Investigating the case against Steffen Baldwin
With only 3-4 more scheduled episodes remaining for the inaugural season of the “I Am Human. This Is My Dog.” podcast, we take a minute to look ahead to season two titled – “The Trial Against Steffen Baldwin“
In this upcoming season, we investigate the case made against a popular dog trainer named Steffen Baldwin, who is currently facing 39 felony counts, ranging from racketeering, fraud, to multiple allegations of cruelty to a companion animal.
The trial officially concluded in late November 2024, so while we all wait for the judge’s final verdict, we decided to release a short promotional video – featuring Steffen Baldwin, who is making his first on-camera comments since his arrest on July 23, 2020.
Making a name in animal welfare
I probably first heard Steffen’s name brought up sometime in the beginning of 2014. We had mutual friends in animal welfare circles, as we were both making a name for ourselves in dog rescue and advocacy – specifically for pit bull dogs.
I was finishing touring my first documentary – Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent, around the country after an exhausting year of arranging public screenings. Meanwhile, Steffen was the Executive Director for an organization he founded called the Animal Cruelty Task Force – otherwise known as ACT! Ohio.
Prior to that, he was the Executive Director and humane agent for the Union County Humane Society near Columbus. He quickly recognized major challenges that came with operating a shelter in these rural communities and began devoting time into correcting them.
The purpose for the creation of ACT! Ohio was to provide humane services in rural Ohio counties where neglected and mistreated animals oftentimes had nobody else to hold those accountable for how they’re being kept. By the end of 2013, he resigned from his position at the Union County Humane Society to commit full time to his non-profit, the Animal Cruelty Task Force.
From there, his rise in popularity appeared to occur rather quickly. Steffen became known for his expertise in dog training and featured as a guest writer for the Huffington Post (which was a big deal then) advocating for pit bull dogs and the end of breed specific legislation.
He made connections with others who were also influential in animal welfare, which increased his desirability, becoming highly sought after and looked at as a rising star in the field.
The trajectory of his career continued on the up and up when he even signed a contract – one of several offered, with a production company affiliated with a notable Hollywood studio that would pitch a show featuring him and his work.
A year of extreme highs...and lows
During the year 2013, I was indirectly involved in a bit of an unexpected controversy.
We often had rescues reach out to host a screening of Guilty ‘Til Proven Innocent as an opportunity for a fundraiser for their non-profit. One of our hosts got caught up in a situation where allegations were being made of the animals being kept in terrible conditions 2-3 month prior to our scheduled public showing.
People organized and continuously protested outside of his property, which got its share of publicity in the news. This went on for many months before the situation finally came to an end with an agreed upon negotiation with another large rescue. The animals were hauled to a location in another state, and the ownership and responsibility transferred over.
Sounds like a win, right? But, was it?
This was the first time I witnessed the mob mentality in action in animal welfare. And, it left me with an uncomfortable feeling, because it seemed to magnifying several very big issues that nobody in positions of influence addressed.
By the time the calendar flipped to 2014, I was experiencing mental health concerns for the first time in my life. It started with severe anxiety – erratic sleeping patterns and unable to turn my brain off, which escalated into a crippling depression over the subsequent months.
By the time we reached the beginning of November (2014), I had my first attempt at ending my life.
Let's get some facts straight
It’s worth noting that by now my popularity in animal welfare took a massive nosedive. I became increasingly irritable at the unnecessary suffering I saw and constant state of crisis this field was in. And, I wasn’t shy about it.
I came to the realization that the reason why advocacy wasn’t being advanced in the manner it should, was not only due to the opposition’s resistance of it being too great to overcome. No. The biggest threat to that progress comes from within.
My earliest interaction with Steffen came on November 1, 2015. It was on a post for an article shared on Facebook about a well-known pit bull advocate who started a hotline to report dogfighting in partnership with a national animal welfare organization.
It immediately felt like an ego move and a pointless waste of money and resources since a hotline by the same national animal welfare organization already existed for many years! Additionally, this was someone I felt for a long time was a huge liability to the progress of the cause, and Steffen was part of this person’s clique.
I don’t know what I expected, but…it didn’t go well. For every comment I was able to publish, a handful more would show up to defend and belittle. Not one actually addressed the validity of the obvious issue I had with it, because mobs don’t care about pesky facts.
On that day I likely became Steffen’s first real ‘hater’. I did it before it became cool.
What goes up must come down
To be completely transparent, I read some of Steffen’s published writings in the Huffington Post and other guest blogs, and they were always engaging and well thought out. They served a purpose and were useful for the general cause. And, I found myself in conflict with myself, because he appeared to bring actual value – unlike many of those he surrounded himself with. #sorrynotsorry
Sometime towards the end of 2016, Steffen and I began patching up our differences, initially due to having many mutual friends and a shared common interest of the dogs. So it materialized into a casual friendship.
By April 2017 news rapidly spread in the pit bull rescue community about a dog named Remi, who was euthanized while in Steffen’s care.
For this sake, I won’t get into specifics, but this is the dog that led to the event which started Steffen’s eventual fall from grace. If you’d like to read what his accusers have shared, you can visit the Justice 4 Remi Facebook page and browse through their side of the story.
In an ironic twist, I observed the same vicious cycle of mob mentality take shape once again. Given our previous history, it could have been very easy for someone like me to jump right on that lynching train. After all, we had just started becoming friends.
Since his detractors published his cell phone number on social media, I sent a text to let him know I’ve seen the backlash, but am here if he needed someone to speak to…without judgement.
To be frank, I was worried about the state of his mental health, because unless you’ve been a target alone amongst a mob, you do not understand the lasting effect it has on you.
Our paths cross again
But this would not be the worst it got. A few years later after a move back home to California, Steffen continued his dog training business and formed a non-profit called Underdog Alliance with a California woman that gave a last chance to dogs with known behavior issues.
On July 23, 2020 he received a call from the Los Angeles Police requesting he come in to discuss his service offered to law enforcement that provides training on how to defuse situations with dogs.
When he arrived, the U.S. Marshals placed him under arrest and he was extradited back to Ohio to face the charges brought against him.
Steffen Baldwin is facing 42 criminal charges, including bribery, cruelty to companion animals and impersonating a peace officer: https://t.co/ZGSQSEmKLt
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) August 6, 2020
I think I waited a month to contact him. I didn’t know what to say, but one early morning I hit send and he answered. We talked a little about his arrest and how he was feeling. Understandably, he sounded defeated.
Over these 4.5 years we maintained steady contact. Those talks led to an idea to incorporate this case into a podcast I was planning, because it offered many opportunities to shine a light on some of the most taboo topics within animal welfare.
Maybe something good can come out of this?
I explained to him that I have no interest in making a Steffen Baldwin fluff piece. It’s crucial that I maintain my objectivity.
All stipulations that were agreed upon.
In the spirit of fairness, I’ve reached out to many of his detractors in hopes of also securing an interview to hear their side and be able to ask follow up questions for clarity. Those offers remain on the table, and I hope we’re able to make that happen once the judgement has been made.
The bigger story in this case is the big picture.
