|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Though it may seem almost magical, Dogtown is a real place at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, and has been doing great work to help dogs for almost 25 years.
Dogtown is just a part of the work that Best Friends Animal Society does to protect and serve our animal friends, including pets of all sorts. |
|
|
|
|
|
A New Life at Best Friends Dogtown
 You’re really just like any other kind of orphaned child when you first come to Dogtown.
Maybe you once had a home, but it didn’t work out. Or perhaps you’d always been a stray, dodging cars and stones and anyone in uniform until you were finally caught and taken to the pound.
Either way, nobody seemed to want you. You were just too plain or too frightened or too old or too big – or you simply couldn’t get along with people.
You knew you weren’t “adoptable” and you could feel what that meant. All the dogs knew.
But your luck hadn’t completely run out. Because one day, when they came for you, you were headed for Best Friends Dogtown. |
|
Settling in
 Breakfast in the morning, treats in the afternoon, nice walks, and lots of afternoon snoozes.
It’s like a giant summer camp for dogs! Everyone’s really nice to you, and there are lots of new faces everywhere. Dog faces, people faces. But they’re all happy. And there’s none of the fear that was all around you before.
You’re in a group of maybe five or six dogs (no cages, so it’s always play time) and you’re making friends, playing games, great food, extra treats. Nice walks, too, and afternoon snoozes, and your own special person to look after you.
Best of all, there’s special care for whatever’s been hurting. So that soon you’re feeling like a real dog again.
Plus, there are always lots of visitors who love hugs and kisses and want their photo taken with you. And none of them think you’re “unadoptable.”
Maybe the world isn’t that bad a place, after all! |
|
The Business of Dogtown: Food!!
 Every morning, rain or shine, the dogs must be fed. And with more than 500 dogs at Dogtown on any given day, it’s a huge job! So our dedicated team of staff and volunteers are in the kitchens by 8:00 every day.
Tara’s Run, the Dogtown school, is where homeless dogs can learn their manners in a fun, stimulating environment that helps them get ready for good new homes.
Bowl after bowl is specially prepared – a gourmet mix of dry and moist foods. Dogs with special dietary needs – like diabetes or arthritis – must have specially prepared food, complete with the right medicines in the proper doses.
Dogtown is so large – indoor-outdoor areas cover more than 90 acres – that bowls are loaded into pickup trucks and golf carts for delivery to each dog’s favorite eating area
Staff and volunteers know each dog’s name, which bowl is for whom, and where each and every dog likes eating most.
It’s a miracle of caring, performed every day by folks just like you who love dogs and want the best for them. And it’s also quite a feat – one visitor said it’s like building and then eating the Great Pyramid each day!
Visitors and volunteers join in feeding, walking, grooming, and generally taking care of the dogs, while staff members check for health and behavior problems.
The dogs love to play together. But they also love to have their ears rubbed, backs patted, or just hear a nice calm voice telling them how wonderful and wanted they are. |
|
A Brief History of Dogtown
 Dogtown at Best Friends began in 1987 with about 100 dogs. We built three Octagons for 30-40 dogs each, with big outdoor enclosures, comfy indoors, and each with a kitchen/staff area. Soon, there were hundreds more dogs coming in from all over the country and we were putting up new temporary housing everywhere!
There were new enclosures, dog houses, observation runs, the Old Friends home, Little Dogs, and adoption runs. Whew!
 View a timeline of events that made Dogtown the place it is today! |
|
From the Producer of Dogtown
 "I've traveled extensively and worked on many exciting projects," says Darcy Dennett, the series producer, "but I’ve never enjoyed working on a project quite as much as I've enjoyed working on Dogtown.
"My first impression of Dogtown was WOW! The dogs really do own this place! It's so incredible to realize that there's a dedicated place in this world where every animal's life is valued, regardless of medical issues, behavioral issues, age, size and beauty.
"Dogtown is such an amazing place in so many different ways. While the show is both entertaining and, at other times, difficult to watch, given the serious nature of some of the scenes, we've worked hard to make it educational. Even for someone like myself, who's grown up with dogs, every day I was learning something new about them.
It's so exciting to be in a situation where you're learning something new on a daily basis! I always think it's a successful shoot, personally, when I'm left with a whole new perspective on the world around me." |
|
Resources
Best Friends is committed to providing information to help you with your own animals and animals in your community.
If you need help with a dog:
Click
here to visit our Animal Help Network Community for resources.
If you need more information about admitting a dog to Best Friends:
Click
here for Best Friend’s animal admissions policy.
For general questions about Best Friends:
Click
here for Frequently Asked Questions. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
