So after being here over a month already I thought it would be a good idea to give everyone my address information!! My new mailing address is
PO Box 384
Kanab, UT 84741
I love to send mail and get mail so please share your address as well!!! Also, it looks like my days off are going to be Tuesday and Wednesday every week so feel free to call or text and update me on your life!!! I am also free most evenings after 8 EST time 7 CEN time 6 MTN time and 5 PAC time.
Hope to hear from everyone soon!
Peace & Love,
Summer
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Meryl
Meryl is one of my favorite dogs in my area! This sweet girl is about 6 years old now and she truly has come a long way since arriving at Best Friends. Meryl was one of the 51 pit bulls rescued from NFL star, Micheal Vick's Bad Newz Kennels in Virginia in 2007. 48 of these dogs were placed in rescue groups across the country and Best Friends accepted 22 of these dogs. Meryl was one of them. Meryl is red collar and not allowed to be adopted out due to court orders. But dont worry this girl is healthy and happy here at Best Friends. Meryl is very affectionate. She loves belly rubs and car rides. She also really loves toys however she has had four surgeries for obstructions so she isn't allowed to have toys anymore. This girl also happens to be a poop eater so don't let her give you too many kisses! I took Meryl on a hike up south loop trail the other day and she loved it! Sniffing and marking and rolling in the dirt the whole time. I am so thankful for Best Friends role in the lives of these fighting dogs. Because of their efforts Meryl gets to live out a healthy, happy life. Anywhere else she would have been euthanized for being a product of what men made her. My favorite thing about Meryl is the fact that she gets along well with other dogs! That's right, former fighting dog now shares a kennel with other dogs. Her current run mate, Buddy Arnold, could care less about Meryl's breed or past. He just loves playing with her :) Stories like Meryl give me hope for the future of dog fighting victims across this country. Meryl is not available for adoption however you can support her care by donating to Best Friends!
Brady (Muffin)
Brady is a very special boy! This guy is a mixed breed who came to Best Friends from a rescue group in Florida. One of the volunteers for this rescue used to stand in front of Brady's kennel and kick his door all day long. As a result Brady can be very reactive at his gate with people he doesn't know. Brady is a red collar dog, meaning that only staff members get to interact with him. When I first met Brady I was very intimidated by him. He didn't know me and as a result he really didn't like me that much. However armed with patience, and understanding of his history, and lots of treats Brady and I have become good friends. Once he knows you, you can pretty much do anything that you want with this guy! He loves car rides and hiking the south loop trail on the sanctuary. He enjoys his trips to the dog park and will sit and wait nicely for cookies and meals. But Brady's favorite thing is butt scratches!!! This boy will walk between your legs strategically placing his rear end right in front of you so that you can give him some scratches. Brady's story is a common one among animals I like to believe. Abandoned by his original people, left to rot at a shelter, and then further abused by us "humane" humans. However thanks to Best Friends Brady's story ends happily ever after. Thank God.
Julio & Justice
One of my goals in working for Best Friends is to share as many dog's stories as possible why I am here. Today is about Julio & Justice.
Julio originally came to Best Friends with quite a history of biting. He is pretty notorious around dog town for his past behaviors. Julio fell in love with one of his care givers and was adopted!!! However due to unfortunately circumstances Julio is back. His owner died and the surviving family was unable to keep Julio. Julio was returned to Best Friends Oct of 2011. He is now 12 yrs old and we call him an american eskimo mix. Since I have started working with Julio he has really come around. He walks great on a leash. He knows sit and down and he loves to sniff around Tara's run. I truly love this little guy, despite his history.
Julio came in with his sister Justice. Justice is a 8 yr old rottie mix who is quite the character. This girl loves two things in life. Butt scratches and food. She will do just about anything for a biscuit and is often found with druel hanging out of her mouth at feeding time. Like Julio, Justice loves to cruise around Tara's Run. this girl will go up and down ramps, through the tunnel, she has even jumped through the ring a time or two. Together these two are just precious. Julio and Justice are both available for adoption. Visit www.bestfriends.org for more information on adoption and sponsorship.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
What Now!?!?!
In the past three weeks I have successfully moved from a town of about 26,000 people with an elevation of 770 feet about sea level to a very small town with a population of merely 3,800 people with an elevation of about 4,970 feet above sea level. I never pictured myself living in a small town in the middle of nowhere yet that is exactly where I find myself these days and, to my surprise, I am loving every minute of it! However having obtained my dream job and moved to Utah I now find myself asking what's next? What exactly does one do after they have reached their life's goal at age 23?
Several people tell me that I am just supposed to be happy for the rest of my life and although that sounds like a great idea, those of you that know me also know that I am not one to sit around and be complacently happy so to speak. I need goals and purpose and a general direction to my life. I am an ambitious person. I like seeking wholeheartedly after my dreams. So I find myself taking a good hard look at my life and the things that I am passionate about so that I can set some new goals.
Obviously my biggest passion is animal rescue, welfare and advocacy. At first glance working for the largest no kill animal rescue in the country pretty much takes care of this one for me. However I would really like to use everything that I am learning here to help my shelter back home make more progress. They are a small but passionate organization and I am dedicated to helping them better themselves so that we may save more and more lives, educate more and more people, and ultimately create a healthier, happier environment for the staff, volunteers, and every animal in our care. A piece of my heart will always be in Mount Pleasant MI. Along those same line s lies my passion for pit bulls and pit bull advocacy. I sure do love the underdog. In the past four years I have immersed myself in anything and everything pit bull related. The good, the bad, the ugly I find myself drawn to this breed and the main injustices that we humans have inflicted up on them over the years. Within the next year I would really like to expand my understand of this breed and the issues it is facing in today's society. I believe a very important step in this educational endeavor is to visit the world's largest pit bull rescue which happens to have a new center located in New Orleans, LA - one of my favorite places in this country. I am excited to learn from people who have dedicated their lives to understand and rescuing the breed that everyone else shies away from.
This leads me to my second and third passion. Disaster relief and affordable housing. Since 2008 I have been spending at least one week of my life giving back to broken communities across the country. Communities ravished by hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. There is something so humbling and rewarding about helping someone rebuild their home and in turn their life. Too often I take for granted the simple fact that I have a home. Which is why I am also dedicating at least one week of my life to rebuilding communities for the rest of my life. I was greatly moved by hurricane Katrina and it's impact on the entire Gulf Coast. This past summer I had the privilege of working with the Saint Bernard Project- an organization dedicated to rebuilding not only homes but lives throughout the lower 9th ward in New Orleans through affordable housing projects, mental health services and equal opportunity employment. Working with SBP only solidified my love for NOLA and it's people and my dedication to rebuilding what Katrina tore apart. I have also decided that I will be working with the Saint Bernard Project once a year as well.
Living in Southern Utah reminds me of Bike & Build each and everyday. As I drive to work I find myself looking back to that spot I chalked, or that hill I climbed next to Tiffany. I pass that shade tree at the top of the climb and that beautiful decent Corey and I took together. Bike & Build is everywhere here which is why I am looking forward to meeting SUS 12 when they roll through this summer. And as long as SUS is rolling through Kanab I think that it's my duty to spread some SUS 11 love with them by chalking for them and baking for them and if I am lucky enough, riding with them. I am already working on my plan of attack for this year. I would really love to host an SUS 11 reunion during the time that SUS 12 rolls through so that everyone could meet and bike and bond over the heat and some PB & J. Still working on the details though! The weather is so perfect here and the red cliffs are so inspiring I find it hard to sit inside. I can ride my bike everyday here!! Fiona and I were so happy to stretch our legs for the first time after arriving. There is nothing more therapeutic than strapping on your helmet and hitting the road. I have also started running again since arriving. I have decided that if one can bike from ocean to ocean in the dead of summer with minimal injuries there is no reason that I can't train for and run a marathon. But quite possibly the thing that I am most excited about is yoga!!! I have started doing yoga every day and let me tell you there is nothing more beautiful than doing yoga against the red cliffs.
For now I will be working on physical perfection, and giving back to as many people and animals as possible. Please let me know if you have any ideas for me! I am always looking for ways to grow in knowledge and service to others. Who knows what's next!!!!!
Peace & Love,
Summer
Several people tell me that I am just supposed to be happy for the rest of my life and although that sounds like a great idea, those of you that know me also know that I am not one to sit around and be complacently happy so to speak. I need goals and purpose and a general direction to my life. I am an ambitious person. I like seeking wholeheartedly after my dreams. So I find myself taking a good hard look at my life and the things that I am passionate about so that I can set some new goals.
Obviously my biggest passion is animal rescue, welfare and advocacy. At first glance working for the largest no kill animal rescue in the country pretty much takes care of this one for me. However I would really like to use everything that I am learning here to help my shelter back home make more progress. They are a small but passionate organization and I am dedicated to helping them better themselves so that we may save more and more lives, educate more and more people, and ultimately create a healthier, happier environment for the staff, volunteers, and every animal in our care. A piece of my heart will always be in Mount Pleasant MI. Along those same line s lies my passion for pit bulls and pit bull advocacy. I sure do love the underdog. In the past four years I have immersed myself in anything and everything pit bull related. The good, the bad, the ugly I find myself drawn to this breed and the main injustices that we humans have inflicted up on them over the years. Within the next year I would really like to expand my understand of this breed and the issues it is facing in today's society. I believe a very important step in this educational endeavor is to visit the world's largest pit bull rescue which happens to have a new center located in New Orleans, LA - one of my favorite places in this country. I am excited to learn from people who have dedicated their lives to understand and rescuing the breed that everyone else shies away from.
This leads me to my second and third passion. Disaster relief and affordable housing. Since 2008 I have been spending at least one week of my life giving back to broken communities across the country. Communities ravished by hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. There is something so humbling and rewarding about helping someone rebuild their home and in turn their life. Too often I take for granted the simple fact that I have a home. Which is why I am also dedicating at least one week of my life to rebuilding communities for the rest of my life. I was greatly moved by hurricane Katrina and it's impact on the entire Gulf Coast. This past summer I had the privilege of working with the Saint Bernard Project- an organization dedicated to rebuilding not only homes but lives throughout the lower 9th ward in New Orleans through affordable housing projects, mental health services and equal opportunity employment. Working with SBP only solidified my love for NOLA and it's people and my dedication to rebuilding what Katrina tore apart. I have also decided that I will be working with the Saint Bernard Project once a year as well.
Living in Southern Utah reminds me of Bike & Build each and everyday. As I drive to work I find myself looking back to that spot I chalked, or that hill I climbed next to Tiffany. I pass that shade tree at the top of the climb and that beautiful decent Corey and I took together. Bike & Build is everywhere here which is why I am looking forward to meeting SUS 12 when they roll through this summer. And as long as SUS is rolling through Kanab I think that it's my duty to spread some SUS 11 love with them by chalking for them and baking for them and if I am lucky enough, riding with them. I am already working on my plan of attack for this year. I would really love to host an SUS 11 reunion during the time that SUS 12 rolls through so that everyone could meet and bike and bond over the heat and some PB & J. Still working on the details though! The weather is so perfect here and the red cliffs are so inspiring I find it hard to sit inside. I can ride my bike everyday here!! Fiona and I were so happy to stretch our legs for the first time after arriving. There is nothing more therapeutic than strapping on your helmet and hitting the road. I have also started running again since arriving. I have decided that if one can bike from ocean to ocean in the dead of summer with minimal injuries there is no reason that I can't train for and run a marathon. But quite possibly the thing that I am most excited about is yoga!!! I have started doing yoga every day and let me tell you there is nothing more beautiful than doing yoga against the red cliffs.
For now I will be working on physical perfection, and giving back to as many people and animals as possible. Please let me know if you have any ideas for me! I am always looking for ways to grow in knowledge and service to others. Who knows what's next!!!!!
Peace & Love,
Summer
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