Employment

Working with Best Friends

As Best Friends Animal Society continues to succeed and expand, so do the exciting employment opportunities.  Before checking out our rewarding positions, you may want to take a moment and read the below information on what the organization and the lifestyle of Kanab has to offer.

• Evaluation Period. Many positions require a two-week paid evaluation period before a person is hired.  This is for your benefit as well as that of Best Friends; the two-week evaluation helps you (and Best Friends) decide whether the job is a good fit.  After receiving your job application, we will let you know if we can offer you the evaluation period.  Interviews are conducted during the two-week evaluation.

• Physical Work. If you're applying for hands-on work with the animals, you should be aware that it can be physically challenging. It may involve lifting and carrying, working outdoors in all seasons, and dealing with animal waste.

• Benefits. The benefits package is one of the best!  Medical, Dental, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Vision, Child Care, Cafeteria Plan, Life Insurance, PTO, Paid Holidays, Employee Assistance Program, 401K, Staff Discounts, etc.  Further, we also have some very unique perks, such as discounted veterinary care and the opportunity to bring pets to work.  Our onsite cafeteria serves healthy vegetarian food, and organic produce from the Best Friends Greenhouse is available for sale.  Many local businesses support us by offering discounts on their services and products to Best Friends employees.

About living in Kanab, Utah

• Our Local Town of Kanab. Kanab is a quaint town, with a diverse population of approximately 4,000 people.  There is a theatre, a movie house, coffee shops, grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, etc.  While Kanab is growing in popularity there is no sense of congestion and you will find both tourists and co-workers from all over the world.  It's got a small town backdrop with many cosmopolitan cronies!  There's a real sense of community among the staff at Best Friends, so don't be surprised if your dance card is more full than from whence you came.  There's a town symphony, Nights at the Gazebo, and a monthly all ages open mic night - where every form of expression is welcomed.  There are various clubs, for hiking, art, book, star-watching, bird watching, horticultural lectures, and many more activities offered by our local organizations.  There are various form of yoga and tai chi classes right in Kanab, and the newly re-modeled gym in the heart of town offers everything from spinning to belly dancing classes.  There's even a fledgling film society - the big city's got almost nothing on this town.  Plus if you're into something, and it's not offered in Kanab, you can start your own club.  Chances are there's at least 11 other people that want to join, Texas Hold-Em or Bunco anyone?

• Transportation. Like many small rural communities, Kanab has no public transportation, so you must have a car to get around. Anyway you'll want your own vehicle to explore the miles of scenic landscape.  There's only one traffic light in town, so you'll rarely find yourself sitting in traffic!

• Weather. At an elevation of 4,925 feet, Kanab just about classifies as a high-desert climate.  In general, the weather is sunny and fairly moderate, with a definite change through four seasons.  There is some rainfall but it's so infrequent that you're singing in the rain!  Winters bring a bit of snow, but the white stuff never lingers long because of the many sunny days.  In the summer, mid-day gets pretty hot but the morning and the evening hours are just about perfect with no humidity and often a lovely breeze.

• Outdoor activities. It's all about the outdoors!!  Kanab is located in the Golden Circle of southern Utah, which offers a breathtaking assortment of outdoor adventures for people who like to hike, bike, or just tour the open roads taking in the scenery (just ask the hundreds of bikers that come through Kanab every year).  It's called the Golden Circle because we're close to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument with its miles and miles of unadulterated, varied landscape is like no place else on earth.  It has such dramatic scenery; there are places that you'll swear you're on the moon.  But don't fret; the refreshing plunge of Lake Powell, which reminds many people of an undisclosed island in the Mediterranean, is just a few miles away.  The above describes the surrounding area of Kanab, let's talk about Kanab itself.  Besides being home to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, it's got vast expanses of untouched BLM land just waiting to be explored.  It is also home to Kanab Creek, where you can also let your dog cool off before exploring one of the hundreds of trails in and around the grounds of Best Friends.  If you're looking to reconnect with the natural world, Kanab may be perfect for you.
  
  For more information, visit these websites:
  Kanab Area Vacation Guide: www.kanabguide.com
  Utah Adventure Online: www.utahadventure.com
  Kane County Travel Center: www.kaneutah.com
  A local journalist's tour of the Golden Circle: www.so-utah.com/tour/homepage.html

About Nearby Cities

St. George, about 80 miles away, is an hour and a half drive by car. Kanab residents often go to St. George to shop. There's a Costco, a WalMart, several health-food stores, and assorted malls and shopping centers, including a collection of outlet stores.

Cedar City, also about 80 miles away, has the wonderful Utah Shakespearean Festival, winner of a Tony award, with its replica of an Elizabethan theater. Cedar City also hosts the Utah Summer Games, an Olympics-style sports festival for athletes of all ages and abilities that is open to Utah residents.

Las Vegas, with all of its many diversions, is three and a half hours away, and Salt Lake City, a growing cosmopolitan city, is a six-hour drive.

About the Best Friends Community

People are often surprised at how many professional level positions we have.  We are always seeking the best diverse talent to further our mission: "To lead a kindness revolution that transforms the way people relate to animals, nature and each other".  Staff frequently comment on how meaningful this work is over their old corporate life style; what a joy it was to trade in their heels or loafers for sandals and hiking boots.  It's business casual Friday here everyday. 

Best Friends is as much a community for its staff as it is a sanctuary for animals. It's a unique place - our staff come from many different parts of the country and many walks of life. Many of us have little or no family in the area, so we come to rely on each other. Of course, there is an automatic bond among us because of our common purpose and love of animals.

What else is unique about Best Friends? Well, there aren't many office environments where dogs and cats can come to work. The rule at Best Friends is that as long as your pets get along with everyone else's pets, they are welcome.

Also, lots of companies have a variety of departments, but how many can boast that they have a place for old dogs (called Old Friends), a room for special-needs cats (called the Incontinental Suite), and a haven for horses and other farm animals (called Horse Haven)? Plus, these and many other departments are spread throughout a scenic desert setting called Angel Canyon, hallowed ground to many that visit here. You can hike, explore Anasazi ruins, sit by the underground lake and contemplate the meaning of life, or just run with your dogs, all near where you work and live.

If you are considering seeking employment at Best Friends, we look forward to hearing from you.