Without exaggeration, I am overwhelmed by this explosive article exposing Best Friends Animal Society, with associates, infrastructure to control national animal welfare with animals as disposable fundraising props. I'm blown away.......
I wish this fine investigative journalism will be published nationally and incorporated in a compelling major platform documentary, Netflix, Prime etc.
Public love of companion animals transcends all categories of class, ethnicity, political affiliation etc. and, if well produced, such a documentary would be impactful for change documenting the public's care for homeless distressed companion animals has been cynically subverted and diverted into a financialized machine.
Thank you, Carmen. Your reaction means a lot. You're absolutely right—this issue cuts across all divides, and the public’s deep compassion for animals deserves so much better. A documentary is a powerful idea, and your vision for it captures exactly what’s at stake. Let’s keep this momentum going—truth and transparency are the first steps toward real change.
I agree. I was blown away too. I saw their devastation with a front row seat and was blown away no one was reporting about it?!?! How are they getting away with this? Then I started reading Ed’s articles and felt so justified in the way I felt- BFAS has harmed the animal world in ways it may never recover in my lifetime. They should be behind bars for defrauding the public and misappropriating donor and tax payer money. Total con artists!
Great piece, thank you. This should be national news and everyone donating to these “charities” should know that their hard earned money is not being used for actual solutions, but rather to perpetuate the cycle and enrich humans, not animals.
Thank you, Amy. I couldn’t agree more—donors deserve to know where their support is really going. Hopefully, pieces like this help spark the broader conversation and accountability that’s long overdue.
Humanity has lost its Humanity in this billion dollar industry.
The reprehensible behavior of people is no longer restricted to laboratory experiments which technological advances provided answers for…
The meat trade and torture of animals to increase the adrenaline and taste of the meat…
Kidnapping family pets and street dogs that disappear without explanation.
We now have monetizers within the industry that falsely advocate for animals when their only interest is self-serving.
Social media calls for help for animals that are out of time breaking the heart for so many lost.
You question why the notification is always within a day or two of euthanization, when the animal has been in the shelter for a week or more. Is this merely to increase donation to the very organizations that take advantage of the plight of animals?
We have much work to do to redeem ourselves as ‘Human’ beings.
In the rapid technological advancement, I pray there is an answer for the intake of animals, their sterilization, tracking of legitimate and backyard breeders alike, the overreaching ‘advocates’ of the healthy food industry and so much more.
I suspect some of the answers may come from prison system and criminal tracking,
AI for surgical kindness and accuracy to expedite animal spay/neutering
And AI to track shelters and financial responsibility of the monitoring behemoths taking advantage of people trying to rescue these loving souls.
It has become enormously expensive to have a pet and give them the care they deserve, it to is creating a deficit in adoption.
We can and must do so much better.
I am willing to step up to not just lend my voice for change, but volunteer my time to anyone who sees a path forward in or outside of suggestions above.
Thank you, Kimberly, for such a passionate and thoughtful response. You’ve captured the heartbreak, the injustice—and the urgent need for reform—in a way that’s impossible to ignore. Your call to action is powerful, and your willingness to step up is exactly the kind of leadership this movement needs. Let’s keep pushing for a system that truly honors the lives we claim to protect.
HI Kimberly, thank you for sharing your thoughts about Ed's story. If you are interested in volunteering, check out the non-profit Who Will Let The Dogs Out. They raise awareness and resources for underserved rural shelters, rescues and animal control. Most of their volunteer need is virtual. I started vounteering a year ago. Smart, smart, passionate, people!
As a former volunteer at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah… I AM HORRIFIED at their use of donor money for evil.
Do donors know that their CEO, Julie Castle is paid $47,000 A MONTH salary with donor dollars ?
And further, she uses her platform to spread buckets of misinformation. Julie Castle travels our country like a carnival barker spewing and promoting a dangerous future for orphaned animals. The more you look the more you see.
Thank you, Christine. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective as a former volunteer—your insight adds so much. The disconnect between donor intent and organizational behavior is exactly why transparency matters. The more we shine a light, the clearer the picture becomes.
I am so moved to read your article! I will become a paid subscriber to your Substack next month. Perhaps if there’s something I could contribute as a part of a team of volunteers I would like to do that. ritalaerence50@icloud.com
Thank you so much, Rita! I’m deeply grateful for your support and thrilled to have you as part of this community. One great way to get involved is by sharing the article widely, especially with local advocates, media, and policymakers. You can also comment, engage, and help amplify others raising concerns. Grassroots momentum is powerful—and voices like yours are key to pushing this forward.
Best Friends always appeared to me to be too good to be true. So slick, so righteous. And so it is. Like the rest of them, only much bigger: endlessly fundraising with emotional appeals and carefully crafted storytelling while guaranteeing the problem is never addressed by local, accessible spay and neuter. Over the years we’ve seen a number of organizations here in the PNW (shelters and rescues) exposed as poorly run at best and predatory at worst and after the initial media reports die down they just keep on keeping on doing the work of separating kind people from their money and using animals lives to do so. It’s disheartening. I’ve learned that it is exceptionally rare for anyone attached to volunteer organizations like these to which they’ve devoted time and trust to ever speak out when things go awry, which is inevitable as ever larger sums of money come in. And if they leave they just pour their hearts into the next organization and nothing changes. The lure of do-good organizations is strong and looking closely at how they operate is disloyal.
Thank you, HW, for sharing your thoughts. I understand your frustration—when organizations become large and polished, it’s easy for genuine concerns to get lost beneath the surface of compelling stories and relentless fundraising. Your point about the lack of transparency and the challenges of speaking out is so important, and it’s something the animal welfare field must reckon with if we want real, lasting change. I appreciate your honesty and your continued commitment to animals, even when it feels disheartening. These conversations are vital, and your voice truly matters.
Thank you for your continued reporting. I adopted a dog from Best Friends listed as a chow/lab mix—only to later learn he was a Livestock Guardian Breed transported from rural New Mexico. He never should have been relocated; he needed a working life in a rural setting, not city sidewalks. Despite my efforts, he bit someone on a walk. It was one of the most traumatic experiences I’ve had. With today’s accessible DNA technology, the money spent on cross-country transport could instead be used for breed-appropriate placements and support for spay/neuter. Corporate sponsors should rethink their donations to Best Friends and direct support toward reputable rescues and underfunded city shelters doing ethical, local work. I’ll adopt again—but never from Best Friends. And absolutely no one should give money to this sham of an organization.
Thank you for sharing your story, Bev. It's a powerful and painful reminder of what’s at stake when transport and placement decisions prioritize optics over fit. Your experience underscores the need for ethical, informed, and community-rooted approaches—and your voice adds crucial weight to this conversation. I’m grateful you’re speaking out.
Just a side note…the bunderground railroad is very transparent. When someone reaches out, they talk with you, do a post and ask volunteers who they vet via drivers license and Insurance to sign up for a leg of a journey. The start and location (a rescue) is well defined. It’s not like CART but I see how it could appear to be.
Best friends is something else with these transports. It’s nauseating the lengths they go to.
Without exaggeration, I am overwhelmed by this explosive article exposing Best Friends Animal Society, with associates, infrastructure to control national animal welfare with animals as disposable fundraising props. I'm blown away.......
I wish this fine investigative journalism will be published nationally and incorporated in a compelling major platform documentary, Netflix, Prime etc.
Public love of companion animals transcends all categories of class, ethnicity, political affiliation etc. and, if well produced, such a documentary would be impactful for change documenting the public's care for homeless distressed companion animals has been cynically subverted and diverted into a financialized machine.
Thank you, Carmen. Your reaction means a lot. You're absolutely right—this issue cuts across all divides, and the public’s deep compassion for animals deserves so much better. A documentary is a powerful idea, and your vision for it captures exactly what’s at stake. Let’s keep this momentum going—truth and transparency are the first steps toward real change.
YESSSSSS! One voice unlocks another 🐾
I agree. I was blown away too. I saw their devastation with a front row seat and was blown away no one was reporting about it?!?! How are they getting away with this? Then I started reading Ed’s articles and felt so justified in the way I felt- BFAS has harmed the animal world in ways it may never recover in my lifetime. They should be behind bars for defrauding the public and misappropriating donor and tax payer money. Total con artists!
Great piece, thank you. This should be national news and everyone donating to these “charities” should know that their hard earned money is not being used for actual solutions, but rather to perpetuate the cycle and enrich humans, not animals.
Thank you, Amy. I couldn’t agree more—donors deserve to know where their support is really going. Hopefully, pieces like this help spark the broader conversation and accountability that’s long overdue.
Humanity has lost its Humanity in this billion dollar industry.
The reprehensible behavior of people is no longer restricted to laboratory experiments which technological advances provided answers for…
The meat trade and torture of animals to increase the adrenaline and taste of the meat…
Kidnapping family pets and street dogs that disappear without explanation.
We now have monetizers within the industry that falsely advocate for animals when their only interest is self-serving.
Social media calls for help for animals that are out of time breaking the heart for so many lost.
You question why the notification is always within a day or two of euthanization, when the animal has been in the shelter for a week or more. Is this merely to increase donation to the very organizations that take advantage of the plight of animals?
We have much work to do to redeem ourselves as ‘Human’ beings.
In the rapid technological advancement, I pray there is an answer for the intake of animals, their sterilization, tracking of legitimate and backyard breeders alike, the overreaching ‘advocates’ of the healthy food industry and so much more.
I suspect some of the answers may come from prison system and criminal tracking,
AI for surgical kindness and accuracy to expedite animal spay/neutering
And AI to track shelters and financial responsibility of the monitoring behemoths taking advantage of people trying to rescue these loving souls.
It has become enormously expensive to have a pet and give them the care they deserve, it to is creating a deficit in adoption.
We can and must do so much better.
I am willing to step up to not just lend my voice for change, but volunteer my time to anyone who sees a path forward in or outside of suggestions above.
Let’s do more than just write about it!
Thank you, Kimberly, for such a passionate and thoughtful response. You’ve captured the heartbreak, the injustice—and the urgent need for reform—in a way that’s impossible to ignore. Your call to action is powerful, and your willingness to step up is exactly the kind of leadership this movement needs. Let’s keep pushing for a system that truly honors the lives we claim to protect.
HI Kimberly, thank you for sharing your thoughts about Ed's story. If you are interested in volunteering, check out the non-profit Who Will Let The Dogs Out. They raise awareness and resources for underserved rural shelters, rescues and animal control. Most of their volunteer need is virtual. I started vounteering a year ago. Smart, smart, passionate, people!
I can vouch for WWLTDO too! They are a wonderful organization!
Cindy,
Thank you so much for recommending WWLTDO.
Ed, I appreciate you vouching for them as well!
I will take a look to see what they need and how I can help!
I love this community! By pulling together, we can implement fresh ideas and much needed solutions!
Great piece….Ed!
As a former volunteer at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah… I AM HORRIFIED at their use of donor money for evil.
Do donors know that their CEO, Julie Castle is paid $47,000 A MONTH salary with donor dollars ?
And further, she uses her platform to spread buckets of misinformation. Julie Castle travels our country like a carnival barker spewing and promoting a dangerous future for orphaned animals. The more you look the more you see.
Thank you, Christine. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective as a former volunteer—your insight adds so much. The disconnect between donor intent and organizational behavior is exactly why transparency matters. The more we shine a light, the clearer the picture becomes.
I am so moved to read your article! I will become a paid subscriber to your Substack next month. Perhaps if there’s something I could contribute as a part of a team of volunteers I would like to do that. ritalaerence50@icloud.com
Thank you so much, Rita! I’m deeply grateful for your support and thrilled to have you as part of this community. One great way to get involved is by sharing the article widely, especially with local advocates, media, and policymakers. You can also comment, engage, and help amplify others raising concerns. Grassroots momentum is powerful—and voices like yours are key to pushing this forward.
Best Friends always appeared to me to be too good to be true. So slick, so righteous. And so it is. Like the rest of them, only much bigger: endlessly fundraising with emotional appeals and carefully crafted storytelling while guaranteeing the problem is never addressed by local, accessible spay and neuter. Over the years we’ve seen a number of organizations here in the PNW (shelters and rescues) exposed as poorly run at best and predatory at worst and after the initial media reports die down they just keep on keeping on doing the work of separating kind people from their money and using animals lives to do so. It’s disheartening. I’ve learned that it is exceptionally rare for anyone attached to volunteer organizations like these to which they’ve devoted time and trust to ever speak out when things go awry, which is inevitable as ever larger sums of money come in. And if they leave they just pour their hearts into the next organization and nothing changes. The lure of do-good organizations is strong and looking closely at how they operate is disloyal.
Thank you, HW, for sharing your thoughts. I understand your frustration—when organizations become large and polished, it’s easy for genuine concerns to get lost beneath the surface of compelling stories and relentless fundraising. Your point about the lack of transparency and the challenges of speaking out is so important, and it’s something the animal welfare field must reckon with if we want real, lasting change. I appreciate your honesty and your continued commitment to animals, even when it feels disheartening. These conversations are vital, and your voice truly matters.
Thank you for your continued reporting. I adopted a dog from Best Friends listed as a chow/lab mix—only to later learn he was a Livestock Guardian Breed transported from rural New Mexico. He never should have been relocated; he needed a working life in a rural setting, not city sidewalks. Despite my efforts, he bit someone on a walk. It was one of the most traumatic experiences I’ve had. With today’s accessible DNA technology, the money spent on cross-country transport could instead be used for breed-appropriate placements and support for spay/neuter. Corporate sponsors should rethink their donations to Best Friends and direct support toward reputable rescues and underfunded city shelters doing ethical, local work. I’ll adopt again—but never from Best Friends. And absolutely no one should give money to this sham of an organization.
Thank you for sharing your story, Bev. It's a powerful and painful reminder of what’s at stake when transport and placement decisions prioritize optics over fit. Your experience underscores the need for ethical, informed, and community-rooted approaches—and your voice adds crucial weight to this conversation. I’m grateful you’re speaking out.
Thanks for digging into this. The confusion grows greater everyday.
I hope I'm casting a little bit of light on the situation... ;-)
Just a side note…the bunderground railroad is very transparent. When someone reaches out, they talk with you, do a post and ask volunteers who they vet via drivers license and Insurance to sign up for a leg of a journey. The start and location (a rescue) is well defined. It’s not like CART but I see how it could appear to be.
Best friends is something else with these transports. It’s nauseating the lengths they go to.