WEST SEATTLE WILDLIFE: Seals on shore

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

The photo was sent by Lynne, who saw that harbor seal on the shore in the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook area. She called Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network and alerted people with dogs to keep their distance. We followed up tonight with David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters, who tells WSB:

We did have 2 responses today. One to a pup on private property north of Lowman Beach and another further north. Seal Sitters responded to both and will be monitoring their condition if they show up again. All pups tend to be on the thin side this time of year as they are working on learning how to feed themselves. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to advise people to keep back and to call in a report to the Seal Sitter hotline – 206-905-7325.

Guy October 4, 2022 (10:59 pm)

It’s pretty crazy how many folks let their K-9s run wild on Alki in the mornings. Yesterday’s count during morning coffee was 15.

CarDriver October 5, 2022 (6:45 am)

Guy. I see it also. City won’t do anything to enforce their rules until AFTER an off leash dog kills or injures a seal(or human)

WSlite October 5, 2022 (8:50 am)

Here we go again with the dogs off leash. Seattle needs to chill about dogs enjoying the beaches here, they should be able to enjoy it too. Our neighbor Oregon is so much more dog friendly on beaches, I don’t understand why Seattle isn’t especially considering how many dog owners there are here. More people have dogs than kids! And you should really focus more on how many humans have been shooting seals/sea lions along near Jack Block Park/Harbor Island/Duwamish the last few years than worrying about a dog. Humans are worse and do more harm to seals. Never heard of a dog killing any seals on Alki.
- Ferns October 5, 2022 (7:46 pm)
  
  No, dog owners enjoy the beach – dogs don’t have special “beach rights”. Their owners need to respect and obey leash laws that protect not only other humans but the environment and wildlife. I’m not sure why some dog owners think they are special and that their choice to own a pet is an acceptable excuse to disrespect others is beyond me. Talk about over-entitlement.

waikikigirl October 5, 2022 (7:24 am)

I could be wrong but dogs running loose on the beach, doesn’t that stress those seals out, out enough to cause them harm or even death? Even if you have the best dog in the world why would you want to cause harm to another animal/mammal, to own a dog you must be an animal lover. Or this could even happen to your dog let alone a person. too-close-swimmer-injured-after-encounter-with-nursing-monk-seal-mother-waikiki

Patrick H. October 5, 2022 (11:29 am)

Just wanted to clarify that dogs are illegal on Seattle beaches leashed or not. No matter how nice a dog is, their species was domesticated to protect us from large carnivores, so they don’t understand that seals won’t hurt their humans. Dogs are great, but they shouldn’t be brought into seal habitat. The dog is having fun at the beach, the seals are trying to survive. If spreading illness through poop and hurting wildlife isn’t enough of an incentive, I have seen enforcment handing out tickets at Lincoln Park this summer, so they’re out there.

C Williams October 5, 2022 (1:37 pm)

I find taking ostensibly pictures of dog owners and their dogs running free usually gets them to leash & leave pretty quickly.

Bob Loblaw October 5, 2022 (2:43 pm)

FYI all the dog owners alerted yesterday had leashed dogs and were extremely responsive to avoiding the area with the seal pup. The seal pup was reported by a dog owner with a leashed dog. No dogs were on the beach itself. Everyone was following the rules, people. Quite a few of your neighbors are perfectly capable of responsibly caring for their dogs as well as seals. Because that’s what being an animal lover means!

Ferns October 5, 2022 (7:52 pm)

Great photo! It looks nice and juicy so maybe it was healthy but just resting even if not in a very safe place with all the humans around. I saw a wrinkly scrawny pup on a beach once, it was reported, and worried it didn’t survive. but you never know. Also, orcas.

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