Contact: Steve Markwell FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: 360-320-6596
Email: steve@olympicanimalsanctuary.org

February 6, 2011

KAISER: DOG NEEDLESSLY KILLED AT ELLENSBURG, WA SHELTER
Placement was available at a qualified animal sanctuary specializing in the care of dogs like Kaiser.

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is shocked and saddened by the City of Ellensburg's decision to kill Kaiser, a dog that the Sanctuary had offered to take for rescue placement. Sanctuary Director Steve Markwell received numerous requests from the public via phone and email to intervene into Kaiser's case after the dog bit a shelter volunteer on the chin and was scheduled to be killed. The Sanctuary, which specializes in the lifelong care of dogs that bite, offered to take custody of and assume all liability for Kaiser, even offering to do so on the City of Ellensburg's terms.

Steve Markwell spoke with Animal Shelter Manager Paula Hake, who agreed to bring the Sanctuary's offer to her superiors. After receiving a standard animal transfer agreement from the Sanctuary with an invitation to make any changes they deemed necessary, the aforementioned superiors never made any attempt to contact or discuss the situation with Mr. Markwell, instead choosing to kill the dog in secret.

Animal transfers between shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, and other animal care facilities are routine. Ellensburg's decision not to transfer Kaiser, presumably due to attorneys' concerns about liability if the dog were to bite another person, displays a level of paranoia and hysteria unbefitting public officials, and betrays a gross lack of knowledge and understanding of the way animal rescue works in the United States. Olympic Animal Sanctuary hopes that in the future, the City of Ellensburg will leave decisions affecting animals to its animal care professionals, rather than allowing the rescue process to be fouled by out-of-touch politicians and attorneys who have no business micromanaging animal shelter affairs.

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is an internationally respected animal rescue organization that works with the most challenging dogs in the world, including many dogs presenting behaviors and incident histories far more severe than Kaiser's. In addition to permanent placement in its own facility, the Sanctuary maintains a network of excellent animal care facilities and the world's most respected animal trainers and behaviorists, resulting in numerous placement options for dogs that are not realistically adoptable or that need significant rehabilitation before adoption.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, call (360) 320-6596 or email Steve Markwell at steve@olympicanimalsanctuary.org.

KAISER: DOG NEEDLESSLY KILLED AT ELLENSBURG, WA SHELTER
Placement was available at a qualified animal sanctuary specializing in the care of dogs like Kaiser.

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is shocked and saddened by the City of Ellensburg's decision to kill Kaiser, a dog that the Sanctuary had offered to take for rescue placement. Sanctuary Director Steve Markwell received numerous requests from the public via phone and email to intervene into Kaiser's case after the dog bit a shelter volunteer on the chin and was scheduled to be killed. The Sanctuary, which specializes in the lifelong care of dogs that bite, offered to take custody of and assume all liability for Kaiser, even offering to do so on the City of Ellensburg's terms.

Steve Markwell spoke with Animal Shelter Manager Paula Hake, who agreed to bring the Sanctuary's offer to her superiors. After receiving a standard animal transfer agreement from the Sanctuary with an invitation to make any changes they deemed necessary, the aforementioned superiors never made any attempt to contact or discuss the situation with Mr. Markwell, instead choosing to kill the dog in secret.

Animal transfers between shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, and other animal care facilities are routine. Ellensburg's decision not to transfer Kaiser, presumably due to attorneys' concerns about liability if the dog were to bite another person, displays a level of paranoia and hysteria unbefitting public officials, and betrays a gross lack of knowledge and understanding of the way animal rescue works in the United States. Olympic Animal Sanctuary hopes that in the future, the City of Ellensburg will leave decisions affecting animals to its animal care professionals, rather than allowing the rescue process to be fouled by out-of-touch politicians and attorneys who have no business micromanaging animal shelter affairs.

Olympic Animal Sanctuary is an internationally respected animal rescue organization that works with the most challenging dogs in the world, including many dogs presenting behaviors and incident histories far more severe than Kaiser's. In addition to permanent placement in its own facility, the Sanctuary maintains a network of excellent animal care facilities and the world's most respected animal trainers and behaviorists, resulting in numerous placement options for dogs that are not realistically adoptable or that need significant rehabilitation before adoption.

We, the undersigned want to know why Kaiser was killed when there was sanctuary available and willing to take him.