To Paul, from Ted -- an Actual Neighbor of Ours

We haven't published any hate mail lately, not because we haven't received any, and not because we've been getting overwhelmed by it, either, but because what we've received has been so boring, uninspired, unoriginal, and just plain stupid, it's not worth our time or yours. It would just be a repetition of the same arguments, and that's not much fun for any of us. That said, here's an email from Ted, who lives across the street, about thirty feet from Olympic Animal Sanctuary, in response to Paul's email about how he'd hate to live next door to us. (For the record, we'd hate to have Paul as a neighbor, too.) I thought it was important to share Ted's email because he's not our biggest fan, and yet there's a marked difference between what he has to say about us, good and bad, and what people like Paul have to say.

"No, I guess most people wouldn't want to live next to the sanctuary. In truth my opinion was never asked. In the beginning it was a little unnerving. However as time passed it became obvious that there was a need for this sanctuary. My issue with the sanctuary is definitely and primarily its location, and that's all. I don't feel comfortable reading your personal attack on Steve's character. His mission is honorable. I am not by any stretch of the imagination an expert in these matters, but I would not oppose finding a more secluded area for the sanctuary. Until then as [the Sanctuary's] neighbor I will try to express any concerns in a civil way."

So there you have it. That'ss how a rational, sane, intelligent person makes a criticism, and here's how a rational, sane, intelligent person responds:

I've already emailed Ted back, but I would like to address his concerns here, because I think they're valid. My preference would have been to create Olympic Animal Sanctuary on a larger property in a more remote location, but it wasn't possible at the time. Our current property had some things that other properties in the same price range didn't, namely a building with water, a septic tank, and electricity. This provided me with a place to live and the dogs with a roof over their heads while we made improvements and changes to enable us to save more animals. We simply couldn't have gotten the foothold we needed otherwise.

I didn't talk to the neighbors before I got started because this is a commercial property and what we're doing here is completely legal, and in fact doesn't even require any permits under our local ordinances. I don't believe any other business owner would have asked the neighbors how they felt before getting up and running, so we didn't either. That said, I've been keenly aware that our property borders a residential area, so we've taken extra safety precautions and continued to make the property more secure. Our other concern is noise; most of the time it is remarkably quiet here, but when it's feeding time, when one group of dogs is coming inside and another is going out, and when there are visitors, this place can be quite loud. For this and other reasons, we limit our visitors to two individuals or groups per month, and we don't feed the dogs between the hours of 5 PM and 8 AM. I do believe, however, that a number of commercial activities that could feasibly take place on this property are considerably louder and more dangerous, particularly those associated with the timber industry, which is the industry for which all of the other commercial properties on our street are used. (I think everyone's probably glad this isn't a working cedar mill.)

None of that changes the fact that Ted is right, however -- we'd be better off in a more remote location, and now that we're internationally known and respected and attracting an ever growing support base, we're working hard to make a new facility a reality. While I can't project a date that we might relocate, I'd like to make it happen as soon as possible, and I'm taking a number of steps to get there, including the development of new fundraisers and a capital campaign. It's my hope that before long we'll be on a larger property more suited to our needs, and perhaps, with some significant improvements (including the addition of sound-dampening insulation), our current facility can become a traditional animal shelter, which is something this community badly needs.

Ted, thank you, and thanks to your family for putting up with us -- it means a lot more than you might realize. And thanks to all of our other neighbors for their support, as well. Without it, I don't see how we could have experienced such rapid growth in such a short time. And to that one neighbor down the street who still things this is a dog fighting ring, you're still crazy, and the whole town knows it.

Posted on June 6, 2010 | Link