Best Friends of Pets

Best Friends of Pets
Name	Best Friends of Pets
Type	Nonprofit animal welfare organization
Founded	1993
Location	Kanab, Utah
Focus	Animal rescue and sheltering

Best Friends of Pets is a nonprofit animal welfare organization focused on rescue, sheltering, adoption, community outreach, and advocacy for companion animals. Founded in 1993, it operates sanctuary and shelter facilities and runs programs to reduce euthanasia in municipal shelters while partnering with national and local actors. The organization engages with a broad network of institutions and events to amplify its mission.

History

The organization's early development paralleled work by activists and institutions such as Jane Goodall, Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, Tony La Russa, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Rachel Carson, PETA, Dian Fossey, Cesar Chavez, National Audubon Society, Sierra Club, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, United Way, Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, Kennedy Center, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, MacArthur Fellows Program, Conservation International, Defenders of Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, World Animal Protection, The Humane League, Best Friends Animal Society, SpayUSA, Alley Cat Allies, Maddie's Fund, Petco Foundation, Banfield Foundation, American Veterinary Medical Association, American Humane Association, International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Society for the Protection of Animals, European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, CITES, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme, US Fish and Wildlife Service, California Academy of Sciences, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Royal Society, The Kennel Club, RSPCA as companion movements and reference points during its formation. Influences also included campaigns and personalities like Oprah Winfrey, Bob Barker, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Nancy Reagan, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pope Francis, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Al Gore, Jane Fonda, and Leonardo DiCaprio who shaped nonprofit visibility and celebrity advocacy models.

Mission and Programs

Programs are informed by partnerships with organizations such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, United States Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, USPS, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, American Public Health Association, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Public Health, Columbia University, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Children's Fund, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, Kiwanis International, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, National Geographic Society, PBS, NPR, BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today.

Adoption and Rescue Services

Adoption and rescue operations coordinate with municipal entities and advocacy groups including Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, New York City Animal Care Centers, Miami-Dade Animal Services, Chicago Animal Care and Control, Houston Humane Society, San Francisco SPCA, Denver Dumb Friends League, Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society, Seattle Animal Shelter, Austin Animal Center, Atlanta Humane Society, San Diego Humane Society, Toronto Humane Society, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), Humane Society International, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Animal Care & Control Association, Association of Shelter Veterinarians, International Fund for Animal Welfare, World Animal Protection, Best Friends Animal Society.

Shelter and Sanctuary Operations

Sanctuary and shelter models draw on precedents and collaborations with institutions such as Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Glacier National Park, Yosemite National Park, Denali National Park and Preserve, Smithsonian National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaWorld, Shedd Aquarium, Oregon Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Detroit Zoo, Houston Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Saint Louis Zoo, National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution.

Community Outreach and Education

Community initiatives reference educational and media partners like Sesame Workshop, Khan Academy, Coursera, edX, Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Society, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS Kids, Nickelodeon, Disney, Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks Animation, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Princeton University Press as venues for public education and content partnerships.

Fundraising and Partnerships

Fundraising strategies follow models used by United Way, Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam International, Save the Children, The Nature Conservancy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Maddie's Fund, PetSmart Charities, Petco Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Panasonic, Walmart Foundation, Target Corporation, AmazonSmile, Google, Meta Platforms, Apple Inc., Microsoft, Spotify, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, Hulu, Twitch.

Impact and Criticism

Impact assessments reference metrics and reporting practices used by entities such as Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Independent Sector, National Council of Nonprofits, Urban Institute, RAND Corporation, Pew Research Center, Kaiser Family Foundation, Brookings Institution, Council on Foundations, OECD, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Programme, Global Reporting Initiative, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) critics and analysts including Thomas Piketty, Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, John Maynard Keynes, Adam Smith, Paul Krugman, Esther Duflo, Angus Deaton, Daron Acemoglu.

Category:Animal welfare organizations