Queen Anne resident Nancy Bostdorff and her daughter, Lisa McKibbin, have just lost a beloved friend—their dog Sammy. While walking Sammy along Queen Anne Ave N on Thanksgiving Day, he was tragically electrocuted. The unpredictable accident upset his family, and inspired them to help inform residents in the hopes of preventing other animals from being killed in the same way.

“He was walking along QA Ave, near Bricco, my daughter stepped aside to let another dog pass, and moved onto the electric plate near a lamp post.  He started screaming and went into convulsions, and died.  We took him to the emergency hospital, where they gave him CPR for 30 minutes, to no avail.  Seattle PD cordoned off the street, and Seattle City Light cut power to the block to investigate.  I just don’t want anything to happen to another dog,” Nancy Bostdorff wrote. “It is so painful.”

“The metal lamp posts may be leaking electricity, or there could be faulty wiring in the power plate that is not visible to walkers. I witnessed my dog being electrocuted, needless to say, it was excruciatingly painful for him and for me to watch. He died instantly. When I stuck my hand in his mouth I felt a shock from the electric waves emanating from his mouth. My poor baby!” Lisa wrote.

According to Lisa, electrical leakages on city streets are more common of an occurrence than most people realize.

“My mom and I would just like to spread the word out there, bring awareness to people to be extremely cautious of the possibility that the metal lamp posts on the Ave (or anywhere for that matter) could be leaking electricity, as well as steel plates on the sidewalk possibly having faulty wiring underneath the surface. We just don’t want to see any more victims, adult, child, or dog of this terrible hazard. This is a horrible horrible tragedy and should not happen to anyone else and their dogs,” she said.

Nancy and Lisa shared their story with Dr. Spencer at the Queen Anne Animal Clinic, who they say is planning to hold a meeting with fellow vets to discuss this deadly hazard. The family also filed a police incident report, which Lisa says they will be following up on this week.

“The police and Seattle City Light had shut down the power on the block and were checking the area,” she wrote. “We hope to find out if there was faulty wiring, leaking electricity, etc., next week.”

In the meantime, Nancy and Lisa offer a couple of resources on electrical leakages, termed “stray voltage”, which are unfortunately often only discovered after a pet has been lost. Read more about how to prevent your dog from becoming a victim of electrical shock on the street, and how to protect pedestrian, children and pets from such accidents.

Lisa is also starting a blog on Sammy’s behalf. “I want to cover the prevention of electrocution and dogs. I am learning not many people are aware of this, back east it has happened quite a bit, perhaps because they get much worse weather than we do, but lately we’ve been hit hard by Mother Nature,” she wrote. “Maybe together we can spread the word and save lives.” You can visit Lisa’s blog here.

Update: Seattle City Light has responded to the story here.

Reader Ebbie Smith have found a lost cat and taken him out of the snow and into their home while they look for the owners.

Ebbie says she found the cat outside her home near Dravus and 14th AVE W during the windstorm Sunday night.

He was crying outside our door so we took him in for the night. We plan to take him to the vet today to see if he has a microchip, but I thought I’d post here just incase he didn’t. He’s a black and brown spotted tabby approximately a year old. He’s got a thick fluffy tail and is very well behaved and friendly. He’s also very vocal and likes to purr and meow.

Ebbie brought the cat back from the bet without any news of his owners. If this is your cat, please call Ebbie at 206-331-5185.

Meanwhile, another Queen Anne-er is reporting his tabby cat missing (and unfortunately, they’re not the same one—we checked). This picture is Baxter, and he’s been missing for a few weeks.

Joel McLaughlin wrote:

With this snow and cold weather it breaks my heart to think where my little buddy is and how he’s doing.

He is a large full-grown male tabby cat, several years old. Has a microchip but “appears” un-neutered’ (long story).

We live off of 3rd Ave W and Olympic Place West. I haven’t lost hope even though it’s been over a month now.

I check your website daily, as well as Ballard’s and Magnolia’s in case he’s wandered as well as call and stop by the animal shelter. All I want for the Holidays is my big, loyal Baxter back.

If you’ve seen Baxter, please call Joel at 206-786-1232.

If you have any other information on lost or found pets in the snow, comment below.

Today is Dog Day at the Queen Anne Farmers Market! From puppy pics, to adoption, to special doggy treats, it sounds like it’s going to be a fun time for market-goers, and their pooches! Check out the lineup:

• 3 to 5 p.m.—Music by Hot Cider
• 3 p.m.—Adopt a bet with Maxmobile!, the Seattle Humane Society’s mobile pet adoption van
• 3 to 7 p.m.—Dog Photography by Emi Halvorson
• 4 p.m.—Chef Demo with Lynne Vea of PCC Cooks
• 5 to 7 p.m.—Music by Clallam County
• 5 p.m.—Fruit Brix Demo with Georgia Pellegrini, author of Food Heroes, 16 Culinary Artisans Preserving Tradition, and hero Jon Rowley (sponsored by Edible Seattle)
• 5 p.m.—Dog Etiquette Demo with David Wiley of BarkBusters
• 6 p.m.—Cooking Demo by Marc Schermerhorn and Larry Liang
• 6:30 p.m.—Dog Contest at Barkbusters Tent (Best Trick, Best Command, and Congeniality King and Queen)

The featured sponsor of the market this week is Metropolitan Market, and the featured nonprofit is the Seattle Humane Society.

As always, the market will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. on W. Crockett Street at Queen Anne Ave N.

We got an email from a reader who wants to warn pet owners in the neighborhood to watch out for foxtails, which she says can be dangerous and even deadly for small animals.

“There is a very nasty weed that grows like crazy on Queen Anne sidewalks. The needles come off the plant and burrow into noses/throats/ears of our beloved pets and can be fatal. I have a $500 vet bill to prove it” Jenny Shoaf wrote, encouraging residents who have foxtails in their yards to get rid of them.

“As a longtime resident, we LOVE the Ave, but are probably not going to take our dogs up there until it’s under control… (I cringe when I see dogs nosing through the shrubs – many dog owners don’t know until their pet ends up with one stuck inside them.)

King County has issued a warning to pet owners in response to a suspected outbreak of canine distemper, an extremely contagious and incurable viral disease, in raccoons.

Photo taken in Ballard on Sunday from the deck of Nic Launceford’s apartment on NW 59th. More photos can be found here.

“King County residents are reminded to avoid feeding wildlife, keep domestic pets away from wild animals, and be sure their pets’ vaccinations are current,” a release sent by the county, PAWS and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife states. Samples from a raccoon in Bellevue have been sent to Washington State University for testing.

Although humans and cats cannot get canine distemper, it is highly contagious among dogs and other animals. “Dogs are normally vaccinated against canine distemper, but the disease has become generally uncommon and some pet owners are not getting their pets vaccinated,” said Dr. Sharon Hopkins, the Veterinarian for Public Health – Seattle & KingCounty. The release goes on to say, “Distemper causes encephalitis, inflation of the brain, in animals. Infected animals may have runny eyes and stagger, tremble, foam at the mouth or snap, according to veterinarians. Daytime activity by a raccoon does not necessarily indicate the animal is sick.”

This is particularly important as there have been a number of incidents of raccoons attacking domestic animals, and in some cases their owners, in Queen Anne over the last year. Pet owners, especially those with smaller animals, are advised to vaccinate their pets against distemper and be extremely cautious when leaving them outside unsupervised.

Tomorrow the Seattle Animal Shelter and Petfinder.com will host “Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet” Day in an effort to connect the thousands of overlooked homeless animals with potential pet owners.

Petfinder.com is the largest online database of homeless pets, however 95 percent of their members surveyed have noticed that it is exceedingly difficult to find homes for the adoptable pets they’ve posted to the site. And so Petfinder set aside Wednesday, August 12 to work toward finding homes for “hard-to-place” pets.

The shelter (located at 2061 15th Ave. W., one block south of  the Ballard Bridge) will feature the “less-adoptable-pets” for one week, starting tomorrow, through next Tuesday, August 18. All “less-adoptable-pets” who find a home during this time will have their adoption and microchip fees waived. For more information click here.

Every third Thursday of the month the shelter also houses its “Cool City Pets” event, which showcases small animals that also need homes. Small animals available for adoption include gerbils, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, mice and rats. This event will take place on Saturday, August 15, from 12-3pm. Click here for more information.

The Seattle Animal Shelter continues showcasing “cool city pets” for adoption every third Saturday of the month – this month on March 21. Between the hours of noon and 3 p.m., potential adopters can get acquainted with the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, located at 2061 15^th Ave. W., about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. Available small animals include hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice.

How can you resist those beautiful eyes?

If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-PETS(7387) or visit the shelter’s website.

The Seattle Parks Department and the Seattle Animal Shelter are stepping up enforcement at city parks being turned into unofficial “off-leash” areas by dog owners.

Park staff have created a “Top Ten” list of worst offender sites including Green Lake Park, West Queen Anne Playfield, Gilman Playfield, Bitter Lake Playfield, Ravenna/Cowen Parks and Volunteer Park.

Last weekend – the first weekend of heightened enforcement – Animal Shelter officers handed out 14 off leash citations, mostly at Volunteer and Ravenna/Cowen parks. Get this: Fines for off-leash, license and scooping violations range from $54 to $162, and can be up to $500 at a beach, according to a press release.

Dogs are allowed on leashes in most Seattle parks. They are not allowed with or without leashes at organized athletic fields, beaches, or children’s play areas. Here’s more info on official off-leash areas, including this little nugget: “If you’re female and you’re in heat, you are not allowed in off-leash areas (SMC 9.25.084).” To eliminate any confusion, they’re referring to the four-legged variety.

The Seattle Animal Shelter continues showcasing “cool city pets” for adoption every third Saturday of the month – Nov. 15 this month. Between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m., potential adopters can get acquainted with the many small animals available for adoption from the shelter, located at 2061 15th Ave. W., about a mile south of the Ballard Bridge. Available small animals include hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice.

“The Seattle Animal Shelter isn’t just about cats and dogs anymore,” says Director Don Jordan. “Because of our tremendous success in adopting out cats and dogs, we are now entrusted with the lives of all animals when pet owners can no longer care for them. Adopting an animal from the Seattle Animal Shelter is the right thing to do.”

If you would like more information or directions, please call (206) 386-PETS(7387) or visit the shelter’s website.

Halloween is just around the corner. It’s a fun time for adults and children alike. But it can be a traumatic and even dangerous time for your pets.  Seattle Animal Shelter Director Don Jordan offers the following tips to keep Halloween from being a fright for pets and trick-or-treaters:

• Don’t leave your pets out in the yard on Halloween. There are too many stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, or even killed pets on this night.

• Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

• Watch out for the ‘lethal wagging tails’ or curious kittens near lit pumpkins or other flames. Pets can knock them over and cause a fire or burn injuries to your pet and people.
• Don’t dress your animals in costumes unless you know they love it.  If you do dress them up, be careful not to obstruct their vision as even the sweetest dogs can get snappy when they can’t see what’s going on around them.

• Keep your dog(s) in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours as too many strangers in strange garb can be scary for a dog.  If you are having an indoor party, keep pets in a room where they won’t be disturbed or frightened by costumes.

• Make certain your pet is wearing a pet license in case your cat or dog darts out through an open door.

For more information, check the website of the Seattle Animal Shelter: http://www.seattleanimalshelter.org.

In 2006, the Seattle City Council, upon recommendation by Ken Bounds, Superintendent of Parks approved $70,000 for the creation of dog off-leash areas in Kinnear Park in Queen Anne and Magnolia Manor Park.

According to the Queen Anne News,  Dog Off-Leash Advocates or DOLA, wants to find a different location.  They are hosting a meeting to gather public comment at 7 p.m. on  Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Room 1 of the Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 First Ave. W.