The biggest slap in the face from Best Friends came about two months ago when I heard from a colleague that the gift store, which is located in the visitors center where tours begin, was for-profit. What I heard was that the gift store was owned by the founders and they ‘donated’ 7-10% of the profits (or proceeds?) to the sanctuary.

This couldn’t be true. How could it? When you love a charity so dearly that you would do ANYTHING for it including parting with the meager amount of personal savings to make a $50 donation…or buy a sweatshirt with the cute Best Friends logo from the gift store…or volunteer a day, or a week, at the sanctuary…or tell all my friends about the great work they do….how in God’s name could this be true?

I remember browsing the gift store on many occasions. Honestly, I didn’t buy anything myself, but my friends have bought shirts, vitamins, etc… The gift store is the obvious place to spend time while waiting for the tour (which is free) to begin. It is the obvious place to go to buy souvenirs or clothing bearing the Best Friends logo. Then how could this store be for-profit? How could the founders, who created something I now care for dearly, be duping ME?

I went back to the store. And I looked for a sign. ANY sign. Something that displayed that so and so of the sales were donated to the sanctuary. Or a sign that read ‘This store is operated by so and so management,’ perhaps an outside vendor.

The slap began to hurt. I found a greeting card, which claimed it was made by the gift store operation, that read 7-10% of the proceeds will go to the sanctuary.

I still didn’t believe it. Shopping is shopping, right? No! When I shop at a retail store, like Target, I know what is going on – some CEOs are getting paid alot of money from my purchase but that is fine with me because I find what I want at a price I want.

However, shopping at a gift store at a charity is TOTALLY different. I’m there with a sentiment that is OPPOSITE of shopping in retail. I’d pay slightly more money for a best friends t-shirt knowing that it goes to the sanctuary.

I needed to know more. I looked at Best Friends’ tax report, which as a nonprofit they have to file with the IRS and is public info – it’s called a 990. On the 990 there is no mention of gift store revenue. Then I thought to myself, what ‘entity’ runs the gift store, and profits from it? The answer was on page 17 of the cluttered IRS form. On page 17 it says there are two ‘Related Organizations’ to Best Friends Animal Society – Angel Canyon, Inc. and The Best Friends Pet Club. They sounded like maybe exensions of the sanctuary, like an animal day care? Then I saw that, on page 17, they were designated as ‘non-exempt.’ Meaning FOR-PROFIT.

As it turns out, Angel Canyon, Inc., does business as Angel Canyon Gifts, and is a corporation in Utah that was formed by Chris Fripp, one of the four original founders of Best Friends. It’s line of business is retail gifts and novelties. Sales? $300,000

The Best Friends Pet Club in 2004 was renamed none other than Best Friends Store LLC. The Treasurer is Steven Hirano who is Best Friend’s managing editor (publications). Sales? $400,000. Line of business is sale of pet toys, shirts and vitamins.

Finally, I found Angel Canyon Enterprises which makes greeting cards with the BF logo. That is owned by Jana De Peyer who is the spouse of Best Friend’s chairman of the board, Jonathan De Peyer.

So all of it was true. The rumour was true – that profits of the $700,000 gift store concern get split between the founders, which number about 20 persons. And 7-10% of the sales get donated to Best Friends, although I couldn’t confirm this anywhere. Was there actually proof that the for-profit gift store gave 7-10% back to the sanctuary that the owners also founded and operate?

In late 2003, Animal People, an independent newspaper that provides original investigative coverage of animal protection, exposed the gift store story in its issue titled: “Who Gets the Money.’ Mike Mountain, the president of BF, wrote a comment that was published in the Jan-Feb 2004 issue in which he wrote: ‘I gave up my salary a couple of years ago and get paid from the proceeds of the Best Friends Pet Club, which is a side venture run by Steven Hirano, myself, and one other person. It sells T-shirts, mugs, the small books I did, etc. It is our hope that the Pet Club will make sufficient money in years to come to be able to provide for some of the older founders of Best Friends when they retire (some are in their late sixties already), and to do other things for animals and rescuers that we approve of but that don’t quite meet the strict standards of what we feel we should be using members’ donations for. I took home approximately $30,000 this year from the Pet Club after taxes were paid. (If you want to list it in future years, I can send details.) And I do still get a few hundred dollars from Best Friends–enough for me to be able to pay back into our health insurance plan.–– Michael Mountain, President.’

What Mountain lied about, or is a lie in retrospect, is that he is a salaried employee of Best Friends. In fiscal year 2004 he took home a base salary of $50,949 and benefits worth $10,000.

I think that this is despicable. I told this to all my friends. Some thought it was underhanded. Others said that they weren’t doing anything illegal, which, while true, doesn’t translate into ‘right.’

Mike Mountain is full of bullshit. He gets paid from Best Friends and dupes all the loving, caring visitors into buying plush toys and overpriced t-shirts thinking they are benefiting the dogs and cats and bunnies and horses…whereas it goes to the ’some are in their late sixties already’ founders.

I’m never going back to the gift store. And my friends who visit, I tell them the whole story and they are amazed. Stupified.

I’m still here. Haven’t quit. But I wonder what the world thinks of this!

Oh, one final thought. It occurred to me that the gift store piggy backs on the infrastructure of Best Friends. Do they pay rent or for the security, lighting, heat, etc… since they are situated in the non-profit visitors center? They even piggy back on the website bestfriends.org – they set up shopping.bestfriends.org ! There is no comment there that it is for-profit, or part of Best Friends Store LLC.

OMG.

Where do I start?  I came to Kanab, Utah, because of Best Friends.  From afar, it was a shining star.  A place where dreams come true.  Where animals had a safe place to live no matter their abilities or disabilities.  A place where humans themselves healed by healing. 

Then I came to visit Kanab.  That first night I diligently read the small pile of guest books in the Best Friends guest cottage where I stayed.  The 'diaries' were filled with moving accounts of peoples' experiences as visitors and volunteers at the sanctuary.   I remember one girl pledged, after a brief visit, to dedicate her life to send money to Best Friends.  Another woman promised to put Best Friends in her will.  Another couple vowed to adopt.  A poem, likely by a writer, made me weep. 

All was as idyllic as could be for the first month.  Well, almost.  Kanab, I quickly learned, was segregated: a Kanab for progressives and a Kanab for conservatives.  The twine integrate in odd places: Vermillion Cafe, Honey's, Nedras, and recently at a town hall meeting about the natural family resolution that travel writer Arthur Frommer found reason to announce a boycott of the entire town. 

Still, that wasn't enough to burst my idealism, which was buoyed by the animals and my environs: magestic vermillion cliffs and big gleaming blue skies.   In color country, we visit the best national parks instead of movie theatres and hiking trails instead of malls. 

How long could have this 'happy place' lasted?  I wished…truly wished…that nothing would go wrong.  Gosh, to be affiliated with a national icon for animal welfare was an honor.   I imagined when I'd go back home or other places and I would say 'I work at Best Friends' as if I were a Marine, or had sailed around the world. 

Sadly, my bubble is slowly bursting.  And I don't want it to fully burst.  I don't want to lose the Best Friends that is in my heart.  And I know others feel the same way.  That is the why for this blog.