People visit Best Friends for a variety of reasons; to volunteer, to relax, to learn, to grieve, to adopt. Sometimes a variety of reasons are combined into one trip!

Last summer, the Cohen’s made such a combination trip. Robin came to Best Friends with her daughters Leigh and Michelle, from North Carolina. Michelle (who had just finished her freshman year of college) was here to attend Cyrus Mejia’s ‘Art for the Animals Retreat’ workshop. Robin & Leigh used their time here to volunteer with the animals, and for a much more somber reason.

Their first trip to Best Friends had been 7 years prior, when they placed their beloved dog, Skylar, at Angels Rest, the beautiful animal cemetery at Best Friends. Sadly, during their trip last summer, they were placing their other dearly loved dog, Lucky. Lucky has been in the family since Michelle was only 2 years old – at the time that was over 15 years ago. Three weeks after Michelle left for college, Lucky passed away. ( An interesting fact about Lucky was that she once starred as Sandy in a community theatre production of Annie!) She was a star in the eyes of many.

On a happier note, Leigh applied, and was approved to adopt Dolly, a charming 8 month old boxer/beagle mix. So, while there is great sadness over the loss of their 2nd dog, Dolly will be along to offer support.

It’s hard to pack more into a trip than these three women did – learning from Best Friends Founder and Resident Artist Cyrus Mejia, volunteering with the animals, saying goodbye to a loved one, and welcoming a brand new family member into the fold! It will be great to see what their next trip to Best Friends holds!

Written by Linda Blauch & Jennifer Johnson
Photo by Linda Blauch

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