Dog Care Manager Michelle Besmehn travels to Los Angeles California to rescue several older breeding dogs from an overcrowded puppy mill . One, a Shih Tzu with genetic defects from overbreeding, will require the help of adoption coordinators to find her the right home for her special needs . A Chihuahua, who likely spent her entire life in a cage, needs Michelles training to become housetrained. And in order to save the life of a sweet Labrador who can barely breathe, Dr. Mike Dix faces one of the most challenging surgeries of his career.
DogTown , Vick Dogs Update , Find out the status of the pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's dog fighting operation.
A Fighting Chance , Dog Therapy , At DogTown, trainers are willing to try creative solutions to help dogs overcome their problems.
A Fighting Chance , Fear Biting , Country legend Emmylou Harris rescues dogs on her estate in Tennessee, but this special case needs a special touch.
A Fresh Start , Doggie Dentistry , After a lifetime battling a terrible infection that has eaten away her jaw, Zambi gets treated at DogTown.
Against the Odds , Doggy Surgery , A yellow lab has trouble breathing, and a surgery to fix the problem proves harder than anticipated.
Against the Odds , Puppy Test , Rescued from a puppy mill, this chihuahua puppy has to pass the socialization test before being put up for adoption.
Crisis Dogs , Brother Hounds , Two brother hound dogs must get split up.
Crisis Dogs , Animal's Story , A terrier made wild from a puppy farm gets help.
Friends in Need , Ellie's Ailments , A rescued dog reveals one illness after another, complicating treatment for the Dog Town team.
Friends in Need , Abandoned Dogs , A natural disaster spells trouble for dogs, so Best Friends sends a team to help.
Life After DogTown , Wiggles the Drunk Dog , Wiggles loves to wriggle and romp, and occasionally leave a poo, but his new owners love him anyway.
Life After DogTown , Aristotle's New Home , Find out what happened to little Aristotle, the terrier with the terrible skin condition.
New Beginnings , Wylle's New Beginning , Wylle learns to walk with only three legs.
New Hope , Fear of the Floor , Dogs with emotional and behavioral problems often make great strides -- only to reveal new problems.
New Hope , War Zone Rescue , In the fog of war, once-beloved pets become abandoned strays at the mercy of bombs and bullets.
New Lives , One Bright Dog , Raised on the streets, Karina has boundless energy and a lot of brains -- but to make her adoptable, she must channel it into useful skills.
Project Rescue , The Tough Life of Tuffy , This scrapper has barely survived a brutal dog fight, and faces another challenge: surgery and a grueling recovery.
Rescue and Renewal , Puppy Mill Rescue , The DogTown team rescues breeders and their babies from an overcrowded puppy mill.
Rescue and Renewal , Mill Puppy Makeover , Rescued from a puppy mill, little Barney is in dire need of a serious makeover.
Road to Recovery , Katrina's Forgotten Victims , When Hurricane Katrina forced massive evacuations, many pets struggled to survive until DogTown rescuers found them.
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs , Vick Dogs Rehab , Are the fighting pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's compound able to be rehabilitated?
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs , Aggressive Pit bull , A pit bull rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring will need a great deal of attention to be rehabilitated.
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs (1x60) Cutdown , Vick Dogs Rehab , Are the fighting pit bulls rescued from Michael Vick's compound able to be rehabilitated?
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs (1x60) Cutdown , Coming to the Rescue , Animal rescuers come to the aid of dogs involved in the Michael Vick dog fighting ring.
Second Chances , Rescuing Pups , These dogs in a tire pile recieve urgent help.
Second Chances , Bruno's Story , An aging chow gets a last hope in DogTown.
Starting Over , Broken Paw , A retriever's paw is caught in a hunting trap, causing lots of damage and pain. Can the leg be saved?
Starting Over , Trapped Dogs Rescued , Unwanted dogs are thrown into a deep cave in Ethiopia. Thousands have already died but two find salvation in DogTown.
The Outsiders , Inbred Symptoms? , Dogtown vetrenarian Dr. Mike Dix has a challenge when it comes to Wiggles: a bulldog with balance problems.
The Survivors , Neglected Terrier , A terrier is rescued from a hoarding situation, but can the doctors diagnosis what makes his hair fall out, before it's too late?
Will to Survive , Blind Puppy , A blind puppy is so adept at navigating DogTown that the doctor decides to give him a vision test.
A Fighting Chance,Cats live at Kittyville, part of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
A Fighting Chance,The sun sets over the red desert cliffs outside of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
A Fresh Start,Bingo, is thought to have once lived with a homeless man. Dog Trainer Pat Whitacre suspects Bingo's experience with instability has left the dog fearful and withdrawn.
A Fresh Start,Deep in the Utah desert, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary has a unique mission: Rehabilitate animals abandoned by society. The Canine facility, DogTown takes in the toughest cases and tries to find each dog a long term loving home.
Against the Odds,A caregiver holds a puppy at New Friends, DogTown's run for young dogs.
Against the Odds,Playtime at DogTown.
Crisis Dogs,Polly, a puppy rescued on an Indian reservation, plays in her pen.
Crisis Dogs, Bruno, an older dog, poses for a portrait while out on a walk.
Friends in Need,Rose, a young pit bull who survived 2008 Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana, stays in her run at DogTown.
Life After DogTown,In December 2007, a dog hoarder died and stranded 150 dogs in the sweltering Nevada desert.
Life After DogTown,The puppy Baxt visits DogTown, a part of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah.
New Beginnings,Wylie, the Plott Hound mix, hangs out at DogTown, a part of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah.
New Beginnings,Willa, the Scottie dog rescued from a puppy mill in VA, sits with her foster mom and sibling, DogTown Manager Michelle Besmehn and Espresso, at home in Kanab, Utah.
New Hope,Jasmine, a dog with a handful of medical problems, is sits with a DogTown employee.
New Hope,A dog owned by Kristi Littrell, an Adoption Specialist, plays on Littrell's front lawn in Kanab, Utah.
New Lives,Dash, a hound puppy, legs were growing faster than his tendons.
New Lives,Knightley, the weimaraner, lives at DogTown, part of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill animal facility in the country.
Project Rescue,Baxt, the neurologic puppy that was rescued from the hoarding situatino in Gabbs, Nevada.
Project Rescue,Three dogs in an outdoor run are just a fraction of the dogs that populate a dog hoarder's property in Gabbs, Nevada.
Rescue and Renewal,Animal Care Manager Jeff Popowich teaches Buzz, a (No Suggestions), in obedience and aggression at DogTown.
Rescue and Renewal,Parker, a Dachshund with rotten, crooked teeth was rescued from a puppy mill in West Virginia.
Road to Recovery,Caregiver Betsy Kidder fosters Tashi, a Rottweiler, after surgery on her legs.
Road to Recovery,Tashi, who has torn cruciate ligaments in both of her hind legs, looks up for the camera.
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs,Trainer Ann Alums pets Meryl, one of the pit bulls rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring at DogTown.
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs,Meryl, one of the pit bulls rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring, runs through an agility course .
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs (1x60) Cutdown,Dog run cages where Michael Vick's pit bulls are being rehabilitated at DogTown.
Saving the Michael Vick Dogs (1x60) Cutdown,Trainer Ann Alums pets Meryl, one of the pit bulls rescued from the Michael Vick dog fighting ring at DogTown.
Second Chances,Bruno is an older dog with many medical issues and gets examined often.
Second Chances,Fun-loving dog Wiggles stands at the entrance to his dog house.
Starting Over,Ava, a golden retriever who was found with her paw stuck in a coyote trap, awaits medical attention.
Starting Over,Hugo, a bloodhound returned to DogTown after biting his owner, stands in his run.
The Outsiders,Two dogs stand in the Utah sun.
The Outsiders,Fun-loving dog Wiggles stands at the entrance to his dog house.
The Survivors,Aristotle, a terrier mix whose scabs may be the result of chemical burns from an inappropriate mange treatment, waits for an appointment.
The Survivors,An entire run dedicated for these beagles, who were saved by a beagle rescue group, will become a new part of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Will to Survive,Approximately 500 dogs live at DogTown.
Will to Survive,Director of Photography Martina Radwan films a Hurricane Gustav survivor at DogTown.
DogTown is a department of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary which is operated by Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit, membership organization building no-kill programs and partnerships that will bring about a day when there are No More Homeless Pets and is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. In the late 1980s, when Best Friends was in its early days, roughly 17 million dogs and cats were being killed in shelters every year. Despite the commitment of shelter workers to the animals in their care, the conventional belief was that little could be done to lower that terrible number.
Best Friends' No More Homeless Pets campaign created a new vision: A grassroots effort to place dogs and cats who were considered "unadoptable" into good homes, and to reduce the number of unwanted pets through effective spay and neuter programs. Since then, the number of dogs and cats being destroyed in shelters has fallen to approximately 5 million a year. There has been much progress, but there is still much more to do. The next phase of this work – bringing the number down to essentially zero – will take more work and some bold new initiatives. Shelters are crowded with pit bulls, dogs abandoned after being bought from pet stores, stray cats rounded up on the streets and not looking their very best when they’re brought in, and other pets abandoned or neglected. The society’s leading initiatives in animal care and community programs are coordinated from its Kanab, Utah, headquarters, the country’s largest no-kill sanctuary. The sanctuary, at the heart of the national parks of southern Utah, is a refuge for up to 1,700 homeless dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, birds, and other orphan animals, who come from shelters and rescue groups all over the country for the special care they can only get at Best Friends.
Thanks to the expert care of staff and dedicated volunteers, most of the animals are soon ready to be placed in good new homes. Others, who are older or sicker, or who have suffered extra trauma, find a home and a haven at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives.
This work is made possible by the personal and financial support of a grassroots network of members and community partners across the nation. In 2009, Best Friends celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Learn more about Best Friends Animal Sactuary's DogTown >>
RELATED LINKS: Become a member of Best Friends Animal Society >> Stay up to date! Sign up to receive Best Friend e-newsletter >> Join the Best Friends Network today! It’s the best place online to connect with other animal people, have fun, and help save lives in your community and all over the world. Learn more about the Best Friends Network or Join Now.
For more information about Best Friends Animal Society email info@bestfriends.org
Dr. Michael Dix, Dogtown's medical director, works closely with the other veterinarians and the rest of the medical team to provide care to the sanctuary?s animal residents. As the primary doctor for the dogs, he uses Eastern methods such as acupuncture to treat illnesses in addition to traditional pain management skills. A day at the clinic includes treating emergencies, providing preventive care and performing surgical procedures. Dr. Mike and his staff also care for many special-needs animals at the clinic. He enjoys the strong sense of community that comes from working with a group of people who want to make the world better for animals and people. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 1998, Dr. Mike completed a small-animal medicine and surgery internship at the University of Illinois in 1999, and completed the Colorado State University Veterinary Medical Acupuncture course in 2001.
Dr. Patti Iampietro, nicknamed "Dr. Hummingbird," had wanted to be a vet since she was a little girl, and she never stops caring for animals in need. She chose to join Dogtown because of its mission to help animals alongside a group of people who are dedicated to providing quality care. In recent years, Dr. Patti has volunteered her time in animal shelters and nonprofit hospitals and assisted in the animal relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, and received a bachelor's degree in animal bioscience in 1989. After spending the following five years at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, she graduated in 1993 and completed her rotating internship in small-animal medicine and surgery in 1994. Next she joined the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Langhorne, PA, and has spent the majority of her career in emergency medicine and surgery while also assisting in management.
As manager, Michelle Besmehn oversees the health and welfare of all the dogs at Best Friends, ensuring their safety through proper grouping. She also decides which new dogs will be accepted into Dogtown. Working closely with the trainers, she performs behavioral assessments on the dogs to determine the training needs of each individual animal, the right group for the dog and the right "forever home" when the dog is ready for adoption. This season, she and John Garcia also led a team of trainers working with 22 of the Michael Vick dogs rescued by Best Friends. For Michelle, watching a connection turn into an adoption is the best part of the job.
John Garcia takes on training some of the most difficult, behaviorally challenged dogs at Dogtown, including those that have a history of both human and dog aggression, as well as those that are shy or are lacking basic survival skills. John plays a key role in bringing 22 of the Michael Vick dogs to Utah, beginning with their assessment in Virginia before they make the long trip to Best Friends. Once in Utah, John works closely with Michelle Besmehn in developing a program for all of the Vick dogs. He is also involved in the day-to-day assessment and training of many of the other dogs that come to Dogtown. He's responsible for casting a critical vote on whether Dogtown can accept a dog or not. Although he’s been bitten a half-dozen times, he believes every dog deserves a second chance.
Sherry Woodard is Best Friends Animal Society's resident animal behavior consultant. As an expert in animal training, behavior and care, she develops resources, provides consulting services, leads workshops and speaks nationwide to promote animal welfare. Before coming to Best Friends, Sherry, a nationally certified pet dog trainer, worked with dogs, cats, horses and a variety of other animals. She also worked in veterinary clinics, where she gained valuable experience in companion animal medical care and dog dentistry. She participated in the design of new buildings and exercise areas in Dogtown that have provided stimulating and comfortable environments for thousands of dogs over the years. Early in 2003, Sherry joined Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets national team.
Pat Whitacre is a dog trainer at Dogtown. His gentle and calm nature makes him a perfect fit with the Dogtown staff. With a bachelor's in psychology and a master's in biophysics and genetics, Pat spent 30 years working in behavioral programs for humans in a variety of inpatient and community-based settings. Pat later turned to animals and for two years worked with aggressive and behavioral problem dogs in an animal rescue environment. Pat has always loved animals and has enjoyed training his own dogs, horses, cats and even fish! A visit to Best Friends three years ago inspired him to use his training to help homeless pets become more adoptable and to improve their chances of remaining in their "forever" homes. Pat feels the Best Friends mission and environment provide an incredible opportunity for learning and growth for both homeless animals and those who seek to improve the quality of their lives. Pat's current brood of animals includes one dog, two cats and almost always a foster dog. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, jogging, photography and restoring old cars and motorcycles. And of course, his best vacations are those when his dogs can come along.
Ann Allums, certified pet dog trainer for Dogtown, began work at Best Friends in 2004. Her job includes assessing the dogs for temperament and behavior and creating a training plan for each dog to help them reach their potential. Her ultimate goal is to make each dog more adoptable and help give them the best life possible while living at the sanctuary. She also educates dog caregivers in training techniques and advises people adopting dogs from Best Friends. Ann has been volunteering at humane societies since 1989 to walk dogs and give them much-needed attention. She keeps up her skills by attending training seminars and conferences across the country and reading avidly on dog training and behavior. She also receives plenty of on-the-job training by working closely with around 500 dogs and their caregivers. Ann lives with two dogs, one dog-loving cat, a goldfish and an occasional foster dog.
Jeff Popowich is the animal care operations manager at Best Friends. His job is to help provide oversight to each animal care department, including Dogtown. Prior to that he was head vet tech and medical liaison for the Dogtown Medical Center. He started his Best Friends career in Dogtown, and his skills as a former vet tech and dog handler make him ideal for jumping into special projects when large groups of dogs need Dogtown’s help.
Also part of the DogTown team this season are caregivers Betsy Kidder and Analia Gutierrez, adoption coordinator Kristi Littrell and vet tech Sara Kubacki. For more information on DogTown, please visit Best Friends Animal Society Web site bestfriends.org.
Best Friends Animal Society is guided by a simple philosophy: kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us. Best Friends' No More Homeless Pets campaign created a new vision: A grassroots effort to place dogs and cats who were considered "unadoptable" into good homes, and to reduce the number of unwanted pets through effective spay and neuter programs. Your contribution today will help change the lives of these neglected and abandoned animals. Donate Now >>
National Geographic Channel has brought the stories of DogTown to you. Now we'd like to bring you to DogTown. Enter to win an all-expenses-paid, four day, three-night stay for you and a guest at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, located in Utah's beautiful canyon country. You'll meet the stars of the show and help the entire staff change a dog's life forever. It's four days you'll never forget.
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