Steve Markwell – A mensch who saves dogs’ lives

Steve Markwell is the founder and mensch behind the Olympic Animal Sanctuary in Forks, Washington. Long story short the Olympic Animal Sanctuary takes care of dogs. Not just any dogs, but rather the the worst of the worst who have been turned down by all other shelters and organizations. Pit bulls, guard dogs, wolf dogs, cat-killers  – animals that simply aren’t welcome in our society anymore. Steve Markwell is also an interview like no other we have ever done on this site, and I have decided to run this on Christmas. Hopefully it can help spread the word about the Sanctuary and generate some financial contributions for the animals in Forks, Washington.Whether you agree with Steve’s work or not; one should admire the passion and vigor with which he brought this idea to life. Personally, I have much gratitude for Steve’s work (which you’re about to learn lots about) and have decided to make a small donation myself. Animals have played a huge part in my life, albeit mostly cats, and I have always been maddened about the neglect that has met the animals who don’t fit our behavioral or physical ideals anymore. Steve Markwell has dedicated his life to helping just those animals – the ones who nobody wants to help.

Thank you Steve.

And merry Christmas to all.

-Mario

Please tell us a little bit about the Olympic Animal Sanctuary?

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit animal welfare organization and animal rescue in Forks, Washington.  We work primarily with dogs that are not good candidates for adoption due to behavioral issues, including biting, fighting, and killing other animals.  We also work with wolf-dogs and coyote hybrids, which by their very nature are inappropriate household pets. We are a no-kill organization and we believe that it is unethical and irresponsible to kill a companion animal for any reason other than legitimate euthanasia to relieve an untreatable and unbearable medical condition, or in rare instances where an animal poses a direct and immediate threat to the life of a human being or other domestic animal.

How did you get the idea for this?

As a kid I was bitten by dogs.  I thought nothing of it.  My neighbor’s dog bit me, my friend’s dog bit me, my own dog bit me, and it never once occurred to me that there was anything wrong with that — dogs bite.  When I realized that dogs were often killed after biting a human being, I was horrified.  I never stopped being horrified.  When I first set out to create an animal sanctuary, I was originally planning to work only with wildlife, but as I developed my plan, I began running across street dogs, fighting dogs, etc. with no other options, and I realized I needed to address the problem right under my nose before I started scouring the country for tigers and wolves to rescue.

Tell us about the beginnings of your sanctuary? Did it start with just one dog?

Sort of; I adopted a puppy from a pretty substandard shelter in Colorado in 2003, who turned out to be a coyote hybrid.  I had experience with wildlife rescue so I was equipped to care for him, and he grew into a fabulous dog, but I still had no plans to become a dog rescuer.  After we moved to Washington,  I took in a beach dog from the Neah Bay area, which is extreme northwest Washington, after she had been getting in trouble for killing the neighbor’s ducks and knocking over trash cans.  She was just a pet dog for me, though — I wasn’t taking her in because she wasn’t adoptable, I took her in because she belonged to a heroin dealer who’d stopped feeding her in the middle of winter and the neighbor was threatening to shoot her (which happens a lot in this area).  But then I found Abbie, a fighting dog that had been dumped at a truck stop north of Los Angeles with shotgun pellets in her chest.  I new she’d be immediately killed in a shelter, so the dog rescue effort became official.

How many dogs does your sanctuary host right now? Can you tell us some of their stories?

We have 57, and that’s about as many as we’re going to take.  Even at the next property we move to, I don’t want to take many more.  Some of them include Snaps, the dog that was forced to attack two women in SeaTac, WA in June, Rogue, a husky who killed a smaller dog and who we fought to save because his autistic owner tried to kill himself when the dog was confiscated, Max, a miniature pinscher who bit off a woman’s lip, Phoenix, an old Lab/pit bull mix with perhaps 20 serious bites to his name, including one that broke my hand a few months ago, Moose, a dog who lived with a meth cook for 10 years and was so ravaged by the toxins that it took over a year and tens of thousands of dollars in veterinary procedures (donated, thankfully) to get him somewhat healthy.  There are so many stories — you’re going to have to wait for my book to come out.

You only accept dogs that have no other options left available to them. Can you explain what that means and why you’ve established that rule?

Traditional sheltering models involve the killing of any animals that aren’t quickly adopted; no-kill shelters may not kill healthy animals, but they usually do kill any animal that fails a temperament assessment.  Some of those dogs find their way to rescue groups, but for the truly severe cases, even experienced rescuers may struggle to provide care for the animals, and placing them in a traditional home environment would be reckless.  We take those dogs because no one else will, and we don’t think they deserve to die simply because, whether by abuse or by genetics, they pose an inordinate danger to people or to other animals.  We can handle them, so we save them, and we love them as much as anyone else loves his or her dog.  We think animal rescuers need to take on these difficult dogs, and leave the easier ones to the general public.

Do you have any advice for dog owners on how they can be better owners when it comes to dogs that have shown signs of aggression?

First, I don’t call it aggression.  I reject the very notion of canine aggression, because it implies that there’s some kind of deliberate, immoral act taking place.  Dogs bite, fight, and kill for two reasons, the primary one being a natural reaction to something they perceive as a threat, and the other being prey drive — the dog’s natural instinct to hunt and kill.  I want to emphasize the word ‘natural’ — we’re not talking about abnormal, twisted behaviors here.  Dogs are predatory mammals of the order Carnivora, and fighting, biting, and killing is what they are designed to do.  Those teeth are there for a reason.  So my first bit of advice is to get over the idea that these behaviors are out of the ordinary — they’re not.  Second, behavior management first, behavior modification second.  What that means is that if a dog bites strangers in your home, don’t let the dog near your guests.  If he kills cats, keep him away from cats.  Take whatever measures you have to to ensure the safety of yourself and your family, your neighbors, other animals, and the dog itself.  Then, if the dog’s behavior is lowering its quality of life or making the animal unsafe, address the behavior using reward-based conditioning.  Reward what you like, ignore what you don’t like.  Never, ever punish the animal, dominate or intimidate the animal, or make demands of the animal.  These ‘dog whisperer’ techniques ruin dogs and make problem behaviors worse.  If you do decide to consult a dog trainer or behaviorist, be very careful and make sure the person only uses reward-based conditioning.  Another thing I suggest is that you adopt the mindset that you are the dog’s guardian, not the other way around.  There’s no actual technique here, just a frame of mind to inform your decisions.  Your job is to protect your dog and keep that animal safe; when the dog realizes that, many of the problems you encounter will simply disappear.

How do you deal with these animals?

I use my magical affinity for animals and my mystical connection to them to reach into their souls and become one with their spirits.  Don’t believe me?  OK, here’s the deal: every dog is different, so I deal with every dog differently.  Some dogs want to be with other dogs most of the time, so I let them.  Others need more human companionship, so that’s what they get.  Some are dangerous around food, so they get fed in a safe area where they won’t hurt anyone.  Some are dangerous around other dogs, so socialization is limited and highly structured.  There is no one size fits all solution; apart from sound nutrition, patience, and routine, there’s quite a bit of variation in each dog’s management.  It also helps that I don’t mid taking a bite from time to time.  I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t mind it.  Besides, I’ve been told that girls like scars, and there’s a chance that might be true.  I don’t really know, because I’m always working.

How do you utilize the Internet to market your efforts?

We have a website, an email newsletter that we’re still streamlining, and we’ve recently been running ads on Facebook. I’m excited about the possibilities with Facebook; our fan page is growing rapidly, and the ads have brought a high return on a very small investment — it’s not a ton of money, but in terms of percentage it’s huge.  We get nearly a 1% click-through rate on our Facebook ads, which is insane. I believe the Internet is a vital tool for marketing this organization to my generation and the one that came up after we did.  Marketing to a younger demographic is something few charities try to do, but it’s a big part of our marketing philosophy.  I want to bring people my own age into the philanthropic process, and I’d rather get a hundred, ten dollar donations than a single, thousand dollar one because it extends the privilege of donating to more people.  That said, a hundred, $1000 donations would be even better, but it’s not what we’re going for.  We never ask for more than a dollar.  We’ll be doing even more online in the future; I don’t think we’ll ever do traditional direct mail marketing; it uses a tremendous amount of resources, the return on investment is low (these programs usually lose money for year before they become profitable), and waiting around for elderly people to die and leave their bequests is pretty creepy in my opinion.

How can people help the Sanctuary?

Not to be crass, but send money.  Send a dollar or more.  If you don’t have a dollar to spare, ask someone for a dollar and send it to us.  Stand on the corner and hold out a cup, play crappy guitar ballads at the train station, do whatever you need to do to get an extra buck, and send it our way. It will go directly into animal care and facility improvements.  At this time I don’t even take a salary; it all goes to the animals.  After you’ve sent your dollar, spread the word about Olympic Animal Sanctuary; share this interview with people, become our fan on Facebook.  If you live in our area and want to volunteer, get in touch and we may be able to work something out.  If you have something unique to offer that you think will help us to grow and reach more people, let us know.  And if you have a special gift with animals and you think you can really turn our program around and put us on the map, please don’t contact us directly — we will detect your spiritual energy and contact you psychically.  If you don’t hear from us right away, meditate harder.

Olympic Sanctuary Website

Olympic Sanctuary Facebook Group

Steve Markwell on Twitter

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