Best Friends Annual Report

Best Friends Animal Society 2010 Year in Review Our mission: No More Homeless Pets®

From the Chief Executive Officer: The year 2010 was, indeed, a re-markable one for Best Friends Ani-mal Society.

A total of 768 special-needs animals found forever homes after healing at Best Friends Animal Society’s sanctuary for abused and aban-doned animals. We also made a lot of progress at the Sanctuary on new animal facilities that will make the care of homeless, special-needs animals even better. These include the construction of a new Puppy Care Center, the renovation of our

medical clinic, improvements to the Bunny House and the start of new facilities for Cat World.

Our mission of No More Homeless Pets® extends well beyond the Sanctuary. Best Friends helps thousands of animals from coast to coast get a second chance at a happy, healthy life.

For example, our statewide program in Utah — aimed at end-ing the needless death of thousands of animals in shelters — spayed/neutered its 100,000th animal, while leading the state to an 80 percent statewide save rate for dogs. The Pet Bull Palooza event in Salt Lake City, Utah, helped some 200 pit bull terriers with training, spay/neuter and veterinary and other advice, while Best Friends worked to pass groundbreaking leg-islation in Utah to save the lives of more shelter cats.

The Pup My Ride program, which transports dogs from one area to another where there are families waiting to adopt, saved its 4,000th dog. Super adoption and Strut Your Mutt events in Los Angeles, New York and Salt Lake City helped

Gregory CastleChief Executive Officer

thousands of animals find homes and hundreds of local rescue groups gain support. And our national model Feral Freedom program in Jacksonville, Florida, spared the lives of approxi-mately 5,000 cats.

Best Friends also was instrumental in getting new landmark puppy mill cruelty legislation passed by voters in Missouri. Unfortunately, the initiative was overturned by the legislature early in 2011, but we are continuing our efforts to make it more difficult for puppy mill owners to operate in Missouri, a state that leads the nation in the number of commercial breed-ing operations, supplying more than 30 percent of the inven-tory to pet shops across the country.

The outpouring of love from our supporters has made all of these projects possible. Strengthening the sense of community among animal lovers is very important to the ongoing mission of creating a nation where there are No More Homeless Pets. So we decided get up close and personal with a few people who were friends to the animals last year. You’ll find their stories throughout this report.

Please enjoy reading about the wonderful things that hap-pened for homeless animals in 2010 — things that all of you made possible.

Best Friends Animal Society grew in stature and impact during 2010.

It was a year in which many of our groundbreaking initiatives were responsible for directly or indirectly saving thousands of animal lives. And it was a year in which communities throughout the U.S. moved closer to achieving our mission of reaching a time when there are No More Homeless Pets.

Best Friends worked for animal welfare reform on multiple levels — with state legislatures, national organizations, politicians and thou-sands of volunteers. But the most visible sign of our good work was mirrored in the relieved faces of the animals themselves, perhaps after a last-minute reprieve from a shelter or after a rescue from a puppy mill or other abusive situation.

In recent years, Best Friends has put a great deal of effort into study-ing the biggest contributors to pet homelessness. Following intensive research and collaboration with communities around the country, in 2009 the society launched three key initiatives to help address the sources and types of animals being euthanized at the highest rates in America’s shelter system — pit bulls, dogs discarded from commer-cial breeders, and cats.

The goal of these initiatives is to lower euthanasia rates across the country. Partnering with community organizations helps the initia-tives to take root and save lives in cities big and small.

As people’s hearts and minds open to compassionate choices for homeless animals, they increasingly look for leadership from Best Friends, the grassroots leader in the no-kill movement for 26 years. Building no-kill programs and partnerships, helping animals find homes and addressing problems at the very root of animal homeless-ness are the cornerstones of our work.

The Sanctuary: Heart and soul of Best Friends Animal SocietyDogs barking in excitement as their caregivers approach with arm-fuls of new toys. Cats exploring nature while comfortably harnessed to keep them safe. Pigs meandering on a walk with volunteers. Parrots stretching their brightly colored wings for their daily misting. Ani-mals surrounded by caring staff and thousands of visitors who come to wish them a speedy recovery.

Welcome to the nation’s largest no-kill sanctuary, a 3,800-acre haven for homeless pets with special health or emotional needs.

It all started with a group of friends who, in 1984, found what would become known as Angel Canyon, the birthplace of Best Friends Ani-mal Society. This beautiful spot is tucked away in the majestic red-rock canyon country near Kanab, Utah.

Today, the Sanctuary remains the home base for all of Best Friends’ activities around the country. It is where our dedicated caregivers and support staff care for approximately 1,700 dogs, cats, birds, horses, rabbits and potbellied pigs, most with special needs and many with issues too difficult to be handled by conventional shelter operations. In 2010, nearly 900 special-needs animals, survivors of tragic begin-nings, came to the Sanctuary, where they now enjoy the promise of a happy future.

The Sanctuary is also the center for all of Best Friends’ national ini-

The Sanctuary occupies 3,813 acres, which includes the entire sanctuary and all the

buildings. There are 61 buildings in the animal care areas and 35 buildings for offices, the

Welcome Center, visitor cottages and cabins, and ancillary buildings.

tiatives. Lessons learned at this haven for special-needs animals are shared with grassroots groups across the country so that the animals in their care also benefit.

Approximately 30,000 people visit the Sanctuary every year to tour the facilities and meet the animals. About 25 percent of these visitors volunteer their time to walk dogs, clean animal living areas, or so-cialize the animals to better prepare them for adoption.

Best Friends supporter Nina Wood has been a loyal friend to the ani-mals for more than 12 years. (She stopped counting after awhile.) It all started when she decided to sponsor Best Friends animals for fam-ily members as Christmas presents. Once she made that first dona-tion, the heartwarming stories she read in Best Friends newsletters and other mailings kept her feeling good about being a member.

Nina spent a week lavishing love on the horses. That was more than enough time for her to decide to generously fund the purchase of nine sheds that provide shelter for her equine friends. But it wasn’t just the animals that touched her heart.

“One thing that really struck me was the dedication of staff members, who have such big hearts. They choose to see the positive and possibili-ties, even when they see the negative that comes in — the abused and neglected,” she says.

Saving America’s dog: The American pit bull terrierThe American pit bull terrier represents the most widely euthanized dog in America’s shelters and is therefore a primary area of focus for Best Friends.

Giah, a loveable pit bull terrier, is a perfect example of the society’s work with pit-bull-type dogs. If she could talk, she’d surely tell ev-eryone how much better life is now for dogs like her, thanks to Best Friends and its supporters.

Once upon a time, life was pretty scary in the dilapidated kennel where Giah lived with 80 other dogs. Food and water were scarce. Many dogs were sick, injured and on the loose. Fights broke out ev-ery day. And Giah had her newborn puppies to protect.

It used to be that even if dogs like Giah were rescued, they wouldn’t get a chance at a happy home because people assumed dogs of her breed were too dangerous. But thanks to Best Friends’ work in the legisla-tive and legal realms, with public outreach programs, and at the Sanc-tuary with canines rescued from the Michael Vick dogfighting case, negative stereotypes about pit bull breeds are crumbling. And not a minute too soon for Giah and her puppies.

Because even though Giah suffered in horrible, frightening condi-tions, there wasn’t a hint of aggression or even trauma in her. In fact, she is one of the most polite, well-mannered dogs you could ever meet, and therefore it didn’t take long for her to find a loving, forever home.

From therapy dogs in medical facilities to search and rescue dogs for law enforcement agencies, the American pit bull terrier has served our country in all kinds of capacities. Still, some people believe the far-fetched myths about the ferocity of all short-haired muscular mutts.

Best Friends is working to change that. Restoring the image of pit bull terriers as family dogs and challenging breed discrimination are key steps toward reaching our goal of bringing about a time of No More Homeless Pets. Best Friends’ belief is that no dogs should ever be destroyed or banned simply because they are — or look like — pit bull terriers. Every dog deserves a good life in a caring home.

In 2010, Best Friends’ legal experts taught students at 11 law schools about breed discrimination and protection of canine crime victims. Best Friends plans to reach up to 100,000 students through Cen-ter for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction classes, with the goal of shifting the legal focus away from the designation of certain breeds as dangerous and onto careless owners.

The Shelter Partners for Pit Bulls program, funded in part by a grant from PetSmart Charities, is another way that the society works to help restore the reputation of pit bull terriers. Based on a successful collaboration model between Best Friends and Salt Lake County Ani-mal Services, this expanded national program seeks to reduce eutha-nasia, increase adoptions and redeem the image of the pit bull terrier.

Believe it or not, dogs aren’t the only ones benefiting from these initia-tives. Thanks to Best Friends’ breed-discrimination fiscal-impact calcu-lator, the general taxpaying public is learning how expensive — and ineffective — breed discrimination can be.

Residents of communities that may have passed or may be considering these ordinances have turned to the calculator to better understand the bottom line and make the case against breed discrimination in their communities. As a result, an estimated 66,000 dogs who otherwise might have been euthanized have remained with their families.

Working to close down puppy mills in the U.S.Accepting pit bull terriers back into the American family isn’t the only thing changing. It’s estimated that nearly 25 percent of dogs who fill America’s shelters are the product of commercial breeding operations. America is waking up to the misery that puppy mill life heaps upon man’s best friend. As a result, more and more people around the country are choosing to adopt from shelters, rather than buy from pet stores supplied by puppy mills.

Best Friends’ puppy mill initiatives inform unsuspecting consumers that their purchase of a puppy from a pet store most likely supports a commercial breeding operation. In addition, they help pet stores adopt a more humane business model (featuring shelter dogs and cats) and provide assistance to state and local governments to clamp down on puppy mills.

These strategies are making a difference. Last year was marked by

many milestones in the fight against inhumane breeding practices.

Homeless puppies in Glendale, California, for example, no longer have to wait in the kennels of local animal shelters for the right fam-ily to come along. They can strut their stuff in the store windows of Pet Rush, one of the stores in 2010 that adopted Best Friends’ humane pet store model. Its caring owner made the switch after just one Best Friends volunteer opened his eyes to the source of his puppy supply. Pet Rush is Glendale’s first “rescue only” pet store.

The Pup My Ride program is another way that Best Friends helps ease overcrowding in animal shelters. This program transports dogs from areas of shelter overpopulation or from puppy mills to the open arms of waiting adopters or rescue groups. In 2010, more than 800 small-breed dogs were driven from either Los Angeles or Las Vegas area shelters to Salt Lake City, Montana and Oregon, where small dogs are in demand. The program also saved 643 mill dogs in four large transports to New York and New Jersey.

Saving our community catsIt’s estimated that one unaltered pair of cats and their offspring can produce hundreds of cats in just a few years. The good news is that a simple spay/neuter surgery for each of them can “fix” all of that.

Best Friends’ cat initiatives offer humane and compassionate ap-proaches to community cat populations that will, over time, reduce

In 2010, Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets Network distributed

$115,000 in grassroots grants to support targeted spay/neuter of cats.

Grants were provided to 19 different organizations across 15 states.

the number of stray cats. It’s done through trap/neuter/return (TNR), in which cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, and then returned to the area where they were trapped, as well as through formal relocation of at-risk community cats and by establishing mi-crochip programs.

Over the past three years, Best Friends’ Feral Freedom initiative in Jacksonville, Florida, has spayed or neutered approximately 13,000 cats and each year it saves between 3,200 and 4,500 feline lives. A collaboration with First Coast No More Homeless Pets, Jacksonville Humane Society, and the City of Jacksonville, this amazing TNR program has reversed the paradigm of euthanizing stray cats by turning them over to the local First Coast No More Homeless Pets organization for surgery and later releasing them back to their colo-nies, bypassing the shelter system altogether.

Since TNR is the most widely accepted method of humanely reducing cat populations, Best Friends in 2010 organized nine TNR boot camps for nearly 500 feral cat caregivers and volunteers, held in locations ranging from Bakersfield, Illinois, to Monmouth, New Jersey. The boot camps taught caregivers the basics of working with veterinarians, ef-fectively communicating with neighbors about stray cats, relocating cats, and working with local governments.

Another great example of the Feral Freedom initiative is in Utah, where the Best Friends Four Directions Community Cat program, op-erating in 32 towns, works with hundreds of volunteers who care for nearly 5,500 cats. Last year, approximately 1,200 cats were spayed or neutered through the program, while more than 85,000 pounds of dry cat food and 4,000 cases of wet cat food were donated.

Best Friends also spearheaded the passage of groundbreaking cat-friendly legislation in Utah, which will effectively save the lives of thousands of shelter cats.

Also in 2010, FixNation in Los Angeles helped community cat care-

givers from across Los Angeles fix more than 20,000 community and stray cats and started several targeted spay/neuter programs to help reduce shelter deaths in high-risk communities. Best Friends has been an instrumental partner of FixNation in efforts to bring about a time of No More Homeless Pets in Los Angeles.

Helping animals and organizations beyond Best Friends’ borders While the majority of Best Friends’ national efforts fall within these three main categories, the ways of achieving No More Homeless Pets are as varied as the people who are dedicated to the cause. For ex-ample, in 2010 our Community Animal Assistance department fielded thousands of calls for help from all over the world and achieved ap-proximately 12,000 positive outcomes working with individuals and groups who brought an issue to our attention.

The No More Homeless Pets Network (formerly called Network Char-ities) is a program designed to help animals across the country by en-abling registered local community rescue groups to become eligible for financial help or other resources through Best Friends grants, scholarships and fundraising events. By the end of 2010, there were 277 groups participating in the network. These groups benefited from $434,150 in aid, either directly from Best Friends Animal Soci-ety or from taking part in an event sponsored by Best Friends.

Network members also benefited when more than 1,200 people and their four-legged friends took part in the Best Friends–sponsored Los Angeles Strut Your Mutt event last fall, raising $133,000 for 21 lo-cal rescue groups. It was more than just a fundraiser — it was a fun-raiser! Participants walked along a one-mile stretch of the Santa Monica beach, but there was much more to enjoy than just the ocean view. Dogs, some of whom were looking for their forever homes, had plenty of time to socialize and play.

Best Friends also held two Los Angeles super adoption events in

2010, both aimed at putting as many dogs and cats as possible in forever homes. Supported directly by many Hollywood person-alities, including Denise Richards, Maggie Q, Amy Smart, Joanna Krupa, Patrick Fabian and Lu Parker, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others, these two massive events provided the per-fect venue for Los Angeles rescue groups to collectively showcase homeless animals for adoption. Last year, more than 600 animals found love during Los Angeles adoption events.

Finally, getting everyone working in unison — including Los An-geles city and county shelters, humane groups and municipal agen-cies — is the real key to reducing the number of homeless animals. Best Friends works with these stakeholders through such team-work-oriented programs and events as Catnippers, the Best Friends Volunteer Brigade, and biweekly “indie” adoption events.

With so many people dedicated to helping homeless animals, Los An-geles could be on its way to becoming the first major U.S. city to claim No More Homeless Pets status.

In the New York metropolitan area and throughout New York state, Best Friends launched several new initiatives to help the Big Apple move closer to a time of No More Homeless Pets. Best Friends staged Pup My Ride transports, the first Tri-State Super Adoption, held in Monmouth, New Jersey, and a New York Strut Your Mutt event. As a result, more than 500 East Coast animals are enjoying their “happily-ever-afters.”

The Big Apple’s Strut Your Mutt event was held at Pier 84, Hudson River Park. Nearly 800 people and 1,000 dogs participated, raising approximately $66,000 for local shelters and rescue groups that are part of the No More Homeless Pets Network. Caroline Manzo of Real Housewives of New Jersey and actor Kevin Conway of The Good Wife attended to support the cause.

In Utah, the home of Best Friends Animal Society, our animal welfare

programs reached new milestones in 2010. Best Friends clinics spayed or neutered 14,655 cats and dogs and more than 3,500 feral cats, while more than 4,200 free fixes were provided for the pets of low-income Utah residents. Two super adoption events held in Salt Lake City re-sulted in the adoption of 882 cats and dogs, while another 449 cats and dogs went to forever homes through in-house adoptions.

But sometimes making a world of difference doesn’t require big events in huge cities. Sometimes it’s as simple as helping families keep their pets in difficult times.

Last year, that help came in the form of 44,000 pounds of pet food. Best Friends sought volunteers — and more than 300 answered the call — to collect the donated food at Petco stores around the country. The food was then delivered to food pantries for distribution to low-income families. In a separate effort, Del Monte Foods and Best Friends teamed up to deliver 82,000 pounds of pet food to families in the wake of the Gulf Coast’s British Petroleum oil spill.

Is it possible to reach a time when every pet has a home? Will the days of pets being forgotten in shelters or left wandering the streets hungry become a thing of the past?

We think it’s all achievable in our lifetime, thanks to the drive and passion of hundreds of thousands of Best Friends supporters across the country who share our vision and, each day, help us implement programs designed to improve life for abused, abandoned animals.

“One thing that really struck me was the dedication of staff members, who have such big

hearts. They choose to see the positive and possibilities, even when they see the negative

that comes in — the abused and neglected.” – Nina Wood, Best Friends supporter

It might be a program that’s as simple as encouraging people with dogs and cats to spay or neuter their pets, or as involved as chang-ing the hearts and minds of Americans by encouraging them to view animals as individuals who — like people — have their own issues and challenges.

Best Friends Animal Society’s message rings true and resonates with the supporters and volunteers who make our lifesaving work possible. They believe, as we do, that homeless pets deserve our best efforts, our most creative thinking and our unwavering focus. We will continue to put the animals first, and to direct our resources toward activities that truly make a difference.

It’s a record we’re proud of, and one that we intend to maintain into the future.

WHY WE GIVE

Nancy Heigl

“It isn’t the grand gestures that add up. It’s the little things.One of my favorite quotes is ‘It’s the greatest of all mistakes

to do nothing because you can only do a little.’”

What made Nancy become a Best Friends supporter? It’s a family tradition!

“Years and years ago, my mother made me aware of Best Friends,” says Nancy. “She’d send the typical donations, but only in the past few years did we create the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation.”

Nancy has a famous daughter, Kather-ine. So their family foundation gets calls for help from as far away as Canada and South America. But the animals of Los Angeles always get their attention.

And what excited them most of all about Best Friends were three little words: Pup My Ride.

Their foundation focuses on helping ani-

mals in their hometown of Los Angeles, and even within such a specific area, there are so many worthy causes they could choose. But rescuing animals by driving them to another city was a novel idea, and one that only Best Friends Pup My Ride was doing. And the timing couldn’t have been better.

“My assistant saw a plea for help for the very first transport online and showed it to me. I did some research and just about that same time the foundation’s new cred-it card came in the mail,” Nancy says. “I figured what a great way to break it in! But then I told Katherine about it and she couldn’t be outdone so she made an even bigger donation.”

For several years now, pint-sized pups

have been hitching rides with Best Friends from Los Angeles area shelters to Salt Lake City, Utah, where finding a home is a whole lot easier for them. And that very first Pup My Ride road trip would have never happened if it hadn’t been for the Heigls.

What would they recommend for not-so-famous people who wish to help the ani-mals, too? Nancy has some great advice for them.

“It isn’t the grand gestures that add up. It’s the little things,” she says. “One of my favorite quotes is ‘It’s the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little.’”

– Nancy Heigl

WHY WE GIVE

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Nancy and Catherine Heigl

Paul JollyPETCO Foundation executive director Paul Jolly goes back a long way with Best Friends Animal Society. In the early 1980s, he worked with some of the found-ers of Best Friends, back when progres-sive ideas about pet adoption and spay/neuter were in their relative infancy.

“Right from the beginning, it was obvi-ous that the organization was passion-ate about what it does and what it stands for,” Paul says.

Today, the PETCO Foundation and Best Friends Animal Society are animal wel-fare partners on a number of levels. In 2010, Best Friends worked with the PET-CO Foundation on its national pet food drive, designed to help pets stay with the people who love them during difficult eco-nomic times. The drive also carried the strong message of pet adoption and spay/neuter of pets — all pointing toward a fu-ture when every pet has a loving home.

Best Friends provided approximately 300 volunteers at 198 PETCO stores to help collect about 44,000 pounds of pet food, which amounted to 26 percent of

the 182,000 pounds collected during the PETCO Foundation drive.

“The passion and enthusiasm shown by Best Friends and its supporters are con-tagious,” says Paul. “Our pet food drive program was a good one to begin with, but once Best Friends put its volunteers behind it, it helped give the program wings.”

The PETCO Foundation also has worked with Best Friends in many natural disas-ter situations. “When there is a need, the PETCO Foundation is always ready to help,” Paul says, “but when Best Friends was involved with us, we had additional confidence that any donation would be put to the best possible use.”

Paul says the PETCO Foundation rela-tionship goes beyond its strong collabo-ration to help the animals.

“For us, it’s great to collaborate with an organization that treats its rescue work as a business, when it needs to be treated as a business,” he says. “Handling mon-ey from donors is not a frivolous thing,

something you can’t take for granted. Best Friends is an organization that has an excellent track record in this regard.”

“We also value rescue groups that main-tain mutual respect with other groups — and Best Friends is a great example,” he adds. “Best Friends stresses collaboration and expects its partners to help each oth-er, and we really appreciate that.”

The PETCO Foundation and Best Friends Animal Society share many common goals, including the foundation’s Think Adoption First initiative, promoting spaying and neutering, and working to-ward the Best Friends mission of No More Homeless Pets.

“Both organizations are committed to in-forming people and being a good example to the point where adoption becomes sec-ond nature,” Paul says. “In my lifetime, I’ve seen it become a badge of honor to adopt an animal. It’s about teaching your kids that instead of buying from a pet store, you adopt.”

WHY WE GIVE

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Paul Jolly

Laura KoczajaAsking Laura Koczaja how long she’s been a member of Best Friends is like ask-ing her how long she’s been walking. Best Friends has just always been a part of her life. (She’s been a member since 1997.)

But she sure knows why she has stayed a loyal friend, even becoming a Guard-ian Angel member to support animals with the most serious needs. “It’s the very positive message of Best Friends,” she says. “Best Friends has always had a more positive message, not softer, just as pertinent and prominent, but they’ve kept it positive by showing what is pos-sible and how things can be done.”

That’s exactly why one of the most excit-

ing things about Best Friends, for her, is how it is “leading by example” through the Sanctuary.

“For example, FIV and FeLV isn’t a death sentence for cats,” she says. “Best Friends doesn’t just tell you that. They know from experience. They care for cats with FIV/FeLV at their sanctuary.”

Laura has helped many different animal rescue groups over the years. Often, she is hands-on with the animals. “My first job volunteering at an animal shelter in-volved cleaning up cat areas,” she says.

Since then, she’s been a foster mom to countless cats — even turning a spare

bathtub in her home into a maternity ward for pregnant cats — and smaller pets like guinea pigs and hamsters.

Even though Laura had been helping an-imals with Best Friends for more than a decade, she visited the Sanctuary for the first time just last year.

“It was nice to go to the Sanctuary,” she says, “and be surrounded by people who think the way I do. There are a lot of good people out there struggling to achieve No More Homeless Pets.”

“Best Friends has always had a more positive message, not softer, just as pertinent and prominent, but they’ve kept it positive by

showing what is possible and how things can be done.” – Laura Koczaja

WHY WE GIVE

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Laura Koczaja

Laurie & Carlee McGrathWhen Laurie McGrath and her mom, Car-lee, heard that the puppies at Best Friends were in need of a new Puppy Care Build-ing, they knew they wanted to help.

It all began when Carlee received a letter in the mail from Best Friends more than 15 years ago. She had been an advocate of animal causes for many years but was unfamiliar with Best Friends’ mission and programs.

When she learned of the organization’s support for unwanted animals and their efforts to provide a nurturing environ-ment and caring homes for abused and neglected dogs, she knew that this was a

cause she would stand behind.

“They are making a difference for so many badly abused animals that would have no chance of a life otherwise” she says. “I also appreciate the fact that Best Friends serves as an educational facil-ity, which promotes change in the way we regard and care for animals through their outreach programs.”

Carlee was also keenly interested in Best Friends’ goal to reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanized in shelters each year. Best Friends’ support of programs to minimize the number of unwanted ani-mals through spay/neuter clinics and to reduce the proliferation of puppy mills

are two areas of emphasis that are par-ticularly important to Carlee and Laurie.

“So what better way,” Laurie says, “to support these abused and neglected animals than to help build a facility for puppies where they can learn new be-haviors in a positive and loving envi-ronment? And if this helps to rehabili-tate these animals so that they can find good homes where they will be loved and appreciated, then we will be happy knowing we did our part to help end un-necessary animal abuse.”

WHY WE GIVE

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“They are making a difference for so many badly abused animals.... I also appreciate the fact that Best Friends serves as an educational facility, which promotes change in the way we

regard and care for animals through their outreach programs.”

– Carlee McGrath

Laurie & Carlee McGrath

Kathy RaynerIf you want to learn how to run an animal sanctuary, what better place to learn than Best Friends? That’s what Kathy Rayner thought when she decided to visit Best Friends to find out how to do it.

But how did someone living on the East Coast hear about Best Friends, which is located in a tiny town in southern Utah?

“My sister, Margaretta Taylor, met someone who was running a table at the Salt Lake City airport,” Kathy says. In the early days of the Sanctuary, the people who founded Best Friends set up booths in public places to educate people and drum up support for the animals. It

certainly made an impression on Marga-retta in that airport back in 1992. “She made a donation there and told me all about it,” Kathy says. “Then she got me on the mailing list.”

The more the sisters learned about the animals helped by Best Friends, the more they became invested in helping. In fact, both made substantial gifts to help animals living at the Sanctuary, with Kathy’s gift creating the Cleopatra Fund, an endowment fund to help home-less dogs. “Cleopatra was my very first rescue dog,” she explains.

Kathy and her husband, Billy, are very

active in helping dogs in her communi-ty, even serving on the board of direc-tors for one lucky group.

But she appreciates Best Friends precise-ly because of its larger size. “My trip to Best Friends,” she says, “inspired me to make the gift because it’s big enough to get things done. It can work on a bigger canvas. It’s not only the care [provided to the Sanctuary animals] but the scale of your organization that allows you to send far and wide the message of No More Homeless Pets.”

WHY WE GIVE

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“It’s big enough to get things done. It can work on a bigger canvas. It’s not only the care [provided to the Sanctuary animals] but the scale of your organization that allows you to send far and

wide the message of No More Homeless Pets.” – Kathy Rayner

Kathy and Billy Rayner

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Assets 2010 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,992,337 Receivables 54,899 Receivables - legacies and bequests 373,279 Prepaid postage 27,112 Other prepaid expenses 145,985 Inventory 323,365 Short-term investments 11,447,339 Current portion of promises to give 504,500 Employee advances 10,315 Tax refund receivable 6,633 Assets held for sale 249,880 Other current assets 38,331 Total Current Assets 15,173,975

Property and equipment Furniture, fixtures and equipment 2,738,677 Automobiles and trucks 1,705,463 Buildings and improvements 14,257,757 Land 4,578,117 Construction in progress 966,341 Software in development 547,493 Accumulated depreciation (8,924,615) Total property and equipment 15,869,233

Other assets: Cash - restricted 4,990,679 Long-term investments Unrestricted 8,395,448 Restricted 4,008,404 Promises to give, net of current portion 709,201 Other receivable - 5 Acres Agreement 674,034 Total other assets 18,777,766

Total assets $ 49,820,974

Best Friends Animal Society Statement of Financial Position

December 31, 2010

Liabilities and net assets 2010 Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 1,962,753 Accrued payroll 373,941 Other current liabilities 171,106 Current portion of long-term liabilities 280,257 Total current liabilities 2,788,057

Long-term liabilities: Capital leases payable 162,533 Less current portion (72,831) Charitable gift annuities payable 1,818,807 Less current portion (207,426) Other liability - 5 Acres Agreement 674,034 Total Long-Term Liabilities 2,375,117 Total Liabilities 5,163,174

Net assets: Unrestricted: Unrestricted - undesignated 21,517,056 Unrestricted - designated 15,323,856 Total unrestricted 36,840,912 Temporarily restricted 6,012,167 Permanently restricted 1,804,720 Total net assets 44,657,799

Total liabilities and net assets $ 49,820,974

Best Friends Animal Society Statement of Financial Position, Continued

December 31, 2010

Revenues, gains, and other support: 2010 Total Contributions $ 41,403,863 Program events 722,754 Donations-in-kind 1,124,736 Interest and dividend income 594,643 Guest cottage and rental income 518,702 Magazine advertising 197,025 Cafeteria and vending income 158,911 Store income 996,276 Gift shop income 704,548 Net investment return 992,434 Total revenues, gains, and other support 47,413,890

Expenses and losses: Program 1 - animal care activities 17,413,552 Program 2 - emergency response 643,716 Program 3 - campaigns and other national outreach 12,505,556 Management and general 3,205,764 Fundraising 5,186,173 Total expenses and losses 38,954,761

Other expenses and losses: Guest cottages expenses 189,310 Store expenses 1,111,830 Gift shop expenses 451,996 Net (gain) loss on disposal of assets (9,687) Total other expenses and losses 1,743,449

Total expenses and losses 40,698,210 Change in net assets 6,715,680 Net assets at beginning of year 37,942,119 Net assets at end of year $ 44,657,799

Best Friends Animal Society Statement of Activities

For the Year Ended December 31, 2010

Cash flows from operating activities: 2010 Cash received from contributors $ 40,523,956 Cash received from advertising 202,300 Cash received from cottage and rental income, net 329,392 Cash received from cafeteria income 158,911 Cash received from product sales, net 227,191 Cash received from interest income 224,411 Cash paid to suppliers (14,262,980) Cash paid to employees (21,620,191) Net cash flows from operating activities 5,782,990

Cash flows from investing activities: Proceeds from sale of investments 6,315,078 Purchases of investments (15,530,661) Change in restricted cash (2,302,507) Acquisition of capital assets (587,234) Payments for software in development (259,509) Payments for construction in progress (1,276,994) Proceeds from sale/exchange of capital assets 120,300 Net cash used in investing activities (13,521,527)

Cash flows from financing activities: Cash received from permanently restricted contributions 1,088,502 Payments for charitable annuity obligations (299,758) Additions to charitable annuity obligations 295,312 Payments of long-term liabilities (55,839) Net cash flows from financing activities 1,028,217

Net change in cash and cash equivalents (6,710,320) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 8,702,657 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year $ 1,992,337

Best Friends Animal Society Statement of Cash Flows

For the Year Ended December 31, 2010

OFFiCERS John Fripp, chairman

Louise Phanstiel, vice chair Jim Rodgers, treasurer Celeste Fripp, secretary

MEMBERS Francis Battista, Kraig Butrum,

Gregory Castle, Molly Jordan Koch, Pete Warshaw, Brian Wolf

Best Friends Animal Society®

Board of Directors

www.bestfriends.org5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah 84741 | 435.644.2001