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Olympic Animal Sanctuary to close, its operator says
December 14, 2013 Peninsula Daily News
FORKS –– Citing
weariness with protests, the owner of the embattled Olympic Animal Sanctuary in
Forks announced plans Saturday to close up shop and wants to transfer the dogs
inside the industrial building to a larger animal sanctuary based in Utah.
Steve Markwell, director of the sanctuary specializing
in care of dangerous dogs, said in an email announcement that he is planning to
make an offer to Best Friends Animal Society to take the 125 dogs currently kept
in his 4,000-square-foot pink warehouse at 1021 Russell Road in Forks.
“I am offering to transfer OAS’s dogs to the one
organization with the resources to take appropriate care of them: Best Friends
Animal Society,” Markwell said in the email.
“Best Friends is a world-renowned
no-kill sanctuary that referred a number of OAS’s dogs to me in the first
place.”
Barbara
Williamson, media relations manager for the society, said her group has not had
discussions with Markwell about transferring the dogs.
“At this point, we haven’t even been contacted,”
Williamson said. Best Friend Animal Society
operates a shelter in Kanab, Utah, on 3,700 acres of land, according to the
organization’s website.
Markwell’s announcement came a day after Clallam County
Superior Court Judge Erik Rohrer ruled that Markwell was not properly served
notice of a court hearing in which Seattle-based Animal Aid and Rescue
Foundation, or AARF, sought to have a pit bull returned.
The ruling meant the dog, named LeRoy, can stay in the
Forks sanctuary for at least another week.
“In reading the declaration, it seems clear that there
was no documentation handed to Mr. Markwell,” Rohrer told the foundation’s
attorney, Adam Karp of Bellingham.
Markwell’s sanctuary has been the scene of
round-the-clock protests since Dec. 3. Since
then, Forks police have arrested both Markwell and Tamira Thayne, an animal
rescue organization founder from Virginia who says she is protesting for the
return of a chow-mix dog named Sonny her organization placed in Markwell’s care.
There were no demonstrations at the Clallam County
Courthouse during the Friday afternoon court hearing.
The foundation placed LeRoy with Markwell under a
foster arrangement in 2009. AARF President Heather Enajibi filed suit Nov. 19 to
have the dog returned, claiming Markwell has not provided “adequate and humane”
care for LeRoy as spelled out in the agreement.
Rohrer agreed to put the matter back on the calendar for this Friday.
Background:
September 23, 2013
Critics trying to rescue dogs
from 'sanctuary of sorrow'
Beware:
Scam shelters are everywhere
https://www.peta.org/blog/beware-scam-shelters-are-everywhere/
Animal sanctuaries criticized
over surge in euthanasia, whistleblower fired; Florida couple guilty of massive
animal abuse & misuse of donations
Return to our
Animal Welfare/Advocacy page
Never be afraid to speak the truth – the voiceless need courageous individuals
to step forward and persevere. Silence is deafening, if not deadly. |