Pet Of The Week
 Lexi loves West Seattle and so does her owner
10 year old Lexi just moved here a month ago from Florida with her owner Pat Manns and she loves it. Why?
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Buddy has only three legs but that doesn't stop him
Buddy is a Labrador Retriever with a great attitude and a joy for life. Born on Vashon Island 10 years ago he's been a West Seattlite since he arrived here at 10 weeks of age. He could have been a mighty hunter's dog, or worked in the field but instead he became a city family dog. He rode the metro, guarded the house from the mailman, went on vacation, and played with Barbie dolls. Life was good for "Bud". He even had a girlfriend. He was family for his owners Janice and Chris Butler and their daughter Alex. "You can imagine how unbelieveable and surreal it was for us all when we discovered Osteo Sarcoma (bone cancer) in his right front leg," writes Janice. " It had not spread, and knowing that this dog was not done living by any means we made the decision to remove the leg... I can tell you this was one of the scariest, gut-wrenching experiences that I have ever gone through," Janice said, "I am ecstatic to report that after only 3 months he is back to his old rambunctious self! As a 'Tri-Pawd' she reports that he is just as happy, crazy and unruly as ever. He still swims, runs straight down steep banks, takes the stairs up and down, digs and other typical dog behaviors. "I would have to say that he has fully recovered and is feeling better than before the cancer. His courage, trust in me, and resilience, have left me and all who know him with pure admiration towards him. He has gone through Chemo without a hitch, and gets to continue his 'barrage' on West Seattle and those who step on to our driveway or front porch for some time longer. Apparently he can do all of this on 3 legs as well as 4, and the fact that he trusted me through the process makes me love this dog even more than I thought was possible. Viva Tri-Pawd Bud!!!"
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Chatty Gabby the Calico Cat
Gabby the calico cat got her name because as a kitten she jumped on her owner Anna Wilde's shoulder and started talking. She's five years old now. Katie, her daughter, got the cat when she was 16 but Gabby (who incidentally is NOT a lap cat) loves Anna, "Maybe because I feed her or because I'm a cat person," Anna said. A while back a coyote nabbed a dog in the neighborhood but Gabby, who loves to be outside, seems to be doing just fine. She sleeps in the garage, though she used to sleep in the basement. That had to change since she is such a good mouser that she would catch them but then release them in the basement, perhaps to play with them. "Shes's a curious cat with a big personality," Anna said.
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Brandi is a cattle dog
Rachel Sundquist says that Brandi, her Australian Cattle Dog mix loves only a few things. "She loves cheese, cheddar cheese, and she really likes rats, she eats them," said Rachel. "She likes to escape to the green space near our house," Rachel continued,"So we had to install an electric fence." Brandi is 5 years old and was acquired from PetFinder. To learn more about it visit their site, http://www.petfinder.com/
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Sadie the Shepherd loves her sticks
Sadie is very fast when it comes to running after sticks and she would chase sticks all day if she could. She's a 3 1/2 year old miniature Australian Shepherd (red merle) and she's also very smart. Her owner Elizabeth Wheaton, explained, "She knows what you are wearing and will run over and sniff your clothes to see if she is going with you or not." Elizabeth and her friend Luther Shatel got Sadie from a breeder in Port Orchard.
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Savage is a tempest in a teacup
The Cigarroa family has had a number of dogs but Savage the 'Teacup' Chihuahua is unique. "He thinks he is a rottweiler," explained Joey Cigarroa. Savage is 3 years old is a "good guard dog", and has very big eyes. He enjoys 'house food' of course but normally eats a diet of canned and dry food mixed. "He prefers it warmed" said Joey who heats it in the microwave. Savage spends a lot of time out in the yard where he has fun with the squirrels. "He chases them into a bush and not even a second later they chase him back out," Joey explained. To learn more about this fun breed of dog see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chihuahuas
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Manny the tiny Yorkie
Ley and Rachelle Vaughn love their little friend Manny so much that he rides inside Rachelle's coat when they go for a walk. He only weighs 1 1/2 pounds so he is quite a tiny dog. 6 months old, Manny "Eats more than he weighs every day," said Rachelle. His size means he gets cold easily so he has three different coats he wears to keep warm. When he's home he enjoys a little toy duck which is actually a cat toy (don't tell him however), since most dog toys are too large for him. The Vaughns got Manny, who is a purebred Yorkshire Terrier from a breeder in Darrington. To learn more about this fun breed of dog see http://www.akc.org/breeds/yorkshire_terrier/index.cfm
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Kirby can catch!
Michael Maeda has always wanted a dog. Michelle, his mom, didn't want him to go off to college without realizing his dream, so last Christmas they got Kirby the Corgi. He is a rescue pup, thus not AKC, American Kennel Club, but don't tell Kirby. He has all the good looks and strong herding traits of a Tricolor Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Michelle says the first thing in the morning Kirby goes outside to do his business then she has to throw the ball for thirty minutes.
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Daisy Mei has way too many
Three year old English Springer Spaniel Daisy Mei (chinese spelling) is a proud mother of nine healthy pups. Gordon Bunting and his wife Bang Jing Sun, along with their eleven year old daughter Xiu Xui (Joo Joo) stood by to make sure Daisy made it through they what they thought would be a seven pup process. They gave her chicken broth and boiled eggs and after the seventh pup Gordon took her for a little walk, thinking it would help her if she still had another pup to go. Gordon saw the X-ray of Daisy and counted eight, but the Vet saw only seven.
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Old Yeller crows for his dinner
Many people adopt wild animals as pets but it's a little unusual to adopt a crow. That's exactly what happened however
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Teddy has a big nose and barks softly
This curly haired canine is named Teddy Roosevelt because "He has a big nose and barks softly," says his owner Truly Nolen. Teddy is a 2 year old Wire Haired Fox Terrier and he has a remarkable sense of time. He likes to go for 3 walks a day and "right at 5:05 he comes and gets me," says Nolen. While Teddy is a popular dog on the beach at Alki at home he "brings his binkies to bed," no doubt for security purposes. Nolen explained that these dogs are "your original 'rat dogs' in that they go after rodents and other small creatures.
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Nia is a clever girl
Meet Nia, a four year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, standing subserviently with her owners Sarah Hebert
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Walter has his own dog blog!
Q: How old is he?
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Micah is mild mannered
Micah is a purebred German Shepherd with four pages of pedigree. He is five yrs. old and weighs 96 lbs. and his owners Richard and Niki Hurley got him in April 2003 when he was three months old.
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Jewel the Guard Cat
Normally Jewel is a calm kitty, even watching the raccoons stroll through her yard without flinching.
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Casper the Laid Back Jack Russell (he needs a home too)
If you've ever seen a Jack Russell Terrier you know how active they can be. These wonderful dogs are known for their intelligence and unique character. We encountered Danielle Martin, her daughter Sylvannah and one of their dogs, Casper at Alki. Despite their reputation for energetic activity Casper would prefer to be cuddled.
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Pinky is precious
Jodi "JoJo" Robbins brought Pinky, a "long hair wire haired miniature daschund" into her home a few months ago and the 5 month old puppy has developed some unusual habits. "She won't sleep until everyone goes to sleep," said JoJo, "and she purrs like a kitten when she wants to be picked up." She may have gotten that habit from the cats in the house because she, "Chases them down our long wood hallway and they swat at her but she thinks they are playing."
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Fritz is a lifesaver
Fritz is mostly a cairn terrier, similar to Toto in the wizard of OZ. He is
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Cookie was worth the wait
Linda Velez first met her dog Cookie, an English Lab when she lived in Australia. "She thought we all talked funny," when they first met said Linda. The time came to move back to the United States in 2002 and to Linda's dismay, the airline lost her in transit. After a brief but worrisome time, she was found and the two were reunited.
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Jasmine has a bounce about her
John Weindl found Jasmine, his pet ferret at Petco a little over a year ago (she is now 1 1/2 years old) and the two of them are fast friends. "One of her favorite things is to have a towel thrown over her," John offered, "And she's fine most places but she loves the forest and I have to have a leash on her." If you are wondering about a ferret as a pet, John explained, "Ferrets were domesticated before cats by the Egyptians." Ferrets eat a high protein diet, which might be the reason, "Ferrets literally bounce when they run around," John said.
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Sammy was the Pick of the Litter
Steve Herndon got Sammy 5 years ago and he was the "Pick of the litter. His mom was an AKC Black Lab, and his dad was 1/2 Lab and 1/2 Rottweiler", Steve said.
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Hawkeye likes the left
At 10 months, Hawkeye is a dog with a lot of energy. So much energy that owner Michael Holm is planning on entering him in "pulling competitions" in which dogs compete in tests of strength against one another since as Michael says, "He's at the right age now and I have to do something to wear him out." Although Hawkeye "Eats everything," he has a very specific preference for the things he chews. "He knows which shoes he likes and it's always the left shoe!" said Michael, "If you see me dressed up you'll see my left shoes are the ones that look a little beat up. Hawkeye also likes to go the dog park and "Wrestle with the other dogs," but Michael added, "He's really friendly so that's a plus."
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Should Nigel be Nigelle?
Nigel is a Hahn's Macaw, the smallest of that family of birds that are native to Brazil, and there is a story about Nigel that you might find hard to believe. Nigel was given to Lauren at 7 years of age (Nigel not Lauren). Perhaps Nigel took some inspiration from a certain bunny because on Easter Lauren noticed that Nigel looked sick...but that was not the case. Later that day, Nigel laid an egg.
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Bugsy the rescue pup
The German Shepherd Rescue League is responsible for saving Bugsy. His mother was abandoned in the last stages of pregnancy. She was going to be put down, due to her aggressive behavior, but at the last minute she was taken to a foster home where she gave birth to three puppies. Bugsy, a Cocker mix, is one of those and according to owner Rudy Gillespie, he is "an all around adorable puppy."
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Is Max a dog or a stallion?
Jackton and Amy Downard found their dog Max at the
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Harley is a lover not a fighter
Baron D.L. of West Seattle has been taking care of Harley the Great Dane for his mother since Harley normally lives on a cherry farm in Oregon. Harley, "Likes lovin'," said Baron , "and he's very docile, not aggressive." At 180 pounds Harley is a force to be reckoned with certainly but he'd much prefer to tow Baron while he roller blades or just run in the cherry orchard. "When he runs it's an amazing thing to see because he literally bounds," said Baron. Harley has an appetite too as you might suspect,"My mother has an old rhyme she likes to say to him," Baron said, "Harley Barley in the bin, come on out and have some din."
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Mortimer is actually "Moritmorsaurus"
Sean Wells, and his mom "Nana" brought their 65 lb English Bulldog Mortimer to Next To Nature Pet store in the West Seattle Junction for Mother's Day where we caught up with them. Mortimer is a year and a half old and he's a handful, or he would be if you had gigantic hands. "We haven't found anything he isn't able to chew through," said Sean, "He eats pottery." His real name is "Mortimer Mr.Toad Wells" but given his tendency to chew through whatever he sees he's been rechristened "Mortimorsaurus".
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Sandy is always retrieving
Alec and Margot Newman love Sandy, their Golden Retriever because she is so smart that she actually "Adjusts her personality" to suit the seven people in their household. "She's a dog of many collars" explains Margot. Sandy weighs 55 pounds and is 8 months old now. When she is home alone, she doesn't chew inappropriately and in fact the retriever part of her personality is so ingrained that every time they come home she brings them a toy as a greeting. To learn more about this wonderful breed of dog visit the wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Retriever .
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Finding Marlin
Marlin is an unusual mix of 1/8 daschund and 7/8 chihuahua and his relationship with R'Lena Petines has given his name special meaning. He's named after Marlin, the father of the fish Nemo in the Disney/Pixar film "Finding Nemo." For some time he and R'Lena were separated, much like Nemo and Marlin in the film, through a misunderstanding, then six months later her sister spotted him on the street (he had been living with some other people) and R'Lena went to get him. Marlin is a tough enough character (his best friend is a pit bull), he loves to sunbathe, always seeking the sunny spot in the room, and while his favorite food is sharp cheddar cheese he still enjoys shoes. Chewing on them that is. "He has a favorite shoe of mine, that I still wear sometimes, but only with long pants," said R'Lena.
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Milla is a Mountain of Sweetness
Milla is a pure bred Bernese Mountain Dog who according to her owner Jahn Leonard, "knows everyone on the beach." She is 22 months old, weighs about 105 pounds and while she carries the distinctive tri-color markings of the breed, she has something uncommon about her. She has one blue eye. "It's a recessive gene," Jahn explained,"Not normally something people look for in this breed but it's why we chose her." Jahn and his girlfriend have trained Milla with hand signals and voice commands to perform a few tricks after watching "The Dog Whisperer" on television. Training her was made easier no doubt since Jahn reports that Milla is "really gentle and very sweet."
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