our website.
darynkagan.com
Daryn Kagan was a mid-day CNN anchor for 12 years. We first worked with her during the Hurricane Katrina rescue, and she covered the Lebanon rescue on her site.
"Daryn shares our philosophy of focusing on the positive," says Best Friends media relations manager Barbara Williamson.
Her website ran a video story about the Michael Vick dogs coming to Best Friends and included a thank you to National Geographic for providing "their great video ... to bring you today’s story on ‘The Vicktory Dogs.’
"Those dogs are now living in a rehab paradise at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.... And if you want to see more, check out the "Dogtown" series on the National Geographic Channel. They take you behind the scenes to show you even more of the incredible work being done with these special dogs."
Pahrump Valley Times
Pahrump, Nevada
The newspaper reports that the Great Kitty Rescue was "the single largest recorded hoarding case and subsequent rescue of cats ever in the United States," according to Patti Broun of the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California.
"Many of the cats found new, loving homes thanks to a number of adoption events held here and in Las Vegas by the Best Friends Animal Society, the rescue group called in by Nye County Animal Control to take over the situation after it was discovered.
"According to Broun, who volunteered extensively during the operation, 748 cats were microchipped, photographed, vaccinated and catalogued during the course of the rescue ... [which she estimated to cost] a little over $1 million.... Donations for the project throughout the course of the rescue have totaled a little over $300,000."
The Sporting News
The national magazine’s lead-off feature, "To Know List: 7 things to make you an instant expert this week," mentions the Vick dogs and their care at our sanctuary.
"You won’t be seeing Michael Vick on TV anytime soon, but you will get a chance to see his dogs. The National Geographic Channel is filming the rehabilitations of 22 canines ... for new installments of its show Dogtown."
Written by Michael Rinker
The work of Best Friends is possible only because of your generous support. Click here to help us reach our goal of No More Homeless Pets.
To check out more Best Friends news, click here.