Shelter of the Week
SPCA International has awarded Olympic Animal Sanctuary their Shelter of the Week award, thanks to the many nominations we've received from the public. We are very grateful to those who nominated us as well as to SPCA International, not only for the $1,000 grant that came with the award, but for their being willing to support a less traditional animal welfare organization such as ours. Many grant makers and animal welfare groups do not support the work of sanctuaries, preferring to focus on organizations that conduct adoptions or provide low cost spay/neuter or veterinary assistance, but we all play a part for the greater good, for the animals and the people who care about them. We want to acknowledge SPCA International's leadership in bringing this to the attention of their members and website visitors.
Posted on January 27, 2010 | Link
From Monika
Hello -
I just felt compelled to e-mail you to let you know how glad I am to have found out about your sanctuary. This morning I had no idea you existed, but I randomly stumbled across your fan page on Facebook and have just spent over an hour reading your website and looking through the pictures of your dogs. I really admire the work you are doing, and also the frank and unapologetic way you write, both toward the general public and in specific replies to criticisms you've received. I particularly loved seeing the outdoor pictures of the dogs at the sanctuary - they all look so happy and healthy, and it is obvious that you've put a lot of care into creating a nice habitat for them. I'll refrain from rambling at too much length, but after reading the "hate mail" section of your website, I just wanted to make sure you got some positive feedback as well. =)
Have a great evening (or morning, day, whenever you read this...)!
Posted on January 18, 2010 | Link
From Kay
Steve, I wanted to commend you for what you are doing...I rescue dogs that are just thrown out to fend for themselves and have found many of them homes...You are a brave man with a halo for giving these dogs a chance to love and be loved....Kindest Regards
Posted on January 18, 2010 | Link
From Savannah
Steve,
I came to your web site through facebook and let me just let you know how amazed I am! You do such a wonderful thing! I live in Las Vegas and I am a true animal lover and I completely appreciate everything you and your team do for animals who may not always have someone on their side. I've always thought about moving to Washington, and if I do I would be proud to know that I have an organization like yours in my state =) Thank you once again!
Posted on January 18, 2010 | Link
Burmese Python
A few pictures of our Burmese python after her daily misting:
Posted on January 14, 2010 | Link
From Natalie
Hi Steve,
I just read the story in our local newspaper in Bend, Oregon. I just wanted to say kudos to you. I wholeheartedly agree with your philosophy. The main reason I am writing to you is your comment on "dog whisperers" and "spiritual kinship". It is refreshing to read what you say is key- common sense. No one wants to hear about common sense anymore, few people really possess or use it. Everyone wants a magical or spiritual solution for everything.
Keep up the good work. Take care.
Posted on January 14, 2010 | Link
A Facebook Rant from Eric
Someone named Eric left these comments on our Facebook page, and if they weren't strange enough by themselves, he left them on a listing aimed at trying to find a home for an abused dog.
Eric, I'm going to extend a courtesy to you that you didn't see fit to extend to me; I'm not going to call you names or call your intellect into question, because for one I don't think I really need to, but also because I believe your comments, however off base and inappropriate for the venue, come from a place of concern for animals. I'm going to address your statements, and maybe you'll understand what we do a little better.
First, I don't appreciate being called a "retard", not because I think even for a moment that there's a grain of truth to your name-calling, but because it's offensive to mentally challenged people. I actually care about people with disabilities, and I'd love it if you'd show them a little more respect.
You say that biting is never natural -- have you ever seen a dog's teeth? What do you think those are there to do? I promise you they're not decorative. But if common sense isn't enough for you, there are 4.7 million reported dog bite incidents in the United States every year, and those are just the reported incidents. Based on stats from the dogs we care for, fewer than one in twenty bites are ever reported, and that means that, statistically speaking, every dog bites someone a few times during its life. Guess what that means -- dog bites are a natural thing. If there were a few hundred or even a few thousand dog bites in the US every year, I'd say we had a problem, but there are millions, and as I said in the LA Times interview, that's not a problem, it's a fact of life.
You say the dogs run my life; I don't know how you would know that, but rest assured, I'm as much in control of my destiny and my daily routine as anyone can be, which is to say I decide what to do from day to day and I make plans for the future, and tomorrow I could be hit by a truck. You say my dogs are aggressive -- I say they're misunderstood, by you and by others like you. Some of them have been the victims of horrific abuse; others have been bred to be dangerous, but I don't consider any of them aggressive. Sometimes they're defensive; sometimes they're afraid; sometimes they engage in behaviors that are natural for a pack hunter. Also, your definition of aggression isn't accurate by anyone's account of which I'm aware.
You tell me to stay away from dogs -- if I do that, all the animals currently under my care and protection will die. Is that what you want? I suppose my best response to your suggestion is DUDE STAY AWAY FROM COMPUTERS!! Seriously, what goes through people's heads when they write this stuff? Most people wouldn't even respond to you, and rest assured I'll get flack for giving this my attention, but I do it for two reasons -- one, you can't possibly be the only one who holds these misguided opinions and by responding to you I can address the various issues you raise, and two, this is fun for me, and I'm allowed to have some fun once in awhile. Moving on...
As far as what I tell "all of humanity", and by the way, most of humanity doesn't speak English and has no idea who I am, here's my message: animals are not morally culpable for their actions and they are not property to be disposed of at will. It is our responsibility to care for companion animals regardless of how inconvenient that care may be. It can be boiled down to compassion and responsibility; along with pettiness and sarcasm, those are the main principles by which I try to live my life, both personally and professionally.
Next, you say "total freak show" and again, you're being very insensitive to disabled people, whether you realize it or not. Grow up.
"Canine rehabilitation exists to make dogs better" Eric -- what do you think we do here? We rehabilitate dogs; we make tremendous strides. For example, I have a dog that had literally hundreds of bite incidents before he came here, and since he's been here he hasn't bitten me a single time. He loves me, licks my face, plays with other dogs. That's not magic, it's rehab. I have feral dogs who were never touched by human hands, and after months of traditional conditioning they didn't improve -- now they sleep in my bed with me at night. That took years of hard work and rehab. You're completely off base -- if we didn't "make dogs better" what would be the point? You say that dogs are unhappy living with what you call aggression and with instability -- while we wouldn't use those exact words, that notion is one of our most basic tenets, and I'm unsure of why you would think it otherwise. Our goal for every dog here is that the animal be healthy, happy, and safe -- they can't be any of those things if they are constantly afraid and defensive. But what you seem to be missing is that, unlike what you've no doubt seen on TV and appear to be basing your criticism on, rehab is an ongoing process, not a short-term fix-all that can be completed and forgotten. The dogs still have their bad days, and we don't give up on them when they do.
When I first started out I believed that with sound conditioning I could take any dog with a problem behavior and turn the animal into a model citizen; it's the basis of a number of television shows, which, by the way, have the benefit of editing. After doing this work every day for several years, I have a better understanding of dogs and of rehab in general, and I know that it's often preferable to use management as my primary tool and save behavior modification for the issues that absolutely require it in order for the dog to be healthy, happy, and safe. That means if I have a dog who kills cats, rather than expend countless hours trying to reprogram that dog's behavior, I just keep the dog away from cats. Behavior modification can be stressful for the dog, and there are a lot of mistakes that can be made, so it's not the first place I go. And a funny thing happens; when you manage a dog's behavior, the habits and patterns begin to break down, and you end up modifying that behavior anyway, only you get to do it without being confrontational and risking undue stress to the animal.
Even when you have made tremendous progress with a dog, though, there's still a problem; I believe, like many rescue groups, that every dog is adoptable to the right person, but unfortunately the right person usually has five or six dogs already. I had nine before I finally purchased a commercial property and began doing this full-time. I can do a lot of work with a dog and all but erase the dangerous behavior patterns that made that animal a threat to people or other animals, but that doesn't change the fact that almost no one wants to adopt a dog with a bite record, or a dog that's killed another dog. And unlike what you've seen on TV, sometimes rehab takes years to make a profound change -- few people want a dog that's only going to live a few more years. Besides, if I was to rehabilitate my animals for the purpose of adoption, they would be competing with shelter dogs for homes -- dogs that would have a much better chance of fitting into a traditional home environment without serious incident. I know that my animals would have a much lower success rate and I'd be getting most of them back anyway -- they may all be adoptable to the right person, but realistically, it's me or they die. But just because making them adoptable isn't one of my goals, that doesn't mean I don't rehabilitate them and set other goals for each of them.
I think you're confusing rehabilitation with punishment. You appear to be advocating techniques that involve correcting a dog's behavior, and that's something that I, and most of the legitimate animal behavior community, are not in favor of; the mantra, 'reward the good, ignore the bad,' is the most progressive and effective approach to dog training. It's too easy to give a dog mixed signals otherwise, and techniques that use positive punishment (look it up) are dangerous both to the dog and the handler. I suggest you do more research -- reward-based conditioning is far and away the most effective method out there. It might interest you to know that most of the dogs here came to be here because of positive punishment-based 'rehabilitation' that only caused their behavior to further deteriorate. So-called "canine aggression experts" have kept me quite busy with the dogs they've traumatized and mishandled.
Regarding our "bad publicity for canines" I think you're completely out of touch. When Lassie and Benji are held up as the models for what every dog should be, and any deviation from that Hollywood image is seen as a problem, the result for dogs is horrifying. You may not see it, but I deal with it every day -- a dog in an animal shelter growls at someone, is labeled vicious and is killed. A frightened dog nips at someone who mishandles her and she's killed for it. I get emails every day from people making huge issues of minor incidents: 'My dog guards his food and if you don't take him right away I'll have no choice but to put him down.' What are people demanding of their dogs? Some of the worst cases are those that result from 'positive publicity campaigns' like breed ambassador programs; pit bull breeds, for example, are now held to a higher standard than other types of dogs because breed clubs have gone to such great lengths to promote them as gentle and loving, while dog fighters have continued to breed them to fight and kill. This 'good publicity' has led to an unrealistic idea of what a pit bull should be, and the majority, who can't make the grade, are killed. It's atrocious.
What it really comes down to, though, is that people, you included, don't really know what a dog is. You may know what a dog looks like, what it eats, how to walk it on a leash, but you don't really understand what dogs are -- they're wolves that came in from the cold. They're carnivores, predators -- it wasn't that long ago that fighting, biting, and killing were the very things human beings wanted these animals to do, and now that we've chosen a more civil and passive lifestyle (in theory anyway) we need to give our dogs some time to catch up, and cut them some slack when they fail to live up to our standards.
The last thing I'd like to address is the idea that I'm proud of being bitten by dogs, that I somehow enjoy pain, or that I'd rather take credit for being some kind of tough guy than for being a loving and qualified caregiver to my animals. When I first read the LA Times article about my work, I was a little taken aback because I felt like it focused a lot on my 'bravery' and 'toughness' and those aren't the things that come to mind when I think about who I am or what I do for a living. The fact that I'm not afraid of being bitten doesn't mean I enjoy it -- I don't. Maybe I am a little proud of my scars, but why shouldn't I be? I've earned them.
So Eric, I don't know who you are, what you do in your life, or what makes you qualified to pass judgment on me and how I do my job, but I suggest that if you have such a problem with what I do and how I do it, and you know so much more about it than I do, you start your own organization and you do this job better than I do it. I'd love to have another rescue to refer people to.
There are roughly three kinds of people who oppose what my organization does: the first type are those who think our animals should be killed on some kind of warped moral grounds; the second are those who believe we will fail because they have failed, and that their own incompetence somehow bears on our capacity for success; the third are those who think we have failed because we haven't achieved perfection and magical Hollywood results. It's time for that last group to come live in the real world with the rest of us. I work hard, I'm good at what I do, I have a lot of successes and a few failures. How about you?
Posted on January 11, 2010 | Link
From Steve
Hello Steve...Congratulations on being one of the "Good Guys". I recently read about your work in the Chicago Tribune. You are doing a kind and generous thing with your "unacceptable" animals. I found your website and your response to "Patricia" was great!! Right on target!! Its too bad people like her do not recognize the contributions of folks like you. Keep it up! I wish you well. May your God bless you and your work.
Posted on January 11, 2010 | Link
We Save Dogs Snakes You'd Rather See Dead?
When you think of Olympic Animal Sanctuary, you probably think of pit bulls, but the truth is we're not a pit bull rescue. We're not even strictly a dog rescue; since the very beginning our mission has been to provide sanctuary to all types of animals. We may not have the facility required to house tigers or elephants (not yet, anyway) but we've always had reptiles here. Our latest rescue is this ten-foot Burmese python, shown sleeping on her new basking shelf in the sixty square foot enclosure she shares with a pond full of aquatic turtles.
Our stance on the reptile trade is that snakes and all other reptiles are wild animals and should not be bought, sold, imported, exported, bred or otherwise exploited for the pet trade. Millions of reptiles enter the United States every year, millions more are exported, and breeding for the exotic pet trade is ever on the rise. Most disturbing is the breeding of 'designer reptiles' -- animals selected for unnatural patterns and colors that would be a death sentence in the wild. Also alarming is the popularity of giant species, like the python above who might one day reach twenty feet in length, and venomous species, often referred to by hobbyists as 'hot'. Unfortunately, because their care is so much more involved than that of the average dog or cat, most captive reptiles die long before their time.
We understand why people are fascinated by reptiles, and if you are qualified to care for them in your home, we encourage you to get involved in reptile rescue, just like the people who saved our python did. The children who originally purchased her tried to hide her from their parents, but one day when she escaped from the box they kept her in, mom and dad found her and tried to chop her in half. Fortunately she survived and a loving family in Eatonville, WA nursed her to health and cared for her until they felt she would soon be too large for them to safely keep her. They did the responsible thing and found placement for her before she became a problem. Here at the Sanctuary she enjoys all the things snakes love: warm basking sites, dark hiding places, the occasional swim, and a big meal every few weeks.
Posted on January 10, 2010 | Link
From Jason
Hi Steve,
Just read about your place and what you do. Thanks, and by all means keep up the good work! Not much more to say than that so I will let you get back to work...Oh yeah, please pass two words on to dearest Patricia for me, -expletive deleted- and you. Thanks again!
Posted on January 6, 2010 | Link
More from Patricia
I've taken a little bit of heat for my response to Patricia's first email (a very little bit); some people think I should be taking the moral high ground, or that I should try to have a constructive dialog with her, but I didn't found this organization to entertain the venomous sputtering of hateful people. For those who disapprove of my communication style, I'd like to suggest that perhaps this organization is not what you thought it was. Maybe we're just not your 'cup of tea', and that's OK. We're certainly not Patricia's either; here's what she wrote back:
"you are one sicko. your charming tattoos match your charming personality, which in turn match the godawful dogs you devote your life to."
It appears she put a lot less time, thought, and editing into this one (all lower case, a subject/verb agreement error, ending a sentence with a preposition -- tsk-tsk). I made my reply brief as well:
"Please stop flirting with me -- it's getting embarrassing.
"Steve"
Posted on January 5, 2010 | Link
From Patricia
"I was stunned when I read your article. That so much time and money are invested in saving the lives of dogs that continue to represent a threat to each other and the human population is incomprehensible. There are countless nice dogs who are euthanized each year because they're returned after the owners decide that they are too much work, or that are never adopted in the first place. Perhaps they're too old, not good looking, with health problems, simply too depressed from having been caged w/out respite from the endless barking.
"To forgive a dog for having bitten off "half her (the walker's) face" because it wakes up cranky? The dogs for whom he provides refuge behave as carnivores in the wild. Perhaps they should be located somewhere where they can stalk prey and be preyed upon, just as would happen in the natural scheme of things?
"One of the most wonderful pets I've ever owned came from a shelter where, having not been adopted w/in a few months, she would have been killed before long. She was neglected, poorly nourished, infected w/intenstinal parasites and ear mites, unspayed. Money is better spent on a dog such as that. That dog was so gentle that others a fraction of her size could eat her food, drink her water, steal her treats with no repercussions.
"Markwell contradicts himself when he blames the behavior of vicious dogs on humans, though that's sometimes true, and then describes new litters of puppies that are equally dangerous. Where's the logic?
"I regret that you provided free publicity for such an awful cause.
"Patricia xxxx"
Thanks Patricia - I'm often surprised we don't get more hate mail from people who don't know what they're talking about, but most people choose to keep their opinions to themselves or to express them anonymously on in Internet. I'm not sure what you thought you would accomplish by sending me this, but here's the fruit of your labor - a point-by-point dissection and refutation of your ill-formed arguments for the benefit of our website visitors:
"I was stunned when I read your article." - You must be easily stunned. What happens when you read something that's truly shocking?
"That so much time and money are invested in saving the lives of dogs that continue to represent a threat to each other and the human population is incomprehensible." - I find it quite comprehensible. It takes a lot of money to care for these animals, and people who support what we do donate that money. It's not your money, so it's not your concern; I'm certain you spend money in ways that I would disapprove of, but it's not my money, so I don't email you about it. Also, the dogs are kept in small, compatible social groups and do not have contact with the public. The only members of the "human population" that they have contact with are those who know the risks associated with their care and are still willing to work with them. We take safety seriously; that doesn't mean accidents will never happen, but we do everything possible to be safe, short of what would negatively impact the animals' quality of life. No member of the public has ever been injured by one of our dogs once we have taken custody of them, and as for the threats they pose to each other, you want them all dead anyway, so what the hell do you care?
"There are countless nice dogs who are euthanized each year because they're returned after the owners decide that they are too much work, or that are never adopted in the first place." - 'Nice' isn't typically a word used by behaviorists to describe animal temperament. You seem to believe that some dogs are 'nice' and some dogs are 'mean'; that implies that animals have morality - is that what you think? We believe that animals are not morally culpable for their actions because they lack the intelligence and the social constructs that are necessary for a moral system to exist. We think it's ignorant and selfish to impose our own sense of morality on an animal, and it's also pretty damned immature. And as far as all the animals being killed in shelters across this country, we're well aware of them, and that's why we support the no-kill movement. We work with shelters and rescue groups to find homes for those dogs, but a sanctuary is not an appropriate home for an adoptable animal. We fill a different niche in the no-kill community by providing lifelong care to animals that can't go through the more traditional channels.
"Perhaps they're too old, not good looking, with health problems, simply too depressed from having been caged w/out respite from the endless barking." - You've just described a lot of our dogs. Some dogs get labeled vicious while others with identical behaviors are excused for their actions. Others act out because of kennel stress. Not all dogs become depressed as a result of intensive confinement - some become dangerous in that environment. We work with them because we understand the problem and know how to deal with it. The fact that you don't has no bearing on what we do.
"To forgive a dog for having bitten off "half her (the walker's) face" because it wakes up cranky?" - Maybe we're more forgiving than you. The dog-walker forgave him, why can't you? The person who placed that dog with use loves him so much that she was willing to spend thousands of dollars to transport him across the country to get him here, and she continues to provide financial support for his care. She loves the dog unconditionally - apparently that concept is a foreign one to you.
"The dogs for whom he provides refuge behave as carnivores in the wild." - No they don't - they behave as domestic carnivores in captivity. I have a great deal of experience with wild carnivores as well, and there are significant differences. And even if they did behave like wild carnivores, we'd still provide them with the best care possible because we don't see 'wild behavior' as a negative thing.
"Perhaps they should be located somewhere where they can stalk prey and be preyed upon, just as would happen in the natural scheme of things?" - That would be irresponsible and inhumane. Most of these dogs aren't experienced hunters and lack the survival skills that would be necessary for them to thrive in that kind of environment. I realize you're being sarcastic, but that's seriously stupid.
"One of the most wonderful pets I've ever owned came from a shelter where, having not been adopted w/in a few months, she would have been killed before long." - Do you want a award?
"She was neglected, poorly nourished, infected w/intenstinal parasites and ear mites, unspayed." - We rescue animals like that all the time. You're not special.
"Money is better spent on a dog such as that." - We believe that every dog deserves an equal chance at health and happiness, regardless of its temperament and past behavior. I assume from the rest of your email that if your dog had turned out to have behavior issues you'd have gladly killed her, and we think that makes you a terrible, terrible person. I mean a really awful, just despicable human being. If I had your outlook I'd throw myself in front of a train.
"Markwell contradicts himself when he blames the behavior of vicious dogs on humans, though that's sometimes true, and then describes new litters of puppies that are equally dangerous." - There's no contradiction there - people breed dogs, and if they breed them for dog fighting, any genetic predisposition for fearful behavior is a result of human action. There are a lot of situations that can cause a dog to become dangerous, but because dogs are domestic animals and are by definition intended to be in the care of human beings, their actions are our responsibility.
"Where's the logic?" - Where's your logic? Your arguments are based on arbitrary value judgments and a lack of expertise in the subject matter. If you've missed the logic in my above responses to your statements, please let me know and I'll ask a nine-year-old to map it out for you.
"I regret that you provided free publicity for such an awful cause." - You'll be happy to know that thanks to that free publicity we've received over $20,000 in donations, and after people read your idiotic email, they'll happily give us even more money for our "awful cause". So thank you for your unwitting support.
Did you think I'd read your email and suddenly be ashamed of myself, see things your way, and kill all these dogs? I believe in what we do and I know it's the right thing to do. That you see animals as disposable is not a reflection on me, it's a reflection on you. What an ugly reflection it is, and what an unhappy person you must be.
I'm going to hand this off to our Facebook fans now and let them write their messages to you; since you like to send hate mail, maybe you'll like to receive it as well. I will keep your last name and email address private; feel free to check in and read people's comments to you, though. I've made my opinions public and my contact information is freely available to anyone who wants it; perhaps you have the strength of conviction to give people the same unfettered access to you. Say the word and I'll post your information so that people can contact you directly.
Steve
Posted on January 4, 2010 | Link