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Uniquely Dangerous
A shocking sex scandal made headlines around the world. The truth was stranger than fiction.
On a quiet spring morning in 2010, a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agents gathered in northern Washington State to stage a raid. Their target: a rustic cabin perched high on a hilltop, just five miles from the Canadian border. At the time, it was inhabited by a high-tech entrepreneur who provided encryption and privacy services. The once-wealthy man now lived in the little cabin with his dogs and horses, including a champion show jumping stallion. Authorities accused Douglas Spink of a shocking crime—operating a commercial bestiality farm. But in fact the whole truth was more complicated than that. Reporter Carreen Maloney spent years seeking the real story, ultimately uncovering a secret society of zoophiles who form their main social, emotional and physical bonds with animals. Uniquely Dangerous sheds light on a worldwide social phenomenon that dares not venture from the shadows.
To get your free excerpt, download a PDF of the opening chapters here:
https://uniquelydangerous.wordpress.c...
On a quiet spring morning in 2010, a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agents gathered in northern Washington State to stage a raid. Their target: a rustic cabin perched high on a hilltop, just five miles from the Canadian border. At the time, it was inhabited by a high-tech entrepreneur who provided encryption and privacy services. The once-wealthy man now lived in the little cabin with his dogs and horses, including a champion show jumping stallion. Authorities accused Douglas Spink of a shocking crime—operating a commercial bestiality farm. But in fact the whole truth was more complicated than that. Reporter Carreen Maloney spent years seeking the real story, ultimately uncovering a secret society of zoophiles who form their main social, emotional and physical bonds with animals. Uniquely Dangerous sheds light on a worldwide social phenomenon that dares not venture from the shadows.
To get your free excerpt, download a PDF of the opening chapters here:
https://uniquelydangerous.wordpress.c...
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2018
18 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 11, 2019
A surprisingly sympathetic look at the shocking story of Doug Spink and the world of Zoophiles—those people who are attracted to, and who have relationships with, animals instead of people.
When author Carreen Maloney started investigating Spink's case as part of the Whatcom Animal Control department, she did not know the case would occupy eight years of her life and lead her down a rabbithole of crazy twists and turns.
As someone in the horse industry, I was familiar with Doug Spink and had heard about his “proclivities”--at one point he had been very open about his sexual relationships with animals on many online forums. It seemed (and is actually backed up by this book) that Doug felt himself to be a spokesperson for Zoophiles, aka “Zoos”. I read about the drug bust with the $34 million dollars worth of cocaine, and I knew he owned an amazing GP jumper stallion, Capone I. Or co-owned. Or maybe didn't own—the story got confusing, with Doug's ex partner Corinne Super having the horse in her possession, then Doug taking him, then Corinne taking him back, then Doug taking him again, and finally Corinne ending up with him after he was confiscated by Animal Control.
I, like so many others, read aaaalllllll about Doug's “Bestiality Farm” in countless news articles after the 2010 takedown in Washington.
After reading Carreen's book, it is clear that I really didn't know much—the book openly discusses shocking things, but it also revealed the facts instead of the rumors. One that was really surprising to me, was that Doug's Bestiality Tourist Farm didn't exist. There is apparently NO evidence of any of it. For one thing, Doug was living in a shed, with tarps for a roof, and no electricity or plumbing. There was one couch where Doug slept, and little other furniture. Aside from the visitor who was there, (and who filmed himself...uh...cavorting with Doug's dogs), there was no evidence of any other visitors. And the property was fenced with warning signs, and neighbors stated that Doug rarely left the property. I had read all the titillating internet articles, and I was shocked that they were based on rumors and half truths. At least, there is no evidence that Carreen has been able to find in 8 years of looking.
Much of the book dealt with the trials and tribulations of Doug. He has been in and out of jail (mostly in) since the 2010 raid on his ranch. Against my will I was persuaded that at least some of the time, Doug was being treated unfairly (one example was how he was convicted in federal court and did time—and upon his release he was charged in state court for the same crime, convicted again and reincarcerated. It is unusual in the extreme for someone to be tried in both courts for the same crime, and especially to serve two separate sentences.) The conclusion the author arrives at is Doug's conclusion—that he is being treated differently because people are horrified and freaked out by the bestiality.
Another thing I found shocking was Carreen's evidence of how common zoophilia is. I figured it was extremely rare—but it goes on more than we think. Carreen talked to 30+ Zoophiles, and many of them talked about the numbers there were. It's such a taboo that understandably people go their entire lives sometimes without revealing their feelings to anyone.
The other thing that was a surprise was learning that for a zoophile, it's not just a fetish for animals, most of them feel that they are in romantic relationships with their animals. They even refer to them as their wife or husband. I began to feel pity for these people who are unable to have a normal relationship with another human. While I feel it's wrong because obviously animals cannot legally consent to these relationships, I now realize why the Zoos don't feel it's wrong—they love their animals and don't agree that they are harming or abusing them. Carreen mentions several Zoos she interviewed who feel that they are “married” or in long term relationships. One man she interviewed, (who gave his real name but I won't mention it here), was in a romantic/sexual relationship with his dog, when his father tried to murder him because of it. This all just makes me sad.
Insightful and thought provoking, the whole book was extremely interesting, and delved deeply into a world I knew nothing of. It was satisfying to get the real story on a case I had followed for years. Carreen appears to have tireless research skills and to be a very entertaining writer. Looking forward to more books by this author!!
When author Carreen Maloney started investigating Spink's case as part of the Whatcom Animal Control department, she did not know the case would occupy eight years of her life and lead her down a rabbithole of crazy twists and turns.
As someone in the horse industry, I was familiar with Doug Spink and had heard about his “proclivities”--at one point he had been very open about his sexual relationships with animals on many online forums. It seemed (and is actually backed up by this book) that Doug felt himself to be a spokesperson for Zoophiles, aka “Zoos”. I read about the drug bust with the $34 million dollars worth of cocaine, and I knew he owned an amazing GP jumper stallion, Capone I. Or co-owned. Or maybe didn't own—the story got confusing, with Doug's ex partner Corinne Super having the horse in her possession, then Doug taking him, then Corinne taking him back, then Doug taking him again, and finally Corinne ending up with him after he was confiscated by Animal Control.
I, like so many others, read aaaalllllll about Doug's “Bestiality Farm” in countless news articles after the 2010 takedown in Washington.
After reading Carreen's book, it is clear that I really didn't know much—the book openly discusses shocking things, but it also revealed the facts instead of the rumors. One that was really surprising to me, was that Doug's Bestiality Tourist Farm didn't exist. There is apparently NO evidence of any of it. For one thing, Doug was living in a shed, with tarps for a roof, and no electricity or plumbing. There was one couch where Doug slept, and little other furniture. Aside from the visitor who was there, (and who filmed himself...uh...cavorting with Doug's dogs), there was no evidence of any other visitors. And the property was fenced with warning signs, and neighbors stated that Doug rarely left the property. I had read all the titillating internet articles, and I was shocked that they were based on rumors and half truths. At least, there is no evidence that Carreen has been able to find in 8 years of looking.
Much of the book dealt with the trials and tribulations of Doug. He has been in and out of jail (mostly in) since the 2010 raid on his ranch. Against my will I was persuaded that at least some of the time, Doug was being treated unfairly (one example was how he was convicted in federal court and did time—and upon his release he was charged in state court for the same crime, convicted again and reincarcerated. It is unusual in the extreme for someone to be tried in both courts for the same crime, and especially to serve two separate sentences.) The conclusion the author arrives at is Doug's conclusion—that he is being treated differently because people are horrified and freaked out by the bestiality.
Another thing I found shocking was Carreen's evidence of how common zoophilia is. I figured it was extremely rare—but it goes on more than we think. Carreen talked to 30+ Zoophiles, and many of them talked about the numbers there were. It's such a taboo that understandably people go their entire lives sometimes without revealing their feelings to anyone.
The other thing that was a surprise was learning that for a zoophile, it's not just a fetish for animals, most of them feel that they are in romantic relationships with their animals. They even refer to them as their wife or husband. I began to feel pity for these people who are unable to have a normal relationship with another human. While I feel it's wrong because obviously animals cannot legally consent to these relationships, I now realize why the Zoos don't feel it's wrong—they love their animals and don't agree that they are harming or abusing them. Carreen mentions several Zoos she interviewed who feel that they are “married” or in long term relationships. One man she interviewed, (who gave his real name but I won't mention it here), was in a romantic/sexual relationship with his dog, when his father tried to murder him because of it. This all just makes me sad.
Insightful and thought provoking, the whole book was extremely interesting, and delved deeply into a world I knew nothing of. It was satisfying to get the real story on a case I had followed for years. Carreen appears to have tireless research skills and to be a very entertaining writer. Looking forward to more books by this author!!
December 29, 2020
Animal rape apologetics, uniquely degenerate.
November 11, 2018
I'm an unreliable reviewer, right off the bat, and I'd not put too much credence in what I have to say about the book... a bit too close to home for me to claim any objective position, eh?
Too, there's sections I haven't read through in proper form - there's too much pain, too much terror, too much loss and evil and hatred and destruction. I lived it all firsthand and realtime; reliving those specific details does nobody any good - least of all me. Though there's a few picayune points on which I'd have suggested minor factual edits (I never saw, let alone had the ability to influence via suggested edits, UniquelyD prior to its publication - apparently that's a rumour going around, which to me is pretty funny to hear given the reality of things during the course of the book's creation), overall I know that the facts memorialised therein are true to the reality as it transpired.
And, although I don't offer this as a criticism, I can say this: the author chose to leave out of the book vast quantities of unflattering materials as they relate to such profoundly destructive personalities as Laura Clark, Corinne Super, Jeff Robson, Andrew Johnston, and Susan Roe. She did that for the simple reason that, if she couldn't pin down a specific claim of fact with specific, objective, independent corroborative evidence then - no matter how much other evidence, often far more than enough to stand up in any court of law in the world - she simply wouldn't let that fact into print. That meant that many, many examples of disgusting behaviour on the part of such monsters was not included in UniquelyD - which serves to paint these dark personalities in (hard as it is to believe, as bad as their included actions are) a much more flattering light than reality would otherwise provide.
I accept this, because I knew from the beginning that the author was categorically unwilling to compromise whatsoever when it comes to factual verification. I did my best to verify each and every claim or statement I made, over the years this book was being written; however, given the pure chaos visited on my family and I over and over by armed brutes with badges - who, with predictable regularity, destroyed my books, records, files, computers, and documents during every pretext raid of my home - there were times where corroborative materials had simply been destroyed before I could provide them. That's the nature of the beast when reporting from the front lines of conflict - and that's exactly the book that UniquelyD is.
That can't be but frustrating to me, although I respect the author's uncompromising stance on factual verification. It means that some of the worst crimes and transgressions of those who have invested themselves in destroying my life, my family, my work, my community, and my spirit didn't make it into the book. That's haunting, because some of those transgressions are substantially further beyond the pale even than those documented therein - again, hard as that may be to believe.
Fortunately, in some cases I have enough second-tier corroborating evidence to set forth some of those otherwise-elided additional details, in my own writing; that's exactly what I'm in process of doing now. Because, to me, we're all accountable for our actions and choices - myself included. I stand behind who I am and the choices I've made - the good, as well as the bad and not leaving out the many such that were outright stupid in hindsight I expect the same of others who feel justified in seeking to destroy me and everything I hold dear. We all must stand behind our work, and stand accountable for our impact on the world we share.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I've poured decades of my life into that one simple belief, and I'm no less sure it's true today than I was decades ago. My own activism largely involves illuminating and documenting, as with a mirror, the ugly and violent bigotries and hatreds directed at me and at my community: this is what those dark energies look like, what they cause, and what they do to the people who embrace them. I document that, I spotlight it... and I know that, in doing so, those dark energies eventually burn themselves out. That is my work.
Uniquely Dangerous is a disgusting, painful, horrific book. It should never have been written, because the events it documents never, ever should have happened in a world of law, civilization, and baseline human decency. It is a testament to so much that is broken, to so much that failed to hold up to its own standards and boastful assertions, and to so much about how we treat our nonhuman colleagues that (from the perspective of my community, in particular) is simply inexcusable. Factory farms. Surgical mutilation. Species extinction. Factory farms (!!!)... we have created a literal hell on earth for hundreds of millions of our fellow sentient beings. We made that, we H. sapiens sapiens. We did it on purpose - not by accident. We own it.
We have made hell, for those unfortunate enough to be caught in our unloving embrace. And yet, amidst that all-too-real, human-made hell of factory animal exploitation... our society has spent millions of dollars and decades of authorised use of force trying to destroy me because I wonder just why it is that we're (allegedly) unable to share intimacy with other species without it being something abusive and negative-sum: love as ugliness, by societal fiat. How utterly disguting a concept that is, and that such an effort must be undertook by people purporting to "save animals" whilst (as UniquelyD documents, to its profound credit) simultaneously murdering and/or mutilitating them, often as not.
How is it, exactly, that my specific questions have been worth all that focus - all the thousands of hours that "animal activists" (what a perversion of the activism I grew up embracing and embodying - real work to help real nonhumans in living healthy, happy, stable lives) have spent demonizing me - whilst we as a species continue to build our hell-on-earth factory farms bigger and bigger and bigger all the time. We're expected to be in a tizzy about adult mammals engaged in mutually-sought, mutually-appreciated, mutually-agreed intimacy... and down the road factory farms churn out their intentional tortures for profit? It's ok to stick an electric probe up the anus of a bull and shock him into disgorging his ejaculate... so long as it's done for profit? What sort of twisted moral framework would ever decide that is ok? The merest touch of his testicles, and it's "abuse" - but cut them off with a sharp knife thus leaving him damaged for life, and it's somehow a blessing for him? Disgusting, absolutely disgusting - top to bottom, the entire charade.
UniquelyD never should have been written - it never should have been needed. But it was needed, and it was written. And I am grateful that someone had the courage, and integrity, and dedication to see it through. Nothing about it was easy - I know, I was there. But, then again, not much good comes easy when it comes to making the world a better place, does it?
Nope, it most certainly does not.
Integrity means standing by what is right, no matter what the cost and no matter what the consequences. I've done that - as best I can, every time I can. I stand by my work, and I am honoured to have had the opportunity to challenge a bigotry as unjustified, ugly, violent and destructive as that which in recent years has been directed at my fellow zoos and I.
I continue - proudly and with unflagging vigour - to challenge that prejudice today. I do so peacefully always, and I do so knowing that I stand on the right side of history.
Normally, I cannot help myself from entwining a bit of dark humour in my writing nowadays - I've earned it, and it's helped me stay on even keel in my own involuntary, decade-long journeys back and forth through hell. But when I stand back and look at UniquelyD as literature, I simply cannot summon any pithy quips - one might as well crack wise after finishing Martel's "Beatrice & Virgil," or Wiesel's "Night." Dark books demand enormous contribution from their readers; they deliver, in return, enormous insight into the full-spectrum truth of the world as it is. They tell us of the horrors, so that we may understand them and thereby transcend them.
UniquelyD is too real, too raw, and too hard for any humour, any inattention, any blithe summaries or lighthearted critiques. It stands beyond regular categorisation, and to me that is perhaps the greatest compliment one could ever give a collection of written words.
I wish it was never written. I wish it never happened. It was, and it did - and I am profoundly grateful for both.
Too, there's sections I haven't read through in proper form - there's too much pain, too much terror, too much loss and evil and hatred and destruction. I lived it all firsthand and realtime; reliving those specific details does nobody any good - least of all me. Though there's a few picayune points on which I'd have suggested minor factual edits (I never saw, let alone had the ability to influence via suggested edits, UniquelyD prior to its publication - apparently that's a rumour going around, which to me is pretty funny to hear given the reality of things during the course of the book's creation), overall I know that the facts memorialised therein are true to the reality as it transpired.
And, although I don't offer this as a criticism, I can say this: the author chose to leave out of the book vast quantities of unflattering materials as they relate to such profoundly destructive personalities as Laura Clark, Corinne Super, Jeff Robson, Andrew Johnston, and Susan Roe. She did that for the simple reason that, if she couldn't pin down a specific claim of fact with specific, objective, independent corroborative evidence then - no matter how much other evidence, often far more than enough to stand up in any court of law in the world - she simply wouldn't let that fact into print. That meant that many, many examples of disgusting behaviour on the part of such monsters was not included in UniquelyD - which serves to paint these dark personalities in (hard as it is to believe, as bad as their included actions are) a much more flattering light than reality would otherwise provide.
I accept this, because I knew from the beginning that the author was categorically unwilling to compromise whatsoever when it comes to factual verification. I did my best to verify each and every claim or statement I made, over the years this book was being written; however, given the pure chaos visited on my family and I over and over by armed brutes with badges - who, with predictable regularity, destroyed my books, records, files, computers, and documents during every pretext raid of my home - there were times where corroborative materials had simply been destroyed before I could provide them. That's the nature of the beast when reporting from the front lines of conflict - and that's exactly the book that UniquelyD is.
That can't be but frustrating to me, although I respect the author's uncompromising stance on factual verification. It means that some of the worst crimes and transgressions of those who have invested themselves in destroying my life, my family, my work, my community, and my spirit didn't make it into the book. That's haunting, because some of those transgressions are substantially further beyond the pale even than those documented therein - again, hard as that may be to believe.
Fortunately, in some cases I have enough second-tier corroborating evidence to set forth some of those otherwise-elided additional details, in my own writing; that's exactly what I'm in process of doing now. Because, to me, we're all accountable for our actions and choices - myself included. I stand behind who I am and the choices I've made - the good, as well as the bad and not leaving out the many such that were outright stupid in hindsight I expect the same of others who feel justified in seeking to destroy me and everything I hold dear. We all must stand behind our work, and stand accountable for our impact on the world we share.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. I've poured decades of my life into that one simple belief, and I'm no less sure it's true today than I was decades ago. My own activism largely involves illuminating and documenting, as with a mirror, the ugly and violent bigotries and hatreds directed at me and at my community: this is what those dark energies look like, what they cause, and what they do to the people who embrace them. I document that, I spotlight it... and I know that, in doing so, those dark energies eventually burn themselves out. That is my work.
Uniquely Dangerous is a disgusting, painful, horrific book. It should never have been written, because the events it documents never, ever should have happened in a world of law, civilization, and baseline human decency. It is a testament to so much that is broken, to so much that failed to hold up to its own standards and boastful assertions, and to so much about how we treat our nonhuman colleagues that (from the perspective of my community, in particular) is simply inexcusable. Factory farms. Surgical mutilation. Species extinction. Factory farms (!!!)... we have created a literal hell on earth for hundreds of millions of our fellow sentient beings. We made that, we H. sapiens sapiens. We did it on purpose - not by accident. We own it.
We have made hell, for those unfortunate enough to be caught in our unloving embrace. And yet, amidst that all-too-real, human-made hell of factory animal exploitation... our society has spent millions of dollars and decades of authorised use of force trying to destroy me because I wonder just why it is that we're (allegedly) unable to share intimacy with other species without it being something abusive and negative-sum: love as ugliness, by societal fiat. How utterly disguting a concept that is, and that such an effort must be undertook by people purporting to "save animals" whilst (as UniquelyD documents, to its profound credit) simultaneously murdering and/or mutilitating them, often as not.
How is it, exactly, that my specific questions have been worth all that focus - all the thousands of hours that "animal activists" (what a perversion of the activism I grew up embracing and embodying - real work to help real nonhumans in living healthy, happy, stable lives) have spent demonizing me - whilst we as a species continue to build our hell-on-earth factory farms bigger and bigger and bigger all the time. We're expected to be in a tizzy about adult mammals engaged in mutually-sought, mutually-appreciated, mutually-agreed intimacy... and down the road factory farms churn out their intentional tortures for profit? It's ok to stick an electric probe up the anus of a bull and shock him into disgorging his ejaculate... so long as it's done for profit? What sort of twisted moral framework would ever decide that is ok? The merest touch of his testicles, and it's "abuse" - but cut them off with a sharp knife thus leaving him damaged for life, and it's somehow a blessing for him? Disgusting, absolutely disgusting - top to bottom, the entire charade.
UniquelyD never should have been written - it never should have been needed. But it was needed, and it was written. And I am grateful that someone had the courage, and integrity, and dedication to see it through. Nothing about it was easy - I know, I was there. But, then again, not much good comes easy when it comes to making the world a better place, does it?
Nope, it most certainly does not.
Integrity means standing by what is right, no matter what the cost and no matter what the consequences. I've done that - as best I can, every time I can. I stand by my work, and I am honoured to have had the opportunity to challenge a bigotry as unjustified, ugly, violent and destructive as that which in recent years has been directed at my fellow zoos and I.
I continue - proudly and with unflagging vigour - to challenge that prejudice today. I do so peacefully always, and I do so knowing that I stand on the right side of history.
Normally, I cannot help myself from entwining a bit of dark humour in my writing nowadays - I've earned it, and it's helped me stay on even keel in my own involuntary, decade-long journeys back and forth through hell. But when I stand back and look at UniquelyD as literature, I simply cannot summon any pithy quips - one might as well crack wise after finishing Martel's "Beatrice & Virgil," or Wiesel's "Night." Dark books demand enormous contribution from their readers; they deliver, in return, enormous insight into the full-spectrum truth of the world as it is. They tell us of the horrors, so that we may understand them and thereby transcend them.
UniquelyD is too real, too raw, and too hard for any humour, any inattention, any blithe summaries or lighthearted critiques. It stands beyond regular categorisation, and to me that is perhaps the greatest compliment one could ever give a collection of written words.
I wish it was never written. I wish it never happened. It was, and it did - and I am profoundly grateful for both.
July 27, 2018
I started reading this book afraid that I was going to come across dirty details of bestiality, but got through the entire book and it wasn't at all a harlequin for zoophiles!
In fact, if you've ever encountered someone different from yourself and found yourself holding back all these nosy prying questions that would seem rude about the person's life, this book anticipates them and answers them honestly almost as the questions come to your mind. You get background information like how did they grow up? Do zoophiles hurt the animals? How many people are like this? Do zoophiles get along with regular people? Some of the things that happen in this book seem so far-fetched, but since the writer is a journalist, you get scholarly references and photos and handwritten proof! Also, some of the facts of the book are verified as the author herself interacts with the people in the book. There are prisoner numbers and dates and explanations of legal jargon.
After reading the book, you start thinking how the plight of this one community affects us all, and why our morals are the way they are? It doesn't really try to change your mind about whether zoophilia is good or bad, it just questions why are certain things legal only if they are to make money? Why do we treat the animals who participate in this behavior as tainted, and how is that like the way we treat some people who have done nothing wrong? You start comparing zoophilia with tragedies from history like how women were committed for hysteria and how persons with disabilities were forced to live in squalor asylums. You see how prison affects people, you follow journeys of PTSD and isolation and really reconsidering how the judicial system and society at large tries to redirect the behavior of those who are different. You start to notice how laws around zoophilia don't just affect zoophiles, they affect hunters, animal rescuers, freedom of speech, privacy, and technology. This book makes you question the validity of everything we live by, how prison sentences are so arbitrary, how felons are set up for failure and recidivism, how people are able to take something that a person can be so open about and twist it to make it juicier when the information that is true is already juicy as it is. and then how whole trials can go on where someone's fate can be decided without even daring to look at evidence and just go off on how appalling an idea is that we are almost willing to put people in prison for having a thought!
In fact, if you've ever encountered someone different from yourself and found yourself holding back all these nosy prying questions that would seem rude about the person's life, this book anticipates them and answers them honestly almost as the questions come to your mind. You get background information like how did they grow up? Do zoophiles hurt the animals? How many people are like this? Do zoophiles get along with regular people? Some of the things that happen in this book seem so far-fetched, but since the writer is a journalist, you get scholarly references and photos and handwritten proof! Also, some of the facts of the book are verified as the author herself interacts with the people in the book. There are prisoner numbers and dates and explanations of legal jargon.
After reading the book, you start thinking how the plight of this one community affects us all, and why our morals are the way they are? It doesn't really try to change your mind about whether zoophilia is good or bad, it just questions why are certain things legal only if they are to make money? Why do we treat the animals who participate in this behavior as tainted, and how is that like the way we treat some people who have done nothing wrong? You start comparing zoophilia with tragedies from history like how women were committed for hysteria and how persons with disabilities were forced to live in squalor asylums. You see how prison affects people, you follow journeys of PTSD and isolation and really reconsidering how the judicial system and society at large tries to redirect the behavior of those who are different. You start to notice how laws around zoophilia don't just affect zoophiles, they affect hunters, animal rescuers, freedom of speech, privacy, and technology. This book makes you question the validity of everything we live by, how prison sentences are so arbitrary, how felons are set up for failure and recidivism, how people are able to take something that a person can be so open about and twist it to make it juicier when the information that is true is already juicy as it is. and then how whole trials can go on where someone's fate can be decided without even daring to look at evidence and just go off on how appalling an idea is that we are almost willing to put people in prison for having a thought!
May 21, 2018
Book Review: Uniquely Dangerous by Carreen Maloney.
Reviewed by Malcolm J. Brenner
Every so often a non-fiction book comes along which threatens to expose the common wisdom about its subject for the misconception it really is. In my own life, I can think of only a few books that have had this profound effect on me. Growing up in the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement, one was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, co-authored by Alex Haley; another was Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver’s short but damning tale of incarceration, Soul on Ice.
I mention these two books because they come most readily to mind, not because I want to make race an issue. The subject of Uniquely Dangerous is an Anglo man, not a person of color, and a privileged Anglo man at that, who rose to wealth and renown while concealing a dark secret from everyone around him, including those he loved.
His name was Doug Spink, and if that sounds vaguely familiar, you have a long memory for the perverse and obscure. It hearkens back to a 2010 raid by a multi-agency taskforce of 30 people on a tiny cabin in Whatcom County, Washington, to bring Spink in for probation violations relating to an earlier arrest for drug smuggling.
But that wasn’t what made the headlines. What got the big, bold typeface was the announcement by authorities that they had busted a “bestiality farm” run by Spink, where clients could be serviced by dogs or horses he had on the property (including a champion show jumper). The allegations grew even weirder when local animal rescuers announced that they have saved several rats covered with petroleum jelly. One “client,” an English tourist, was arrested with Spink.
Carreen Maloney was an experienced print journalist and a supporter of the Whatcom County animal shelter that received Spink’s animals. While the headlines about bestiality repulsed her, she wondered about a lot of things. Why hadn’t any of the reporters who covered the story tried to interview Spink to get his side? Weren’t journalists supposed to be fair? What happened to the animals, especially seven dogs and the mice, that went to the county shelter? And what made a successful businessman like Spink, who worked in cutting-edge encryption technology that even puzzled the Feds, drop everything to live like a hermit and indulge a sexual orientation many people found revolting?
Thus began an eight-year odyssey for Maloney, but her toil and research has paid off in a remarkable tale that reads like a mystery story but has the ring of truth. We find out that the 2010 raid was only the beginning of Spink’s troubles with the justice system, which seemed more concerned about ending his vocal support for his alternative sexuality than about punishing him for a non-violent crime.
Maloney has accumulated a huge volume of material on Spink’s dual life, a high-tech wizard by day and a zoophile by night, and distilled it to its most essential parts. The story plunges backward and forward in time, exploring Spink’s past, his family life, and the marriage that ended in failure when he came out as a zoophile, and a gay one at that. But Maloney handles these transitions with great skill, even weaving in her own narrative, as a tragic personal loss sets her on the road to telling Spink’s story.
Along the way, Maloney also takes sidetracks into other elements of the hidden zoo culture, showing us how it covertly appears in art, advertising, entertainment, religion, as an enduring theme of a group that’s uncomfortable with its own species. She uses Spink’s torment at the hands of federal prosecutors as a lens through which to view society’s loathing of human-animal sex, and she courageously asks the question, why? Why such a visceral reaction?
If you are a zoophile, or know someone who is, you owe to yourself to buy Uniquely Dangerous, because seldom has writing on this inflammatory topic been so lucid, so even-handed and well-documented. If you are interested in the psychology of human sexual deviance, this book will provide useful insights. Similarly, those concerned with loss of personal freedoms and the erosion of privacy will find a story that illustrates their worst fears. If you like tales of personal will and courage in the face of overwhelming odds, you’ll cheer Spink’s outspoken defiance. And if you simply admire a riveting piece of journalism about a taboo subject, Maloney won’t disappoint you.
The portrait that emerges is of a complex, troubled man who always seems to find himself athwart the tides of life, whether he’s fighting his ex-wife for his beloved jumping horse or telling a federal court judge exactly how he feels. In the end, you may not like Doug Spink, but you might come to admire him. In a world that demands conformity, he refused to bend. Uniquely Dangerous is the balance sheet of what that stand has cost him.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BPRHZLR
-- Malcolm J. Brenner, author: Wet Goddess: Recollections of a Dolphin Lover
(In the interest of full disclosure, my novel, above, receives a brief mention in Uniquely Dangerous as part of material past the Appendix. This inclusion has in no way influenced my opinion of the book, however. -- MJB)
Reviewed by Malcolm J. Brenner
Every so often a non-fiction book comes along which threatens to expose the common wisdom about its subject for the misconception it really is. In my own life, I can think of only a few books that have had this profound effect on me. Growing up in the turmoil of the Civil Rights Movement, one was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, co-authored by Alex Haley; another was Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver’s short but damning tale of incarceration, Soul on Ice.
I mention these two books because they come most readily to mind, not because I want to make race an issue. The subject of Uniquely Dangerous is an Anglo man, not a person of color, and a privileged Anglo man at that, who rose to wealth and renown while concealing a dark secret from everyone around him, including those he loved.
His name was Doug Spink, and if that sounds vaguely familiar, you have a long memory for the perverse and obscure. It hearkens back to a 2010 raid by a multi-agency taskforce of 30 people on a tiny cabin in Whatcom County, Washington, to bring Spink in for probation violations relating to an earlier arrest for drug smuggling.
But that wasn’t what made the headlines. What got the big, bold typeface was the announcement by authorities that they had busted a “bestiality farm” run by Spink, where clients could be serviced by dogs or horses he had on the property (including a champion show jumper). The allegations grew even weirder when local animal rescuers announced that they have saved several rats covered with petroleum jelly. One “client,” an English tourist, was arrested with Spink.
Carreen Maloney was an experienced print journalist and a supporter of the Whatcom County animal shelter that received Spink’s animals. While the headlines about bestiality repulsed her, she wondered about a lot of things. Why hadn’t any of the reporters who covered the story tried to interview Spink to get his side? Weren’t journalists supposed to be fair? What happened to the animals, especially seven dogs and the mice, that went to the county shelter? And what made a successful businessman like Spink, who worked in cutting-edge encryption technology that even puzzled the Feds, drop everything to live like a hermit and indulge a sexual orientation many people found revolting?
Thus began an eight-year odyssey for Maloney, but her toil and research has paid off in a remarkable tale that reads like a mystery story but has the ring of truth. We find out that the 2010 raid was only the beginning of Spink’s troubles with the justice system, which seemed more concerned about ending his vocal support for his alternative sexuality than about punishing him for a non-violent crime.
Maloney has accumulated a huge volume of material on Spink’s dual life, a high-tech wizard by day and a zoophile by night, and distilled it to its most essential parts. The story plunges backward and forward in time, exploring Spink’s past, his family life, and the marriage that ended in failure when he came out as a zoophile, and a gay one at that. But Maloney handles these transitions with great skill, even weaving in her own narrative, as a tragic personal loss sets her on the road to telling Spink’s story.
Along the way, Maloney also takes sidetracks into other elements of the hidden zoo culture, showing us how it covertly appears in art, advertising, entertainment, religion, as an enduring theme of a group that’s uncomfortable with its own species. She uses Spink’s torment at the hands of federal prosecutors as a lens through which to view society’s loathing of human-animal sex, and she courageously asks the question, why? Why such a visceral reaction?
If you are a zoophile, or know someone who is, you owe to yourself to buy Uniquely Dangerous, because seldom has writing on this inflammatory topic been so lucid, so even-handed and well-documented. If you are interested in the psychology of human sexual deviance, this book will provide useful insights. Similarly, those concerned with loss of personal freedoms and the erosion of privacy will find a story that illustrates their worst fears. If you like tales of personal will and courage in the face of overwhelming odds, you’ll cheer Spink’s outspoken defiance. And if you simply admire a riveting piece of journalism about a taboo subject, Maloney won’t disappoint you.
The portrait that emerges is of a complex, troubled man who always seems to find himself athwart the tides of life, whether he’s fighting his ex-wife for his beloved jumping horse or telling a federal court judge exactly how he feels. In the end, you may not like Doug Spink, but you might come to admire him. In a world that demands conformity, he refused to bend. Uniquely Dangerous is the balance sheet of what that stand has cost him.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BPRHZLR
-- Malcolm J. Brenner, author: Wet Goddess: Recollections of a Dolphin Lover
(In the interest of full disclosure, my novel, above, receives a brief mention in Uniquely Dangerous as part of material past the Appendix. This inclusion has in no way influenced my opinion of the book, however. -- MJB)
June 14, 2018
An incredible true story researched in painstaking fashion by the author-an investigative reporter by trade. The story of Douglas Spink brings the reader into a world most will find disturbing-the zoophilia phenomenon of humans having inter species sex with animals. A shocking bust in rural Whatcom county Washington uncovers an underground world where at the extremes not only dogs and horses are "partners" but also any number of other species including dolphins and (!!) in one instance a rhino!
While this could easily lean toward the sensational and tawdry the author takes great pains to present a balanced and objective view of the phenomenon and the people involved in it. Were the subject matter not controversial enough many other aspects of Spink's incredible life are detailed as well-incredibly dangerous BASE jumping, championship show horse jumping, drug smuggling and a nightmarish trip through the judicial system.
Not for the faint of heart, but a really good read for those who can handle the subject matter. On a final note, the story too is much about the author's journey during the investigation and later writing of the book. The accidental death of her husband and her banishment from the Whatcom County animal rescue work she had done for many years (a practice she continues in her many travels) makes for a bittersweet back story in the decade she spent writing this important and mesmerizing boo
While this could easily lean toward the sensational and tawdry the author takes great pains to present a balanced and objective view of the phenomenon and the people involved in it. Were the subject matter not controversial enough many other aspects of Spink's incredible life are detailed as well-incredibly dangerous BASE jumping, championship show horse jumping, drug smuggling and a nightmarish trip through the judicial system.
Not for the faint of heart, but a really good read for those who can handle the subject matter. On a final note, the story too is much about the author's journey during the investigation and later writing of the book. The accidental death of her husband and her banishment from the Whatcom County animal rescue work she had done for many years (a practice she continues in her many travels) makes for a bittersweet back story in the decade she spent writing this important and mesmerizing boo
September 15, 2019
It is not often that I read a book that challenges my preconceived notions about something (I’m pretty opinionated and usually the books I choose to read confirm my biases/beliefs!). A book club friend chose this book so it is not one that I would have picked up on my own. I had the same knee-jerk reaction about zoophilia as I’m sure most people do. Gross. Disturbing. Cruel. Horrifying. I now think that those of us who feel this way, are the ones who will most benefit from reading this book. While I still can’t relate to it, I accept it and I don’t find it nearly as disturbing as I did before. This book was also a reminder to not necessarily take what I hear or read in the media as “the whole truth” and that there really are some injustices in our legal system. I love books that open my mind, that educate me, and that challenge my belief system and this book did all of those things for me. Pretty rare. As a side note, if you are concerned about reading details/descriptions of acts of bestiality, you will not find them in this book. It delves more into the ethical debate around bestiality, and around the facts of the case.
October 20, 2018
In this book, Maloney presents an objective look at a persecuted minority that is rarely seen or spoken of through the lens of one man’s shameful treatment at the hands of the US legal system and overzealous humane society.
Maloney wasn’t shy about making her own feelings known, but I truly believe she was still fair to zoophiles despite those feelings. She could have chosen to slant her writing in either direction, but I think the fact she was willing to highlight inconsistencies from her sources, and present both Spink’s floors, along with his disgraceful treatment, should remove any doubt that the writing is objective.
Having spoken to a volunteer at an animal shelter on the subject of zoophilia myself, I find Maloney’s claims of reluctance by the WHS, and Laura Clark in particular, to present evidence requested by Maloney entirely plausible. The volunteer I previously spoke to made it known to me that it is common practice for some animal shelters not to provide factual histories for the animals they have up for adoption, so it isn’t much of a leap to think that they might be hesitant to provide evidence to back up the claims they’ve made when the evidence could possibly prove they’ve been lying to the public all along.
Maloney’s willingness to continue writing this book in the face of the criticism, obstacles, and unpleasantness she encountered along the way is a testament to her good character as a journalist and a human being in a world where news outlets are no longer interested in pursuing truth and people are willing to take others down if they can benefit in some way.
Maloney wasn’t shy about making her own feelings known, but I truly believe she was still fair to zoophiles despite those feelings. She could have chosen to slant her writing in either direction, but I think the fact she was willing to highlight inconsistencies from her sources, and present both Spink’s floors, along with his disgraceful treatment, should remove any doubt that the writing is objective.
Having spoken to a volunteer at an animal shelter on the subject of zoophilia myself, I find Maloney’s claims of reluctance by the WHS, and Laura Clark in particular, to present evidence requested by Maloney entirely plausible. The volunteer I previously spoke to made it known to me that it is common practice for some animal shelters not to provide factual histories for the animals they have up for adoption, so it isn’t much of a leap to think that they might be hesitant to provide evidence to back up the claims they’ve made when the evidence could possibly prove they’ve been lying to the public all along.
Maloney’s willingness to continue writing this book in the face of the criticism, obstacles, and unpleasantness she encountered along the way is a testament to her good character as a journalist and a human being in a world where news outlets are no longer interested in pursuing truth and people are willing to take others down if they can benefit in some way.
January 13, 2020
Get over knee jerk reactions and judgments. Expand on empathy. Interesting read with not only social impact but political as well.
March 28, 2020
Thank you Carreen Maloney for telling this story.
Read
February 24, 2022Carreen tries to make sense of why she would want to write a book like this. Why would a subject so repugnant warrant analysis to this extent? I belong to an internet community which strives to put faces to animal abusers, the prominence of Spinks arrest and notoriety of his allies put this book on my radar. The best I can say, it presents a picture of a sympathetic man who chose a truly awful hill to die on. Although most would concur his actions render him entirely repugnant and such sympathies are misplaced.
Spinks death was met with celebration, and names and faces were soon put to his ideological friends. As bizarre and unsettling as the story of Uniquely Dangerous is, it is far from over. They adopt leftist talking points, likening themselves to gays in the 60’s, or even espousing BLM propaganda. They enjoy a platform on youtube. They still make reference to ‘fausty’ and work hard to crack the mainstream. None of them are particularly interesting, none of them operate as openly as Spink did.
I’d be hard pushed to even recommend this to a fan of true crime. Its niche, disturbing and pretty joyless, much like Spinks final years. Although if you’re interested in a truly bizarre story featuring a years long legal battle surrounded by tabloid hysteria, you might find yourself drawn in.
Spinks death was met with celebration, and names and faces were soon put to his ideological friends. As bizarre and unsettling as the story of Uniquely Dangerous is, it is far from over. They adopt leftist talking points, likening themselves to gays in the 60’s, or even espousing BLM propaganda. They enjoy a platform on youtube. They still make reference to ‘fausty’ and work hard to crack the mainstream. None of them are particularly interesting, none of them operate as openly as Spink did.
I’d be hard pushed to even recommend this to a fan of true crime. Its niche, disturbing and pretty joyless, much like Spinks final years. Although if you’re interested in a truly bizarre story featuring a years long legal battle surrounded by tabloid hysteria, you might find yourself drawn in.
June 23, 2018
This is a fascinating read.
The topic is not for the faint of heart. The protagonist is repellent. But the reader is compelled — just as the author is during her years of meticulous research — down a rabbit hole into the dark and disturbing world of zoophiles.
Who is right and who is wrong; how is this behaviour normalized online; how is the community growing despite overwhelming societal sanctions?
Amidst growing tension between the animal-loving journalist and the charismatic social outcast, Maloney finds herself swept up — and shut down — in a conspiracy of silence on the issue.
Lucky for us, she perseveres.
The topic is not for the faint of heart. The protagonist is repellent. But the reader is compelled — just as the author is during her years of meticulous research — down a rabbit hole into the dark and disturbing world of zoophiles.
Who is right and who is wrong; how is this behaviour normalized online; how is the community growing despite overwhelming societal sanctions?
Amidst growing tension between the animal-loving journalist and the charismatic social outcast, Maloney finds herself swept up — and shut down — in a conspiracy of silence on the issue.
Lucky for us, she perseveres.
October 28, 2024
rapaz, que doidera é o mundo, né. quer dizer, as pessoas que habitam o mundo que são uma grande viagem de lsd, só pode kkk
mas, vamos lá: o livro é bem escrito, apenas levemente repetitivo (o que é bastante comum em livros assim), e todas as informações são muito bem embasadas em provas. a autora passou quase 10 anos escrevendo, então no fim achei que tinha coisa até demais rs mas é massa.
vale a pena ler.
é uma abertura para um mundo diferente e discussões sobre esse mundo e novos conhecimentos, enfim, só vai.
mas, vamos lá: o livro é bem escrito, apenas levemente repetitivo (o que é bastante comum em livros assim), e todas as informações são muito bem embasadas em provas. a autora passou quase 10 anos escrevendo, então no fim achei que tinha coisa até demais rs mas é massa.
vale a pena ler.
é uma abertura para um mundo diferente e discussões sobre esse mundo e novos conhecimentos, enfim, só vai.
October 14, 2018
An interesting book about a disturbing story. You do wonder how much the author was influenced or manipulated by a compelling narcissist with subsidiary mental health issues.
January 27, 2023
i enjoyed this, would give 3.5 if i could. interested in this topic being from wa state and a small town that is mentioned in this book
February 15, 2025
Thoroughly researched and meticulously crafted, this is a searing piece of journalism that delves into the depths of a dark and deeply misunderstood mind of a genius.
May 21, 2018
8 years ago in our county a news story went national that seemed almost unbelievable. Now a local journalist has revealed details in this, thought provoking, well written and researched book. Crafted by Carreen Maloney in such a way that only an investigative journalist can do, she covers the facts and exposes how the media and people can fabricate details to sensationalize a situation and the aftermath. It is a non judgmental look into a portion of the population that thinks in a way most of us are unable to fathom and one mans quest to be treated without prejudice. It will challenge you to think about your own biases and lead you on a true tail of intrigue. I look forward to reading more of Carreen Maloney’s work.
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