Remember a few days ago, when I wrote about four sleepover dogs Mark and I took home from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to offer them an afternoon and evening of extra love, fun, and adventure? Remember Martha? Remember how we dropped her off at Dogtown again in the morning, after mixed experiences and interactions with her?
How cute is she, right?
A Second Chance
Well, we decided to give her another chance. Continue reading
This is my last blog in the Best Friends series, but I’ll add a little twist in my next post. To read more about the sanctuary itself and our two-week volunteering experience (with heaps of photos of cuteness), particularly in Dogtown, click here. You can find out more about “our” sleepover dogs here.
In my previous blog post, I showed some of the beauty Angel Canyon, where Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is located, comprises. My favorite view is still the one from the Angel Village Café. And, the one through the windows of one of the founders’ home isn’t too shabby either!
To read my first blog about this incredible no-kill animal sanctuary and our two weeks of volunteering there, click here.
The Concept
While being familiar with Best Friends and its animal sanctuary in Utah, Mark and I had no knowledge of their “sleepover” animals. The first time I heard about a sleepover dog was at Donna’s blog Retirement Reflections, as she reported on taking one to their pet-friendly accommodation in Kanab for the night, after volunteering at the sanctuary.
Swift portrait
Certain cats, rabbits, and dogs at Best Friends are available for a sleepover. They have been assessed as such by a professional team and usually tried out by staff members. The only requirement to “borrow” a pet is that you’ve completed at least one volunteer shift in that particular department. In regards to dogs, they also request you don’t go out to dinner that night (but cook at your accommodation or do take-out/delivery), so the animal isn’t left alone. Other rules are to not let your sleepover dog interact with other dogs, don’t take him/her to restaurants, and don’t feed him/her human food.
Ehu is a happy boy!
Where do I start?
When I met Mark while traveling through California in 2004, he handed me one of his favorite books to read. It is called “Best Friends – The True Story of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary” (published in 2001). Ever since absorbing this story about some of the founders and the animals, we have been captivated by the organization and its no-kill sanctuary in Utah, the biggest one in the country.
Red, Tiponi, Dingo, Dale, Inky, Cliff, Mandalay, Janko, Lordes
Mark and I love dogs. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been ten years since we last had one of our own, on Irie. Kali passed away in Puerto Rico in December 2008 and we lost Darwin on a trip to the US in December 2010.
Kali (white) and Darwin (grey)
From the moment we sailed west from the Eastern Caribbean and then into the South Pacific, we rarely saw boat dogs anymore and sometimes enjoyed the company of strays. They’d follow us on hikes or walks in town.
Once we left the sailing life and “semi-settled” in the US, we experienced a lot of dog love during three years of house and pet sitting assignments. When we moved in our camper van Zesty, we worried about missing out. But, we’ve managed to pet multiple camping dogs and even had one over for a morning of dog sitting! We’ve made many furry friends along the way this year.
Continue readingLast winter, Mark and I did a 3.5-month house sit in San Diego, California with Italian Greyhounds Elvis and Frida. During that time, we met up frequently with our friend Amy, as she was a graduating zoologist/environmentalist. “You guys are so awesome with dogs,” she said. “If I ever need someone to take care of Skylos, I’ll get in touch.”
In the summer, Amy secured a six-month position in Peru. Her best friend Cara moved in with her cat Casper to keep an eye on the place and care for the dog as well. At some point during our summer travels in Zesty, Cara and Amy inquired whether we could come to Ocean Beach (a funky neighborhood in San Diego) in December to take over Cara’s “duties” as she visited with friends and family over the holidays. She’d be gone for a long weekend early in the month and a week over Christmas later. The timing was perfect. We happily obliged, as long as we could stay the full three weeks. Continue reading
What do you do when you feel like you’re overstaying your welcome at a friend’s house in San Diego (and you have a husband antsy to return to nature and could use a little break from memoir work yourself)? You pack up, jump in your camper van, and head into the California desert for a couple of days. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is huge. You opt for the Borrego Springs area as an initiation to this region since you don’t have much time.
Zesty on desert roads
You boondock in solitude and under a million stars.
Whistler Moments
From the moment we entered Canada, it started raining. Well, not quite. Before the deluge, we managed to fit a trip to Whistler in with our friend Rachel, whom we met in the South Pacific sailing. Her sister generously offered the three of us a night in her time-share there, so we didn’t have to be in a hurry. Talk about a luxury experience for us. The room was more than adequate, comfortable and modern; Whistler itself was a fun resort town to walk through, eat and window shop. The highlight to me, as always, was nature and what it had to offer. That “last” sunny day provided us with beautiful waterfalls, enjoyable hiking trails and good company!
Vancouver in the Rain
Salmon return to their home waters, upstream, to spawn and die. That’s about all Mark and I knew about these fish and the “salmon run” when autumn approached. Other than their meat being expensive and tasty, especially smoked.
During our stay on Vancouver Island in September, we learned that it was soon to be the height of the Pink Salmon run. There are five different wild Pacific salmon species in this part of the world: Chinook, Sockeye, Coho, Chum, and Pink.
When we hiked along rivers, we peered into the crystal-clear waters, expecting hundreds of fish leap against the stream and up waterfalls. It wasn’t quite like that, but we did see a couple of salmon attempt this amazing feat. They were immediately swept back downstream to rest up and try again. Capturing them on camera was an even more challenging feat.
We heard about a fish hatchery in Qualicum Beach and decided to check it out, mid-September. Continue reading
It’s been a while since I combined a Wordless Wednesday blog with the weekly prompt of the Daily Post. Since my week has been incredibly busy and I don’t have time for a regular post, I decided to share some photos with you. This week’s Daily Post photography theme is “liquid“. As many of you know, Mark and I lived, sailed, and worked on our 35’ catamaran Irie for eight years, so it will be no surprise that my liquid of choice is water.
As I’m working daily on my memoir, the memories of our experiences aboard Irie are fresh. Welcome to a visual of that period of my life!
The Galapagos Islands
My favorite activity is interacting with and observing wildlife in their natural surroundings. The Galapagos delivered!
All we had to do was look over the side of our boat…
… or jump in the water.
French Polynesia
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