FORKS — Executive Director Steve Markwell of Olympic Animal Sanctuary hopes to move the much-publicized shelter for abused and violence-prone dogs from Forks to unincorporated Clallam County by the end of summer, he said Wednesday.
Markwell said the move is not related to animal cruelty allegations that were investigated late last year by the Forks Police Department and found to be without merit.
Rather, it will allow more room for dogs under Markwell’s care and give closer proximity to a base of workers and the amenities of a larger city, Markwell said.
Forks Police Administrator Rick Bart said Wednesday the facility was overcrowded, which Markwell denied.
“The fact that we are moving to a larger property does not mean that we do not currently have enough room,” he said.
“We would just like to give [the dogs] more.”
Markwell said the shelter’s new location will be 15 to 20 miles west of Port Angeles on 10 acres owned by Eileen Schmitz, owner and broker of Port Angeles-based Jace the Real Estate Co.
“Our immediate need is approximately $100,000 to put a structure on the property so we can begin moving,” Markwell said.
Port Angeles resident Sherrie Maddox donated $50,000 to the cause in July.
The facility will replace the existing 4,000-square-foot facility on less than 1 acre within the Forks city limit at 1021 Russell Road.
During its time in Forks the last six years, Olympic Animal Sanctuary has been the topic of articles in the Peninsula Daily News and in national publications including People magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
Conditions at the sanctuary also were investigated last fall in a six-week animal-cruelty investigation by the Forks Police Department that showed no evidence of cruelty, Bart said.
The investigation was prompted by allegations in October by Animal Rescue Corps of Washington, D.C.
The organization produced photos of the inside of the facility that were taken by a former employee, Bart said.
“They were alleging mass abuse over there,” he said.
Markwell said he “categorically” denies the allegations.
The police department’s investigation revealed one potentially malnourished animal — a possible misdemeanor – among the 155 dogs housed there at the time, Bart said.
“That’s not going to cause us to go in and take all his dogs,” he said.
The facility now holds 128 dogs that “are not realistically adoptable when they come here due to behavioral issues” and are “undersocialized,” Markwell said.
The number has gone down since the investigation because some of those animals have been rehabilitated.
The police department’s investigation revealed a problem with overcrowding, Bart said.
“He’s got dogs crammed into a small area.”
Some photos of the facility had been posted on Facebook, including images by the person whose photos sparked the investigation and by “concerned citizens who wanted something done,” Bart said.
But some critics of the facility have attempted to malign those associated with the shelter, Markwell said.
“It’s gotten very ugly with these people,” he said.
“They are trying to get people fired from places of employment for being associated with us.”
The police have responded to complaints about odors and barking.
“There have no calls about abused animals in that place, absolutely,” Bart said.
Animal Rescue Corps President Scotlund Haisley on Wednesday said the group was willing to relocate the shelter’s dogs at the organization’s expense.
“He was operating as a sanctuary, telling people he was operating as a nice place and treating animals well,” Haisley said.
“Our evidence suggested very differently.”
Haisley refused to make available the group’s 79-page “cruelty report” upon which the allegations were based.
Markwell said he would not concede that one dog was malnourished.
“There are always reasons an animal can be thin,” Markwell said, adding he did not know which dog was said to be suffering from malnutrition.
In addition, there is no legal standard for the number of animals a property can hold, Markwell said.
“We are not breaking any laws,” he said. “All the animals are being cared for.”
Markwell said he had planned to move into a new facility within five years of moving to Forks and was planning a relocation “long before” the animal-cruelty complaints.
He said he has an advisory board for the sanctuary that is working on financing for the new facility, which will be purchased through a lease option.
Sanctuary organizers also are reviewing permit regulations, Markwell said.
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
