** UPDATE: Just before Christmas 2013, some 120 of the dogs were loaded into a transport truck and driven around for several days by Steve Markwell (operator of the Olympic Animal “Sanctuary”) before connecting with a reputable rescue organization, Guardians of Rescue, down in the Arizona desert. The dogs finally got out of travel crates as staff and volunteers hurried to make kennels for them, supply Vet care, and give them food and water on a regular basis. Most, if not all of them hadn’t received decent nourishing food, clean water, a clean place to move around and lay down, since going to OAS. For several, it was the first time of freedom for something like 7 years of being crammed in travel crates. About 40 or more dogs are still unaccounted for. A flurry of fear for them and speculation surrounds the topic.
######### Above Update posted on 2-10-2014 ########
Olympic Animal Sanctuary – “Endless Hell” to 150 or so dogs. Most are in cages and travel crates, cold, hungry in darkness for YEARS!
.. Apparently when KOMO 4 News team of Seattle did a story recently on Olympic Animal Sanctuary, Steve Markwell, the owner/operator of that Endless Hell for Dogs, decided to “upgrade” the facility and ordered some new cages. Of the roughly 160 dogs held prisoner there, probably as many as 80 to 100 or more are held captive in travel crates they arrived in, 24/7 for up to SEVEN YEARS.
.. Trying to show himself as a good guy, Markwell proudly announced that with the new cages, he was able to “get rid of” six of the travel crates. SIX? REALLY? While the others remain in travel crates? Unfortunately, one of the dogs was so hungry (they all are) that he showed food aggression. TO punish him, Markwell removed him from a “kennel” and forced him to into a travel crate!! That man has absolutely no common sense. Now, that dog is confined to a travel crate forced to live in his own waste and probably (knowing Markwell’s mentality of punishing dogs) won’t be fed for even a longer time than the usual 2 or 3 times a WEEK. He is telling people the place is cleaned up and improved!! And he expects the public outrage to go away. I don’t think so, Mr. Markwell!!
.. Even if he actually did let a few of the dogs out of the extreme confinement of the travel crates they existed in for years on end, that doesn’t change the fact he has held them captive in extreme confinement for years.
Even if he gets ALL the travel crate dogs into the small cages he seems to be installing… That certainly does NOT vindicate him for the years of hell on earth he has caused the dogs to suffer!! It does not undo the fact that he has kept them hungry, and literally dying of thirst… and feeds them only 2 or 3 times a week – “food” consisting only of a raw turkey neck or handful of cow innards.
.. I don’t care if he puts them all up in the Disneyland Hotel for a week. The fact STILL remains that he has deliberately and knowingly held them captive in horrific conditions for YEARS – up to 7 years!! Some of the dogs were BORN THERE!! And he holds them captive, in the dark, cold, hungry and thirsty, just like the others who he calls “dangerous”, in small cages (he calls kennels) they can move around in, but certainly not space to play, or get exercise – unless you call spinning in circles all day long, exercise.
Animal Advocacy organizations have offered to help in various ways. Unless they are offering cash, he refuses. Legitimate rescues and pet foster homes, offered to take some of the “non-dangerous” dogs for adoption. He says he is down-sizing, yet Markwell refused, saying he sleeps with them. (WHAT??) Is there more going on here than meets the eye?
The dogs ALL need RESCUED, and the place CLOSED forever!!
ENTIRE Editorial and INFO-LINKS at https://heart2care.wordpress.com/olympic-dogs/
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LIST of PETITIONS re OLYMPIC Animal Sanctuary 10-2013
Care2 Petition site
Olympic Animal Sanctuary Forks, Washington.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/517/244/472/olympic-animal-sanctuary-forks-washington/
Save the Olympic Animal Sanctuary Animals
https://www.causes.com/actions/1753539-save-the-olympic-animal-sanctuary-animals
Expose the Olympic Animal Sanctuary
Take the Pledge
https://www.causes.com/v2actions/1760059-expose-the-olympic-animal-sanctuary-in-forks-wa?recruiter_id=137837457
Change.org
Shut Down Olympic Animal Sanctuary
http://www.change.org/petitions/shut-down-olympic-animal-sanctuary
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Heart 2 Care 