I took a photo of the Best Friends Welcome Center for Karen. It is really pretty. I also took a photo of the shooting range that I drive by on the way to the sanctuary. I am sure they aren't practicing to shoot anyone or any animal. (this is what I tell myself!) I also added photos of my friend Marissa and her 8 week old Gabriella and two dogs we have at Best Friends from Iran. They are sweet and pretty well trained!

Hello everyone, I am back. Last week was very busy. I was able to attend one of our workshops - the Dog Behavior and Training Workshop. Fun. I am posting photos of the instructor Sherry Woodard and in the background Ethan - Ethan was one of the rescuers during Katrina. He got a first hand lesson in dealing with all sorts of dogs - scared, tired, aggressive, etc.

Party in the kitchen?

Why is it that whenever you have people over they congregate in the kitchen? It is the most unattractive area in the house yet EVERYONE ends up there. Here are two of my favorite couples from work (yes, they all work for BF) One couple is from Chicago and one is from Dallas! How can you go wrong with that! Notice Rodeo is the center of attention - of course!

Saltydogcreations is back up!!!

It is not 100% but it is off to a good start. The best part is the icon that Daron and I came up with. See for yourself. Visit the site - the link should be on the right hand side. Please bear with me it is not finished yet!

Our Guest Volunteer at Humane Ed.


I have always loved Catahoula dogs. They have a beautiful speckeled coat. We have a regular volunteer that comes down from Salt Lake with his dog Max. Max is a Catahoula. Max is a talker. I love Max. He is also great with the other office dogs - Oscar, Zeety, Binika, Clover, and spotty the cat. Yes, we have more animals than people in our office. We have two guinie pigs and sometimes my boss Cathie will bring two of her four dogs and sometimes I bring Rodeo... Ah, the joy of being an animal person and working at an animal sanctuary.

Bunny House

Last week I took a Jr. Intern to the bunny house. I could't resist feeding the little fellas. Daron bought us new cell phones with Utah numbers and (hopefully) more coverage. Apparently, someone shot the only tower that Cingular could piggy back off of and that is why we have had no cell coverage this past week. I have been running in the morning and it has been nice and cool. I wear long sleeves and barely sweat. It is wonderful. Daron and I don't have any plans for this coming holiday weekend except to call all of our friends and family now that we have cell coverage!!!

Navajo Lake

We took a day trip to Duck Creek to hike. Marissa and her family and their dog Reika just moved from Iowa so we all went exploring. The baby, Gabrielle is 6 weeks old. She's very tiny!

Karen and I in Springdale - just outside of Zion National Park. You're probably thinking why does Jen have a hat on? I have a variety of hats now that I am outside in the sun and have been slowly trying to change my look so I have more style. Ahhh it is a never ending battle.

Best Friends Favorites!

Here are two of my favorites. Lollipop, a cackato, just got adopted. I miss him - he used to say "lolli lolli lolli" and "hello" and he would stick his foot out of the cage to hold your finger. He was a doll but if you weren't paying attention to him he would SCREAM and I mean SCREAM. The other photo is of Cody an african grey. His person had to go into a nursing home and couldn't care for him anymore. Keep in mind some birds can live 80 - 100 years! Cody can say hundreds of words and one of my favorites is "Did you have your orange juice?" and "God Bless You."

Bryce Canyon and More!

Dan, Antonio, & Karen ventured up to Bryce Canyon on Friday. Daron and I are jealous because we haven't been yet!!! Saturday we went to the Pow Wow at the Kaibab Pauite Indian Reservation and then Sunday we swam at Lake Powell before dropping Karen :( off at the airport. It was soooo sad dropping her off. Rodeo and Zeena are still looking for thier Auntie Karen!!!!!!!!!!

National Parks and Karen, Dan & Antonio

After the Grand Canyon Karen & went to Zion National Park (my favorite). We did the middle and top Emerald pond hikes and then had lunch in Springdale. We saw some Elk and window shopped. Daron and Karen went golfing two days later and Karen also played with the Kaibab softball team. I am such a loser that I stayed home and chilled while they WON the game. Karen got four RBI's! Go Karen Go Karen. Karen
also volunteered with the dogs and cats at Best Friends. Oddly enough, she came here to RELAX!

Dan and Antonio drove in on Thursday night with their new addition, Blackie, aka Taloola, aka Martini, aka, Lucky. No one likes the name others have picked out so maybe you all can come up with a suggestion! Zeena was not so thrilled to meet her but after a second introduction they have become fast friends. She has become Zeena's shadow. Wanting to everything the BIG GIRL does! Blackie went to work with me on Friday so that Dan, Antonio and Karen could visit Bryce Canyon. They LOVED it. Daron and I need to go now! Saturday we went to the POW WOW at the Kaibab Pauite Indian Reservation and while Daron worked the concession stand the rest of us enjoyed the dancing. That night we all headed to Movie Town owned by our landlords for Best Friends Karaoke and Dancing. The only one to hit the stage from our group were Karen and Antonio! They did a FABULOUS job. Today, Sunday Aug 20th, we dropped Karen off in Page Arizona but not before visiting Glenn Canyon where the lone rock sits in the middle of a man made lake - very cool. Now Daron, Dan & Antonio are grilling on the patio enjoying the 80 ish degree weather and no humidity. What could make this nicer, more friends and family - that's it!

Today, August 13th, we took a 1 HOUR drive from our humble abode in Kanab to the incredible and very Grand Canyon. First time either Karen, Jennifer, or I have ever been there! Surprisingly the drive was almost entirely through dense forest and a meadow here and there. Somehow we all thought it would be all desert and rocks, but it was a beautiful drive.

Karen has been rising before the rest of us so she has morning conversations with the neighbors horses. Not only does she talk to them but she feeds them too. She has become quite popular with our equine friends.

We left the house at 9:30 and picked up Mickey D's for breakfast and arrived at the Grand Canyon at 11 a.m. After a little bit of hiking we ate lunch at the lodge! Yummy. The view wasn't too shabby and the microbrew was good too!

Hello all. Daron and I are expecting a guest - Karen Crumback to visit us August 11 - 20th so we should be getting current photos up of Zion and the Grand Canyon. Hopefully some of us working at Best Friends too! Daron will be working the big Pow Wow the reservation puts on every year so we will get some photos of that too. Right now I will add a few favorites from here at the sanctuary.

The pot bellied pig is Cindy Lou - she's a real charmer.

There is a photo of the Canyon as a storms coming in. It does this often this time of year and the contrast of the dark blue sky and the red/orange mountains is amazing.

After talking to Kristy and Chip-n-Sarah this weekend I miss them even more! So I rounded up some of Daron's going away party photos...

Happy 32nd Birthday Chip. We are sorry we missed the big bash but it looks like you had plenty of fun without us!

Black Widow Neighbor
Isn't she pretty! Yikes, this black widow spider was found near our back fence. Daron spotted a yellow jacket fighting to get out of a web and grabbed his camera. A black widow spider came out to find her prey... Needless to say we check the blankets and don't reach for any boxes in dark dark corners...

Darons Poster Unveiling!
Daron has created the most amazing poster for the Kaibab Paiute Tribes Annual Powwow. His poster will be displayed in Las Vegas, Salt Lake, the Navajo Nation and other large cities around the Southwest Area. His skills are becoming so good that I may start freelance him out so he can make me some money!

Daron and Jennifer go to Duck Creek July 2, 2006.

We realized that a wonderfrul pine forest with a big glacier fed lake was located about 45 minutes away. The drive was beautiful and the lake was great. Daron and I rode our bikes around the lake - it is an 11 mile trail. Daron did great and I only wiped out once but luckily no blood! I felt like we had gone from semi desert to Montana! In only 45 minutes. I don't know why I am having such a hard time inserting the photos within the text. They all keep going to the top. It is irritating me.... The photo with the white mountains in the back is on the drive to Duck Creek. At Duck Creek you can rent log cabins, rent ATV's, cross country ski, mountain bike, hike, boat and swim if you like really really really cold water. A couple from St. George told me that the lake is usually frozen through mid June. Needless to say the weather was about 20 degrees cooler than Kanab. At one end of the lake there were piles of lava rock from an old volcano. It was so strange seeing it in the middle of the forest. I always think of barren lava fields in Hawaii. I took the trail between the lava rocks very slowly and walked my bike some of the way. Can you imagine falling and skidding in lava rocks? Yikes. Daron, the dare devil that he is, rode his bike through the whole lava field:) Ignore this...just a shameless attempt to become famous on google: Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Daron Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews Jennifer Andrews

Last weekend our friends/relatives Dan and Antonio drove down from Barstow California. Despite some car trouble (cars tend to overheat in 130 degree weather) they were able to rent a car in Vegas and make it to Kanab! Kanab was only in the 90's during the day and nice and cool (sweatshirt weather) in the mornings and evenings. Daron took Friday off and the three Amigo's decided to hike Squaw Trail. They had a great time.

Then they came up to Angel Canyon and had lunch with me! Here we are out on the "cafeteria" deck overlooking Angel Canyon. (It's the photo at the top with the four of us.) Dan and Antonio cooked us an Argentinian meal that was fabulous and I caught a photo of the boys in the kitchen. I of course was cleaning while they cooked... or was I supervising?