Anna

Tiny stray needs a foster or adopter.

Useless Bay Sanctuary was asked to help a little dog near Green Lake. She was hiding under a deck, staying away from people. No one knew where she came from or who she belonged to. I brought a humane trap the next day. She watched me set it up, and as soon as I left the yard, she came to investigate. I recorded a video looking over the top of the gate. When you see the video, she appears to be looking right at me, but she only sees my phone, which, to her, is nothing noteworthy. She went into the trap fairly quickly, but she was so light that she didn’t trigger the door. She had to stand on the trigger plate with all four feet, and also pull with her teeth on a sausage tucked under the trigger plate, to generate enough downward force to move the lever closer to tripping. Then she stepped on the highest edge of the trip plate, and that was finally enough to make the door fall. She was not too alarmed. She seemed mainly curious about what had happened.

These traps are called humane traps, and the name is apt. I could have lured Anna with Calming Signals, I think, which would have been fine. It might have taken an hour or so. Or it might not have worked. The humane trap took less than ten minutes to get it out of my car, set it, set the wildlife camera to monitor it, get out of the yard, watch her enter the trap, catch her, and load her into my car. It was completely non-traumatic for her, and highly effective. The proper use of a humane trap is really a lifesaver for dogs like Anna. Where she was hiding was only a few blocks from a freeway exit. If people had tried to grab her, there’s a good chance she would have bolted, and possibly been hit by a car. A humane trap was the safest way to secure her.

I named her Anna because, as you can hear on the video, there was a hummingbird very near me. It’s possible it was a Rufous hummingbird, but more likely it was an Anna’s hummingbird. The dog didn’t seem like a Rufous.

When I got Anna home, I put her in a crate in a separate room, away from my crazy dogs. She barked nonstop for over an hour, until I could get back to her. When I say that she barked, I mean, she squeaked. It sounded like someone squeezing a squeaky toy repeatedly. When I could get back to her, she sat on my lap and was perfectly happy. As long as you hold her, she’s content.

Kari agreed to foster Anna overnight. I took her over to Kari’s house, and I sat on the kitchen floor with Anna in my arms as Beba, Sapphire, and Muffin checked her out. Anna made the cutest little snarl at them when they got too close. Vienna sausage helped with the introduction, and everyone seemed to be fine.

The next morning, Kari took Anna to the Seattle Shelter, where her owners would go to look for her, if they were in fact looking for her. The Shelter said they were very full, over capacity, and asked if Kari could foster her for a while. Kari was already fostering Muffin for the Seattle Animal Shelter, so she agreed.

Anna came to training this morning, and she walked with Beba on the scent trail they laid for the search dogs. Kari held Anna in her arms as they waited for Haas, Layla, and Tino to find Beba. Anna was a very good girl. As long as you hold her, she is a perfect angel. She doesn’t want to be left alone.

We hope that Anna’s people will be looking for her, and they will claim her. If not, she will need a foster and a forever home. If you can help Anna, please let us know at UselessBaySanctuary@gmail.com