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.”

[Markwell’s full statement can be read on the PDN’s website, www.peninsuladailynews.com.]

But 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.

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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or at jsmillie@peninsuladailynews.com.

Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.