Utah
‘A taste of home’: Watch adorable dogs at Utah shelter get presents from Santa
Dogs at an animal sanctuary in southern Utah had a paw-sitively delightful Christmas morning as they picked out presents from Santa’s sleigh.
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, just north of the Arizona border, hosted a “Santa Sleigh” Christmas morning for dogs at the shelter. The shelter says the pups “joyfully picked out toys” from a sleigh “decked out in holiday trimmings and loaded with more than 500 toys” donated by the non-profit’s corporate partner, Pet Supplies Plus and Blue Buffalo.
Video footage shared by Best Friends shows dozens of dogs sniffing around for the best presents, which included ropes, balls and squeaky toys. The shelter dogs also got cuddles and treats from Best Friends volunteers and staff members.
Dozens of shelter dogs receive toys from ‘Santa Sleigh’
Dozens of dogs at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah picked out gifts from “Santa Sleigh.”
‘Meaningful tradition’
Best Friends Animal Society CEO Julie Castle said in a statement that the event “is a truly meaningful tradition at Best Friends.”
“It gives the Sanctuary dogs a taste of home until they find loving families of their own,” Castle said. “It also makes our caregivers happy to provide this special experience for the dogs they care for every day.”
The sleigh made the rounds to more than a dozen locations at the Sanctuary’s Dogtown, delighting more than 400 dogs awaiting adoption. Best Friends said the dogs at the sanctuary came from shelters in Utah and across the country.
Dogtown is described as a “place of healing, learning and fun for dogs and puppies.”
Founded in 1984, Best Friends, is a leading animal welfare organization with shelters across the country. The organization aims to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country no-kill in 2025. The sanctuary, meanwhile, is the largest of its kind in the U.S., according to Best Friends website and is “tucked into the majestic canyons of southern Utah.”
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.
The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.
The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.
This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.
FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.
The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.
Utah
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(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, running for reelection, addresses delegates during the Davis County Republican Party nominating convention at Syracuse High School on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
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(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Yeti, a Himalayan-themed bar in Cottonwood Heights, is pictured on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
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