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Burmese Python

A few pictures of our Burmese python after her daily misting:

Posted on January 14, 2010 | Link

Seattle Humane Fundraising Event

The presentation at Seattle Humane on November 10 was a success, and we want to thank Seattle Humane CEO Brenda Barnette, Marketing Director Rhonda Manville, and all the staff and volunteers from Seattle Humane who helped walk dogs, clean crates, and make the event run smoothly. We raised a grand total of $2,537.60 that will be used for facility improvements. Special thanks also to Amber Chenoweth for photographing the event.

Posted on November 11, 2009 | Link

Norton

Norton came from a rescue group in Kitsap County, where he was originally brought to them very sick and starving; we believe Norton is a very high content wolf-dog, meaning he is not a pure wolf, but he might as well be. The rescue was initially told that he was a wolf mix but very low content, however the healthier he got, the more 'wolfy' he looked, and it eventually became clear that Norton was never going to pass for a dog. The rescue was unable to keep him legally in their area, so Olympic Animal Sanctuary's help was sought.

Wolf-dogs are popular 'pets' in the US and Canada, however their wild nature makes them unsuitable as pets and potentially dangerous. It is Olympic Animal Sanctuary's stance that no wolf-dog should ever be made available to the public, and wolf-dogs should never be bred for any reason. For many, wolves hold a mystical, spiritual allure that makes people feel they need to possess or commune with these animals, but that essential wildness that attracts us to them is tragically lost in captivity.

Norton is enjoying his first day at the Sanctuary, making friends with our huskies and malamutes. He is especially interested in Micah, our blue-eyed wolf/husky mix -- Micah doesn't look like a wolf, but Norton seems to know there's something different about him.

Posted on November 6, 2009 | Link

Phoenix and Hercules

Phoenix came to us from New York, where he had been racking up bite incidents for several years on Long Island; after a few months of rehab in a shelter in Orange County, NY, it was determined that Phoenix was always going to pose a risk, so in July, Steve flew with him from JFK and brought him to Olympic Animal Sanctuary. His most recent bite incident broke Steve's hand (click if you're not squeamish). An old man with inoperable joint deterioration, Phoenix spends most of his time lying around, relaxing, but when a Great Dane named Hercules arrived at the Sanctuary, that changed. Hercules was a temporary resident of the Sanctuary, originally picked up as a loose dog and claimed a week later.

The following photos show Phoenix playing with his gigantic new friend:

Posted on October 20, 2009 | Link

Hoh Reservation Rescue

Friday, October 9, Steve was brought a six week old puppy that had been born on the Hoh reservation, about thirty miles south of Forks in Jefferson County; the next day, he went to 'the rez' with Patt Doyle from Friends of Forks Animals to catch the rest of the puppies and their mother, who had been 'semi-feral' all her life and had killed other dogs. The mother dog had originally come from Queets, on the Quinault reservation, south of Kalaloch, but was brought to the Hoh reservation where she continued to run wild.

When Steve and Patt arrived at Hoh housing, they found the mother right away, sleeping on a driveway next to a male rottweiler who is most likely the father of some, if not all, of her litter. The puppies were in the woods behind the house, where their mother was keeping them in a den beneath an old tree stump. There were quite a few hollow logs that they were also hiding inside. The forests on the western side of the Olympic Peninsula are damp and dense, not unlike a tropical rain forest, with a few exceptions: the thorns on the plants are shorter, and it takes much longer for wood and leaf litter to decompose. Moving about in this environment can be a challenge.

When Steve approached the den site, the puppies were out in plain view; there were scraps of deer and elk carcasses, dead birds, and garbage scattered around, and the dogs looked healthy and well-fed. As Steve approached, the puppies hid in their den and inside a hollow log. He had originally been told that there were four puppies remaining, but he and Patt caught six, Steve pulling them out of their hiding places and handing them off to Patt to carry back to the truck. The first three came from a hollow log, and the next two from the den under the tree stump. The last puppy, shown in the series of images below, had initially been in the hollow log, but had run to the den before Steve could catch him; then, when Steve began pulling the puppies from the den, he ran down the inside of a rotted-out tree root, about eight feet. Steve was able to pull apart the root and coax the puppy back toward the den, where he eventually captured him. Having not been handled by human beings before, all of the puppies were frightened and defensive, but at their age they learn very quickly not to fear people. It was crucial that the puppies be caught as soon as possible, before they could become truly feral.

The first 11 images below were shot on-site with a camera phone; the rest were taken later.

A view of the terrain	Steve approaching the den	Making his way through the dry brush	Crawling under the stump to access the den
	Pulling the last puppy from the den as he bites Steve's hand	The little guy was very afraid and put up quite a fight.	Steve sat with him for about five minutes until he was calm before crawling back out of the den area.
Back through the brush			Safe in the crate with his six sisters
Mom got to ride up front.	Mom and puppies at Olympic Animal Sanctuary -- two have already been adopted, including the little boy from the pictures above.

Steve reports that mother and puppies are doing well; when he went into their room Sunday morning and lay on the ground, the mother dog began licking his face, and some of the babies joined in. The mother will stay at Olympic Animal Sanctuary; her history of killing other dogs and propensity for running at large make her a poor candidate for adoption. The remaining puppies will go to a local rescue group for adoption; for more information, contact us.

Animal welfare work can be a challenge on tribal lands; cultural differences and often-tricky political situations can lead to missteps and misunderstandings when rescue groups try to help 'rez dogs'. Because Native American lands are under federal jurisdiction, county animal ordinances do not apply, and animal control officers have no authority to respond to cruelty and neglect complaints. Since only federal and tribal laws apply on the reservations, it is common to see situations that would be illegal just a few miles away; federal law pertains primarily to commercial breeding operations, not to pets. Unchecked breeding, mange, starvation, and parvo and distemper outbreaks are a few of the more common problems. It is the position of Olympic Animal Sanctuary that any rescue work conducted on tribal lands must be undertaken with respect for residents' culture, history, and rights. The people best equipped to affect positive change in animal welfare on Native American lands are Native Americans, who understand the structure and customs of their own communities. We are guests, and as such, we can only do what is requested of us. We hope to continue to cultivate relationships with members of the tribes in our area for the purpose of supporting them in their efforts to improve the quality of life for animals on their native lands.

Posted on October 11, 2009 | Link

Welcome Home, Snaps

Last June a group of teenagers were seen kicking a dog in SeaTac, Washington, and when witnesses confronted them, they used the dog to attack them. The story made headlines, and for poor Snaps, it looked like the end of the road.

But luckily for him, people took notice of his story, and fought to keep him from being destroyed. A couple of weeks ago, Olympic Animal Sanctuary was asked if we would take Snaps, should a temperament assessment show that he could be rehabilitated. We said we'd be more interested in taking him if the behaviorist thought he was beyond help. Thursday, September 3, Executive Director Steve Markwell went to visit Snaps in the shelter, and Friday, September 11, Snaps was transferred to the Sanctuary. For more information, please see our Snaps FAQ.

Today was Snaps' first full day at Olympic Animal Sanctuary, and he's loving his new life. Please enjoy these photos of Snaps, and Steve, as he gets to know his new surroundings and the people who will be loving and protecting him for the rest of his life.

Please check back for more updates, details, and fundraisers to help Snaps and the other dogs at Olympic Animal Sanctuary, and thanks to everyone for your calls and emails, supporting our work with these very special dogs.

Posted on September 12, 2009 | Link

Dog Days of Summer

Summertime is here - time for swimming, relaxing in the shade, and uneven haircuts. Enjoy these photos of the Sanctuary dogs getting a little break from the rainy weather we usually have around here:

Posted on July 2, 2009 | Link

More Snow, More Pictures

Dogs love to play in the snow, so here are pictures of some of the other Sanctuary dogs enjoying the weather this morning and this afternoon:

Posted on December 18, 2008 | Link

First Snow

Compared with last year, the weather in Forks has been pretty mild so far this year. December 14th brought the first snow of the year; here are a few pictures of the Sanctuary dogs enjoying the weather (click to enlarge):

Posted on December 15, 2008 | Link