Q&A with Island Haven Animal Sanctuary founder Julie Duke

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026

How did you come to the islands?

I was born in Bellevue and grew up in the Issaquah, North Bend, Snoqualmie area. I moved to Orcas Island in 1996 with my then-husband, where we purchased and ran Eastsound Sporting Goods. I spent a great deal of time on San Juan Island for the next few years, getting my Associate’s Degree from Skagit College and volunteering for and being on the board of Wolf Hollow.

My daughter, Matia, was born there on the island in 1999. Matia and I moved away in 2004, but she wanted to return to Orcas Island to go to school and graduate with her childhood friends. So our family moved back to the islands in 2014, this time to San Juan Island, where I was hired by Wolf Hollow as their executive director.

Have you always loved animals?

Indeed, I have always loved animals. I spent a great deal of my time as a young child out in nature, observing and catching snakes, lizards and bugs (which, of course, my parents made me release). Growing up, we had the usual cats and dogs and a rabbit, and as I grew older, I became one of those horse-crazy kids. My friends all had horses, and I was in 4H, borrowing other people’s horses to ride because we didn’t have the resources for me to have one of my own. I joke with my mom that Island Haven is all her fault because she never let me get a horse lol.

As a volunteer for Wolf Hollow, I caught and cared for wounded and orphaned animals on Orcas and transported them to San Juan. I also volunteered onsite, tube feeding baby seals, cleaning owl enclosures, chopping up gross meat stuff for the birds of prey and whatever else was needed for the animals in care. Through the years, I have fostered dogs for several rescue organizations, helped a nonprofit animal shelter in Mississippi take over from the city for the betterment of the animals, and facilitated adoptions of dogs from high-kill shelters.

Was there a moment you knew this was what you wanted to do?

I had read several books on people who had formed animal sanctuaries, like Cleveland Amory’s “Ranch of Dreams” and “Best Friends: The True Story of the World’s Most Beloved Animal Sanctuary” and had missed having horses in my life. When I saw the ad on Facebook for three free horses, it didn’t initially occur to me to start my own sanctuary, I thought I would meet them and choose one to rescue and keep. Then I met them, and I saw that their herd was a family that I could not separate. I knew I could not care for them on my own, and there were also the two alpacas on the farm that needed a home. So, I asked around and met with other animal advocates on the island, and all agreed there was a need for such a sanctuary. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Is the business element of this difficult? I see in your bio that you have years of experience with nonprofit management.

I am sure most executive directors will agree with me that running a nonprofit is never easy … there is a constant need for more funds, more volunteers and more hours in the day. Since I am the founder, there is the added pressure of feeling super responsible for every aspect, and for keeping it going. I always wanted it to be not about me, just about the animals and their needs, and I think I have succeeded; at least I hope I have! That said, sometimes I feel like we are the best-kept secret on the island, which isn’t necessarily good for business! I hope our community knows we are here for them when they need us, and that we are always here for the animals, eleven years and counting.

Tell us about the women of Island Haven.

Island Haven is a volunteer-run nonprofit. We employ a barn manager, Braunti, and a couple paid animal caregivers for when we don’t have enough volunteers to cover shifts. The sanctuary animals need to be fed and cared for twice a day, no matter the weather, and each shift takes about two to four hours. We have over twenty volunteers and animal caregivers and the majority are women and our board is currently all women. We have an amazing group of people who care deeply for our sanctuary residents, we couldn’t exist without them! Melissa and Emma have been with us since our inception and some of our volunteers have been doing the same shift for over seven years!

Can you describe a day in your life at the sanctuary? Any sweet animal stories to share?

As Founder and ED of a small nonprofit, I get to wear a lot of hats. Some days are spent doing administrative tasks: bookkeeping, thank you cards, budgeting, ordering supplies, feed and supplements, making veterinary appointments, updating our volunteer/staff calendar, fundraising, social media posts, grant writing, replying to emails and phone calls, networking with other rescues and sanctuaries to find placement for animals.

Other days are spent at the sanctuary, feeding and caring for the animals, endless fence repairing lol, reviewing the animals’ nutritional, medical, exercise and enrichment needs, meeting with volunteers and staff, giving tours, tackling larger projects, like getting areas ready to move animals into, coop or shed clean outs, etc.

Every day spent with the animals is a blessing, they are all so special and deserve the best we can give them. They all have such specific individual needs and personalities. Like Venus, our Icelandic mare, who is 35 and pretty much blind, now. We all know she has to be talked to while we move around her, and that lots of things scare her, like moving the fence or sometimes even her food dish, so we all help her stay calm. Or Larry, the turkey, who likes to show off how handsome he is 24/7 (which must be exhausting lol) and loves apples, but not anything green.

Life at the sanctuary is always an adventure, y’all will have to wait for the book for the rest of the stories!