Remembering Paul Eckhoff
Paul Eckhoff was a co-founder of Best Friends and its chief architect. To this day, there are people who come to the Sanctuary just to see the animal areas he designed, including the now-famous “octagons” of Dogtown.
He was incredibly talented and drafted every building with both his love for the animals and his love for the canyon in mind.
In Best Friends’ earliest days, Paul lived in a small, rickety old green trailer in the canyon. He furnished it with a drafting table and a cot. This was considered the building headquarters for a year.
He was a morning person and would rise every day at 4:30 a.m. to put on his boots and go over blueprints. At the end of a long day of sawing and hammering, most people would relax for the night. But Paul would get back to designing the next dog or cat building.
Paul was finicky about things being clean. As well as being neat with his clothes and appearance, he couldn’t stand to leave a mess at any construction site. As the Sanctuary grew, he kept Angel Canyon in pristine condition. Each building was carefully designed and placed to blend in with the environment. Once, mid-construction, he reoriented an entire wing of a building 15 degrees so we wouldn’t have to cut down a tree. Power and telephone lines were all placed underground because Paul hated unsightly poles and cables. Roads were plotted through the juniper woods so no trees would be hacked down or bulldozed. He kept the beauty and magic of Angel Canyon alive through his care and attention to the smallest detail.
Paul liked to laugh. His humor was droll and oh so English. His joking commentary about the world was often spot-on. He had a fine British education but had also been a military man. So there was an interesting mix in him of roughness and refinement.
He absolutely loved basset hounds and was quick to rescue any in need. In fact, it’s hard to remember him without recalling a basset hound at his side. The best portrait of him features one of those beloved dogs.
When Paul passed away, it was gut-wrenching. But few people can say they have lived on in such a concrete and visible fashion as Paul. You can literally see the workings of his mind and compassion every time you visit Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
