West Seattle cat tale: “Moses has left the building”
In the past day and a half, we’ve received two notes alerting us to a major change in The Junction: Moses the cat is no longer in residence inside Next to Nature. Both notes expressed alarm and concern – is Moses OK? So the ace WSB investigative team stopped by N-to-N this afternoon to find out, and discovered what you see in the photo above – a picture and note that “Moses has left the building. No, he’s not dead. He’s just in retirement. Sightings of him have been reported in Mexico.” Actually, we uncovered the fact that he’s now home with his owners … he just wasn’t happy staying at the store any more. One of our tipsters is relieved to hear that but adds, “I’ll miss him (don’t have a pet of my own, plus he was like a local landmark).” We’ll miss him too; he was definitely a shop fixture, hanging out by the front door much of the time, high enough up that you could try giving his ears a skritch. Enjoy your retirement, Moses!
Follow-up: Fate of dog that bit child at West Seattle school
When we talked with the Seattle Animal Shelter last week about the iguana rescued in High Point (it’s gone to a foster home), we asked about one other recent case – the pit-bull dog that bit a girl at Lafayette Elementary on the last day of the school year (original WSB report here). They didn’t have the info handy then, but promised to find it, and indeed, we just got a call from Don Baxter from SAS: He says the dog was “put down” after the 10-day quarantine period at the shelter — because its owner was never found, and they can’t run the risk of adopting out a dog that’s already bitten someone. “Plus, it showed additional aggressive tendencies while it was here,” Baxter added.
Another parade – and movie – note: Hot dogs outside Hotwire
Just fished this out of the WSB inbox, from Teri Ensley at the animal-rescue group Furry Faces Foundation – not only will F-Cubed be in the parade, they’ll be raising $ with a concession on the route (and again tonight):
Dogs 4 Cats is back at it during the Grand Parade …this time with ‘Hebrew National Dogs’, states Wiener Specialist Scott Lewis, ‘We Dogs just want to have more cats spayed and neutered, because ‘FRANKly’, there are too many kittens being born! Our ‘All Beef Dogs come in Natural Regular, Light Dog and Fat Free, plus we have Veggie Dogs too. All are available—with the trimmings–for just $4.00 during the Grand Parade on Saturday, July 19th, from 10 am – 2pm AND 7 pm to 8 pm during the Sidewalk Cinema showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, located at 4410 Calif. Ave. Help us Dogs help ourselves [and the cats].’
High Point iguana-rescue update: Shelter arrival, and citywide fame
As you can see in that video, not an easy task to move an iguana from one container to another. That’s Seattle Animal Shelter animal-care officer Michael Kokernak making the transfer earlier this afternoon at the shelter’s HQ in Interbay, watched by Sean, the High Point resident who rescued the iguana he’s nicknamed “Lucky.” If you missed it over the past few days, the story first started unfolding here with this post early Saturday, after another High Point neighbor, Ann, saw a couple drive up to the High Point pond, where they abandoned “Lucky.” She and others worried about the iguana’s fate, went looking for it; then Sunday, Sean wound up finding it in a tree near his home – appropriately enough, since he’s an arborist; here’s the photo he took after the rescue, which left him fairly scratched up because “Lucky” was somewhat stuck in that tree:
Sean didn’t want to talk to us on camera; he just wants to make sure “Lucky” finds a good home, and Seattle Animal Shelter is fairly confident it can help make that happen. So if you ever find yourself with a pet you can no longer care for – please don’t just abandon it somewhere – most such cases don’t turn out as well as this one. The shelter promises to let us know when “Lucky” gets adopted. And re: “citywide fame” – at least two citywide-media outlets picked up this tale of neighborliness and animal-welfare concern after seeing it on WSB; the first bit of coverage we know of for sure is via our ex-co-workers at Q13, who were at the shelter for the handoff, so you might see something at 9/10 pm tonight. 10:23 PM UPDATE: Short story on Q13, though they didn’t attribute to WSB, just said “according to a local blog.” Our material is copyrighted, FYI, and we have a strong policy of giving credit where credit’s due when we get info somewhere else, so we’re hopeful that will be remedied if the story is rerun.
High Point iguana update: Rescued, and in need of a home
Saturday night, we brought you a reader report from Ann, who saw someone drive up to the High Point pond area, release an iguana, and drive away. She got worried about it and tried to find it, and others jumped in to help. Finally – as he first posted in a comment on the original item – Sean spotted it:
I read (the original post) and was thinking of all the different ways he was going to meet him maker: dog, raccoon, car,weather, internal issues from lack of food….
I looked out the window to look at my tree and my neighbors and saw something odd. I went outside and what do you know, the Iguana was catching some rays in my neighbors’ tree. I have always handled reptiles so I knew what I was in for. As I sit here bloody and bruised I can say I have caught the scared little guy. Anyone interested in a pet?
So — interested in an iguana (or know someone who could give it a good home)? Click here to e-mail Sean. MONDAY MIDDAY UPDATE IF YOU DON’T READ COMMENTS: Sean is taking “Lucky” the iguana to the Animal Shelter. We’re there to cover the handoff. He posted that they believed they’d be able to find him a good home. “Lucky” sure picked the right tree to hang out in!
For the birds: Chicken-coop tour; library falcon
That’s just one example of a city chicken coop – and we’re showing it to you to accompany Seattle Tilth‘s announcement that its “City Chickens Tour” (first mentioned here) is definitely a go for July 12, and will feature West Seattle chicken coops too. Tickets (maps for the self-guided tour) are available through the Seattle Tilth website. Now, a bird of a different feather:
That’s video of a peregrine falcon — and its handler — from Woodland Park Zoo’s SOAR program, visiting the Delridge Library tonight for a program that kept a sizable all-ages audience, well, enrapt. (In the clip, you hear an explanation of how the DDT ban decades ago helped save endangered peregrines – among other birds – by reducing use of the chemical that had thinned their eggshells.) West Seattle’s library branches have programs from story time to games and beyond, all summer long; use this map to browse the branches and their online calendars.
Reader reports: Cat, birds shot with BBs/pellets
Two separate incidents – but both came to us first as reader reports (police reports have been filed too) from neighbors who want to alert you. First, Michael sent his report with this photo – we debated putting it behind a jump but it’s not particularly gory – just distressing, considering what his kitty is recovering from:
I live on 25th Ave SW one block off of Delridge between Hudson and Brandon. My cat was shot in the hindquarter with either a BB gun or pellet rifle. (see attached pictures) I just wanted to put the word out in case anyone else’s pet has suffered this class C felony and wanted to warn the neighborhood to watch out for their pets.
Not long after Michael’s report came in, we got this forwarded by Sheila in High Point, who also wanted to put it out as an alert to neighbors:
On Monday June 23 some kids were chasing a injured pigeon that was shot with a BB gun. A neighbor caught that pigeon and I called the Seattle animal shelter and it was picked up the next day. [An officer] said if we see anything, call the shelter at 206-386-7387. Nothing was done to the kids since we didn’t see who shot the pigeon.
Saturday night (28th) another neighbor was walking [in the 30th & Graham area] and found another pigeon. This one was dead and there was a small hole with blood, it had appeared to be shot. I called the animal shelter Sunday morning and told them what happened. They said since I didn’t see it happen they cannot do anything about it. Please keep a look out for kids with a BB gun and please report it to the police (911).
Love puppies? Here’s an opportunity you’ll love
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Cheryl Phelps:
The reason for this message is that our volunteer group, puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind, needs more volunteers. We need puppy sitters and puppy raisers. Our next meeting is at the Hiawatha Community Center at 7 pm Monday evening the 23rd of June. We would love to talk to others about this rewarding service and how it has touched our lives and the lives of others.
That’s THIS Monday night. We’ve added it to the WSB West Seattle-wide Events calendar; if you need directions to Hiawatha, here’s a map.
Update: Animal Shelter confirms breed of dog that bit student
Just because as is usual for these types of stories, the question of whether it was indeed a pit bull stirred up so much discussion yesterday: When we talked to Ann Graves of Seattle Animal Shelter a short time ago for a followup on the Lafayette dog-bite incident from yesterday (original WSB report here), she confirmed, yes, the dog is a pit bull. Might have a tiny bit of other blood, but mostly pit bull and that’s how they’re classifying it. Meantime, they still haven’t found its owner; “we’re hoping someone will come forward,” Graves says. For now, the dog is in 10-day quarantine at the Seattle Animal Shelter to make sure it doesn’t have rabies or anything else that would mean further treatment for the little girl, and “an active investigation” continues.
Child bitten by dog at Lafayette Elementary playground
We just confirmed with the Seattle Animal Shelter that they have seized the dog which is reported to have bitten a child at the Lafayette Elementary playground before school this morning. Our first report came from Lafayette parent Bernicki, who quotes school administration as saying the bite wasn’t serious; the dog apparently ran onto the playground without its owner or minder anywhere in sight, and in fact, Ann Graves from the Animal Shelter tells WSB they are still trying to locate its owner before they can decide what will happen to the dog. She says their report indicated the dog is a pit bull, which is also what Bernicki told us, but they will not be able to confirm its breed — it could be a mix — until the dog is at SAS facilities later.
Plants and pets, together in West Seattle, ready for new homes
West Seattle-based Furry Faces Foundation usually has a few plant sales each spring and summer to raise money for its animal-rescue work — 
but during the first day of the F3 sale this weekend, you’ll not only find plants, you might find yourself a new pet. Teri Ensley of Furry Faces says King County Animal Services is bringing adoptable cats and dogs to the sale this Saturday, 3809 46th SW (map), 11 am-3 pm. Rain or shine; there’s a backup plan if the weather’s soggy. The sale will continue, sans animals, on Sunday, and plants will be sold both days 10 am-4 pm. (Shown at left, in case you were wondering, are the official WSB mascots for pet adoption, the cats we adopted from local shelters as adults.) P.S. One more pet note while we’re all here – we just posted two more lost pets on the WSB Pets page; maybe you can help bring them home.
Reader report: If you think your ‘hood is coyote-free …
Still letting your cat(s) run around, confident you’re in a wildlife-free zone? If so, you’re the reason “Mac’s Mom” wanted us to share her e-mail:
We are in the 4100 block between 44th and 45th [map], an area not particularly close to any green spaces. One month ago we found the remains of our family cat who had met a very violent end (at about 4AM – he put up quite a fight). Last weekend, our neighbors experienced the same loss. [Yes, we had told our neighbors what happened] I’m not sure how large a Coyote’s territory is, but we are evidently within one and wanted to let other folks in the area know that this is happening. While we’ve seen all of the warnings here on the blog, we disregarded them as we are so far from what we would consider to be “Coyote Habitat”. Please don’t make the same mistake we did!
It’s been said 2,005,894 times, there are many other good reasons to keep pets indoors too … cars, humans, other cats, other types of wildlife among them. For more on “coexisting with coyotes,” check out the info in our coverage of a city-organized presentation earlier this year.
Westwood pit-bulls case closed, no charges against owner
We’ve followed up from time to time on the aftermath of the February 26th Westwood incident in which two pit bulls attacked a man and his Chihuahua, and then were shot by police (original WSB report here; followup with police-report narrative here). One pit bull died that night; the other was seized by the Seattle Animal Shelter. During our followup calls, SAS executive director Don Jordan had told us the dogs’ owner faced citations and possibly a criminal charge (March 3 update here; April 10 update here). The second dog’s fate depended on what happened with those cases. Jordan just called WSB to let us know the case is closed because the owner agreed to have the second dog euthanized. “We wanted to make sure that dog was off the street,” Jordan said. The civil citations and possible criminal charge are not being pursued, according to Jordan, because of that agreement, and also because the victim did not want to press charges or even give a written statement. Jordan had told us previously that this owner had a history of trouble involving other dogs, not these; we asked, so does that mean any restrictions can be put on his right to own or license dogs in the future? Not in this case, he said, noting that even in cases where people are found guilty of crimes involving animals and judges decide to impose such restrictions, they can never be prohibited from ownership for a period longer than 2 years. “That can be frustrating for us,” he acknowledged.
News from 2 West Seattle pet-care providers
First, the latest e-mail newsletter from Lady Di, Pet Chaperone discusses the move to her new location in The Junction (the old one in Admiral is making way for development):
Moving date has arrived for the Lady Di business. On June 1st we will be open in our new facility at 4433 42nd Ave SW (right in the heart of the West Seattle Junction). We are located behind the Eagles. From California Avenue; entry is through the alley off Genesee St. or Oregon St. The Lady Di Pet Chaperone sign will be posted on the fence.
The new facility is smaller and still offers that “at home” feeling. A cozy fire on cold fall and winter days will keep all the “pups” and us warm. Any donations of wood or furniture will be greatly appreciated. Because the new facility is smaller we will have to limit the number of dogs. The weight limit will be reduced to 50 pounds and only a few of our larger dogs will be able to make the move with us. We are all sorry about this change and hope those few will find another facility for daycare. …
We hope this move will go smoothly and that you will all enjoy bringing your dogs to our new “home-away-from-home.”
We also heard this weekend from Shane at Stella Ruffington‘s in Morgan Junction:
The Seattle Dog Daycare Association (SDDA) is holding a food drive from May 1 through May 15, to benefit local shelters and rescues in the greater Seattle area. Food and/or cash donations are being accepted at Stella Ruffington’s Doggy Playcare during regular business hours.
The Seattle Dog Daycare Association is a networking group of professional dog daycares in the Greater Seattle area.
First look at Junction Pet Fest “Most Beautiful Pet” winner
That’s your first look at Myrtle, the Shar-Pei that won the “Most Beautiful Pet” contest at the West Seattle Junction Association’s first-ever Pet Fest about an hour ago. We have a lot more to show you from the contest, including video, a little bit later, but wanted to post this as a reminder that Pet Fest continues till 4 pm in the Wells Fargo lot at the NE corner of 44th/Alaska. (Don’t miss the pet-adoption area featuring Homeward Pet, run by West Seattleite Steve Siadek, who regularly contributes adoption candidates to the WSB Pets page.) ADDED EARLY MONDAY: Still working on a longer compilation of video from the contest, but here’s a clip of Myrtle with the runner-up, another Shar-Pei, named Buddy (his owner Michelle says he’s 1 1/2; Myrtle’s owner Ryan says she’s a rescuee and about 8):
promotion
whose students have come all the way to Fauntleroy Creek in recent years to study an environmental challenge – creek pollution from pet waste. On the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s
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