West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle pets blessed in three events this weekend

“Blessing of the Animals” events are a tradition for the weekend closest to the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals – and again this year, West Seattle had three of them. We dropped by the third and final, and only outdoor, blessing event, presented by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door. Order of St. Francis Brother Kris Wilder (above left) and St. John’s Rev. Peter DeVeau (above center, and below) offered the blessings;

Here’s video as everybody – people and pets – circled around:

(This weekend’s other two West Seattle “Blessings of the Animals” were at Providence Mount St. Vincent on Saturday morning and Alki UCC earlier today.) Side note: If Brother Wilder looks familiar … it may not be just because he has been featured in our previous years’ coverage of this event. He was also on WSB recently in a different kind of robe: The one he wears as a karate instructor, and author of self-defense books.

Preparedness: Make sure your pets are part of your plan

Story and photo by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

While many of us have emergency plans in place for our families, most of us probably don’t have specific plans for our pets beyond grabbing them and running if disaster should strike. Members of the Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART), which focuses on animal safety and rescue, gave a presentation at the West Seattle Senior Center last night, sponsored by West Seattle Be Prepared, to provide information and resource sites for getting your pets as prepared for an emergency as the rest of the family.

WASART co-founder/president Gretchen McCallum, along with volunteer Ginger Dixon (R-L in photo), noted that the human/animal bond is never more important than in times of extreme stress, and WASART was created after stories of animals abandoned during Katrina were publicized. McCallum points out, “If it’s not safe for you to stay in your house, it’s not safe for your pets.”

Besides having enough food, water and medical supplies for your pet, McCallum focused on being able to identify your pet.

Click to read the rest of Preparedness: Make sure your pets are part of your plan…

Blessing of the Animals: 2 in West Seattle this weekend

(WSB photo from St. John’s 2010 “Blessing of the Animals”)
This weekend is the closest one to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi – patron saint of animals – so it’s time for West Seattle’s traditional “Blessing of the Animals” events. On Saturday, you’re invited to the lobby of Providence Mount St. Vincent at 10:30 am. Then on Sunday, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church will offer blessings in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door (3000 California SW) at noon. As The Mount’s announcement put it, it’s simply an occasion “to give thanks for all creatures great and small.” (And that means even the smallest of pets, if someone brings ‘em – check out the guinea pigs in our report on St. John’s event last year.)

Kona the dog, found! ‘That karma will last you a lifetime’

That’s Kona, a Husky/Lab who is home tonight, two weeks after she was reported lost (her photo has been on the WSB Pets page all that time). Kona’s family says an incredible outpouring of help in West Seattle this afternoon brought a joyful conclusion to their dog’s odyssey. Claire writes:

I wish everyone in the world could have been there today to see the amazing kindness of every person and dog in Westcrest Dog Park today. We got a call about 1:30 that Kona (the black husky lab female who has been missing since 9/12) was spotted in the dog park with an injured leg. We sped there from work and I think every person there, and especially a couple with an amazing Malamute, helped lead us to her in the woods.

She ran out right between my husband and I and he caught her in his arms–she was frantic and running from the voices–but when she realized who it was I think we were all crying. (Well, Kona and I were anyway!) THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for staying with her and making sure she was contained so we could get her home. We took her to the vet and she has a fractured foreleg, and will go into surgery tomorrow, but I don’t know if she could have been caught if she didn’t have the injury to slow her down.

If I could lasso the moon for all of you, I would. She means the world to my husband, 4 year old son, our other dog Ernie, and me. “Thank you” doesn’t begin to express the depth of my gratitude. Blessings on each of you, and that karma will last you a lifetime.

West Seattle See Dogs celebrate Guide Dog Month

Got room in your heart and home for a puppy who will grow up to do great things – namely, serving as a Guide Dog? If so, you need to meet West Seattle See Dogs – one of the guide-puppy-raising group that was on hand at Petco in The Junction today in honor of National Guide Dog Month. From left, above, Ruth Oldham, McKenna Kormanik with Guiness the puppy, and Heather Gilbert. Here’s a closer look at Guiness:

You can catch up with West Seattle See Dogs on Facebook.

Happening now: Dog-swimming fundraiser in Arbor Heights

After the first mostly gray day in some time, the sun came out just in time for the first day of the “Dog Days of Summer” fundraiser at Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club – as explained here last week, the AH pool is closed to people for the year, so they’re opening it to dogs only, for a special session daily through Saturday, as a fundraiser for the water-polo team. Tonight’s session is on till 7; we were there in the early going, and a half-dozen or so dogs already were having a blast dogpaddling and ball-chasing around the pool.

AHSTC is at 11003 31st SW; tomorrow’s session also runs 5-7 pm.

Friday afternoon cute-pet break: CityDog’s West Seattle winner

(CityDog photo by Tabitha Headrick, used with permission)
Before we get to the next wave of serious news … a quick break for a cute pet photo. West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine has just announced Matisse as the winner of the West Seattle round of its Cover Dog Model Search, which involved afternoon photo sessions at West Seattle Thriftway three weeks ago. You can see all the West Seattle contenders on the CityDog site – the photo viewer starts with Matisse, and you can click on to the others. Didn’t get to enter your dog? CityDog still has three more “model search” events, plus an online contest, and in the end, eight dogs (including Matisse) will go before CityDog readers for the final cover-choice vote.

Dog days of summer: Arbor Heights opens pool to pooches

(Photo courtesy Cori Roed)
Since our late-arriving summer shows no sign of letting up – people with dogs will want to know about this: Cori sends word that the Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club (11003 31st SW) is opening its pool for the second annual water-polo team fundraiser “Dog Days at the Arb.” 5-7 pm next Monday-Friday (Sept. 12-16) and noon-2 pm next Saturday (Sept. 17), you are welcome to bring your dog for a swim. No people in the pool – this comes after it’s been closed for the year – just dogs (but owners have to be there to keep an eye on them). Suggested donation $10/dog; money raised goes to buying new caps for the AH water-polo team. There are other caveats, too – all listed on the official flyer.

West Seattle coyotes: A warning, a sighting, and reminders

Haven’t received many sighting reports lately, but that doesn’t mean coyotes aren’t out there. It may actually mean people are doing a better job of encouraging them to keep their distance, by not leaving out food, or trying to spook them when spotted. Outdoor pets remain at risk, as evidenced by a sad (and slightly graphic) note just received from Clay, one of two reports ahead: Click to read the rest of West Seattle coyotes: A warning, a sighting, and reminders…

Happening now: CityDog in West Seattle, seeking a cover dog!

West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine is back at WS Thriftway right now for the annual “Cover Dog Search” photo shoot ($10, benefits Doney Memorial Clinic), and would-be cover dogs are lined up for their chance at stardom. This is one of several shoots citywide; at least two past winners have come from West Seattle (starting with Cohen). The photo shoot is scheduled to continue till 2 pm (SE corner of California/Fauntleroy) – but if you miss it, they’re taking online entries this year, too. (Note in our photo, the Humane Society’s big bright-yellow MAXMobile is in the background – there for an adoption event.)

Pets & people, right now: Furry Faces @ WS Nursery; Lien’s 60th

At West Seattle Nursery, the Dog Days of Summer started with Furry Faces Foundation‘s Teri Ensley and King County’s Rebecca Cleveland-Diel tapping a donated keg of Manny’s. Till 4 pm, it’s a beerfest, with hot dogs, but it’s also a pet-adoption-fest:

That’s volunteer Kory with two dogs hoping their new forever homes might be found today – the little white one he’s holding is a “special needs” pet, with eye trouble. Or if you’re looking to add a kitty to the family, here’s one in classic nonchalant cat mode:

West Seattle Nursery is having a sale, too. Meantime, your dog (leashed) and/or cat (carrier) are welcome to join you at Lien Animal Clinic till 2 pm, for the 60th anniversary open house – we found a few visitors there this morning:

And of course, there’s anniversary cake!

Lien is on SW Alaska between 37th and 38th, in The Triangle.

West Seattle wildlife: Two reader alerts for pet owners

First, from LT:

We’ve been hearing some very persistent howls of what I believe are coyotes. We’re at 46th Ave SW and Erskine, and it’s quite loud. Just might be a good time to remind pet owners to keep animals indoors and just keep an eye out.

And from Dave:

Another reminder to be careful about your outdoor pets.

I live on the 3700 block of SW Webster Street, and sometime (Sunday) night a raccoon or coyote killed our next-door neighbor’s cat and left the remains in our backyard. It was a horrifying way to find out that your pet had been killed.

I’m sure our proximity to the Orchard Ravine green belt makes us more likely to see this sort of activity, and raccoons are always around. We haven’t seen a coyote around here, but it was something of size, because the scene was macabre.

West Seattle 4th of July: Pet reminder – keep ‘em inside

Reminder before night gets closer … pet experts say keeping your cats and dogs inside tonight is the humane thing to do – fireworks are not only a direct danger, the noise also scares them to the point where they might run out of home territory. Already today, after a night with hours of illegal fireworks, we’ve added five new lost/found pet listings to the WSB Pets page. It’s here if you need it, but better yet, just don’t run the risk.

Morgan Community Festival postscript: Got a home for Roxie?

A postscript from Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival. While we were tabling there, we found out about a dog a few booths away, visiting with Animal Aid and Rescue Foundation (AARF):

That’s Roxie. She needs a new home. We didn’t get a chance to feature her in our stories during the festival but we have a chance right now, so here goes.

Connie tells us she found Roxie “scavenging for food by the side of the road last December. She had severe skin problems from being fed the worst human food – cereal, bread, and cold cuts as her main diet.” Connie’s vet said Roxie needed about six months to recover from that and “she is almost there.” But now Connie has a problem – her landlord won’t let her keep Roxie. “This will be extremely difficult, since I just spent 6 months bathing her, feeding her healthy clean food and loving her to pieces. So, we are looking for someone who can take her on and love her and take care of her. She loves long walks in Lincoln Park, greeting all people and all dogs. She is super sweet, very happy, very gentle, loves kids, and is completely house trained. She is a very young 9-year-old who is experiencing a lot of things for the first time. She is really, really smart! She loves to learn, thrives on praise and she will make you proud if you take her to any training class! She is very loving, affectionate, sensitive and rather lady like. She will make someone feel very loved and protected!” You can reach Connie at 206-718-0399 to ask about Roxie.

Dog need a wash? Chief Sealth fundraiser on Saturday

Fundraising car washes, you hear about often. Today – we have word of a fundraising dog wash. This Saturday, 3:30-6 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex, the Chief Sealth International High School Yoga Club is raising money with a dog wash. $5 minimum donation per pooch.

New hours this year for West Seattle’s Kitty Harbor

All together now … “awwwww.” (Or, write your own LOLcat caption.) The photo is courtesy of Kitty Harbor, which opens for the season this Saturday (June 4th) at its 3422 Harbor Avenue SW location (just north of the West Seattle Bridge). On behalf of Kitty Harbor, Anna sends word of new hours this year – noon-6 pm Saturdays, 2-6 pm Sundays – and says more than 60 kitties are already awaiting their forever homes. (See more of them here.)

No, he’s not a pony: Life with West Seattle miniature horse Jeb

Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

You might already have met this unique fellow during his walks around West Seattle, or at public events including last Sunday’s Summer Streets party on Alki, but we wanted to find out his backstory – so, meet Jeb: He enjoys long walks in Schmitz Park, gallops through the snow, and getting his back scratched. He’s a vegetarian who loves granola and the occasional tortilla chip. He stands 38 inches tall (at the shoulder) and has been known to show a marked preference for blondes.

(“How YOU doin’?” Jeb puts Zoolander’s look to shame)
Some of Jeb’s family members, local artist Mimi Miles and her teenage daughters Celeste and Hope, met us in the big back yard of their home to give us the scoop.

“He’s definitely got attitude,” Hope quips, as Mimi scratched Jeb’s ear, then elaborated on Jeb’s idiosyncrasies: “We’ve had him for 5 1/2 years; he’s 8 years old now. He’s devious. He’s very much a boy. He’s got that thing – he can be really sweet, then he can turn around and be a total brat. Jeb likes for everything to be done the same, he likes routine. He knows I give him his vitamins at 9 o’clock; if it’s five after nine, he starts to whinny – and he knows when the girls are supposed to come home from school.”

Click to read the rest of No, he’s not a pony: Life with West Seattle miniature horse Jeb…

Happening now: Furry Faces Foundation plant sale, pet adoption

As listed in our “West Seattle Sunday” daily preview, lots going on today in addition to the events on Alki; we stopped by one inbetween events at the beach. Furry Faces Foundation is in the second day of the first weekend of its annual series of fundraising plant sales at 3809 46th SW (just south of Charlestown), and today, you can also go home with Ed the dog, shown above with Rebecca from King County Animal Services. She also brought along a nameless 3-week-old stray kitten, shown at right – not to adopt (yet) but to remind everyone of the importance of volunteers who foster abandoned kittens and other pets that shelters may not be able to care for. Oops, almost forgot about the plants – there are some available for as little as 50 cents; there are veggies, flowers, natives, herbs, sun, shade, hundreds available:

Sale is on till 4 pm.

Followup: Where to get help with a pet emergency

Last Friday, we published the story of a dog hit by a driver who didn’t stop, and the helpful people who did stop or in some other way help. Much discussion ensued in the comments, including information from the owner’s mom, who identified the Lab as Asia and later reported the dog had a dislocated hip. We don’t have a new update from Asia’s family, but we do have something that might help other pets and people in the future, courtesy of one of the people who assisted last Friday, Doug. He offered to compile a list of resources in case you need to find emergency care for an animal, so that we could link it from the WSB Lost/Found Pets page. We wanted to let you know that it’s at the top of that page now; Doug’s list includes clinics around the metro area, north to south. (If you have anything to add, we will do our best to keep it updated – e-mail the information to editor@westseattleblog.com. Thanks!)

From the WSB Pets page: Dog hit by car, taken to vet

First we heard from Tim, who saw a black Lab get hit by a car on 35th Friday evening, and wanted to make sure that was mentioned on the WSB Pets page in case someone was looking for the dog. We added a mention to the page, but now that we’ve heard from Jon, who took the dog to a clinic, seems like front-page news:

Know someone missing a black Lab?

I was coming home from work (Friday) on 35 ave in West Seattle & just a few blocks south of the Chevron close to Austin st. i saw some people helping a dog that was bleeding from the mouth and she was apparently hit by a car!

So i turned around and went to offer any help i could. it turned out that I was the only person with a car so i offered to take the dog to an emergency facility.

I ended up taking the dog (Angus) is what i named her, I thought she was a he [?] ! Anyway, i took the nice Labrador to the VCA Animal Hospital in Burien [15707 1st Avenue S.] around 7 PM on Friday the 13th of May 2011.

The Dog (Angus) had a purple collar with little metal dog prints around the buckle, and was just a complete sweetheart! If anybody may know who this dog is, please help her find her way back to her owners.

I signed the dog over to King County’s care, and if they were able to save her, and the owners don’t come forward, she then would go up for adoption through the King County Animal Shelter. If you know this dog, please help her find her proper owners! I’m sure they are missing her as much as she wants to be home and misses her owners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also want to be contacted once she finds her family so i may have closure as well! Please contact me at 206 280 0202

Thanks For Reading This & check your local neighbors who may be missing their labrador!

Jon Prince

ADDED SATURDAY 2:20 PM: Lots of new information from commenters – including the dog’s owner.

From the WSB Pets page: August the Weimeraner, out there somewhere

After almost 3 1/2 years of having a lost/found Pets page on WSB, we’ve noticed that often, lost dogs are reunited with their owners fairly quickly. Then sometimes, there are the elusive ones – with multiple sightings – and the community keeps an eye out, and after a team effort, there’s a reunion. Seems like that might need to happen for August the Weimaraner. Josh sent word late yesterday about August bolting in Gatewood. Since then, there have been multiple sightings, Josh says – most recently, he just e-mailed to say, “August was last seen tonight around 7:30pm around Fauntleroy ferry. Please keep an eye out. He is very scared. Thank you!” If you see August, Josh’s phone number is on the Pets page.

Happening now: Full house at Furry Faces Foundation’s ‘Catsino’

It wouldn’t be “Catsino” without cats, now would it? These two are part of the crowd at the Furry Faces Foundation fundraiser “Catsino,” under way at Beveridge Place Pub till 6. And F3′s Teri Ensley is ecstatic – she told WSB it’s a full house, all 85 tickets sold. And between the players and the hosts – some memorable sights:

More photos after the jump: Click to read the rest of Happening now: Full house at Furry Faces Foundation’s ‘Catsino’…

West Seattle help for Japan: Shelley’s sale; Anthony’s dog walk

Both of these events started with one person’s idea, magnified by help from and participation by others: The first day of Shelley Lebert‘s community garage sale for Japan relief at 3014 45th SW was already going full speed when we stopped by this morning. Shelley (holding the sign) was so excited about the team effort that had made it happen, she gathered some of the other volunteers with her when we asked to take a photo. All the while, garage-salers kept pulling up out front; if you go before the end of today, or 9 am-4 pm tomorrow, be sure to note there’s lots of stuff BEHIND the house.

In front, there’s also a fundraising bake sale:

Shelley was thrilled the sun came out this morning and the weather dried out; she told us how hard the volunteers had worked in the midst of the drippy weather yesterday, sorting donations and buying tents just in case. Again, 9 am-4 pm again tomorrow, 3014 45th SW.

Meantime, along Alki this afternoon, you might have spotted the group dog-walk to raise awareness for the plight of pets in the quake/tsunami zone:

CL shared that view across the street from the dog walk’s starting point at Anchor Park; this is the walk that Anthony from Left Coast Dog Service announced yesterday – that’s his trademark green van with a Japanese flag draped on the side. We counted dozens of dogs and people by the time they grouped up and took off; we have a video clip to add later. too:

(If you’d like to donate to those helping animals affected by the Japan disaster – here’s the link on Anthony’s banner.)