Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Changing Its Name

by David Milner

The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which operates the largest homeless animal sanctuary in the United States, is changing its name to the Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS).

"Many of our members have been asking us to do this," said BFAS President Michael Mountain. "They keep pointing out that our old name only describes the work we do here at the sanctuary, and doesn?t reflect the spay/neuter and adoption efforts that they take part in all over the country."

More than 14,000 of the approximately 250,000 BFAS members also are members of the Best Friends Network, which works with humane organizations throughout the United States to create so-called "no-kill" communities in which healthy animals do not have to be euthanized because homes cannot be found for them.

"Over the years, Best Friends has become much more than simply the nation?s largest sanctuary," Mountain stated. "It?s about all of us working together to bring about a time when every dog and cat can be guaranteed a good home with a loving family."

The BFAS sanctuary, which is located in Kanab, UT near the Grand Canyon, houses on an average day about 1,500 animals that have come from all over the United States and need special care before they can be made available for adoption.

"The sanctuary itself will always be at the heart of our work, but our overall mission has broadened," said Mountain. "We have become very much a society of like-minded people who believe that caring about animals makes us better people."

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.