Harold
A small black dog had been reported wandering WestCrest Park in West Seattle. He had been seen in the same are for three days, near the community garden. People wanted to help him, but he was cautious. Tino and I went there this afternoon, with a humane trap.
I saw him as soon as I pulled in the lot. I set the trap, but he didn’t come around for about 20 minutes. I went looking for him, and saw him inside the gate to the police equestrian facility. It was quiet inside the fence. Apparently no one was around today. I moved the trap over to in front of the gate. He came out fairly soon, but he wasn’t heavy enough to trigger the door when he stepped on the pressure plate.
He spooked when the automatic gate opened for no apparent reason. While he was away, I added weight to the trigger plate. I used four cans of Vienna sausage as weight, along with a chunk of concrete I found nearby. He didn’t come back for over an hour. I think he must have been full from his first visit to the trap, and he was probably taking a nap in the bushes.
Tino also took a nap while we were waiting. I was watching for the little dog. I never saw him coming, but suddenly he was at the trap. He still managed to get quite a bit of Vienna sausage without triggering the trap. Finally, he got turned around so his heavier front end was at the high end of the trigger plate. This was enough to drop the door, finally. Usually, dogs have their heads towards the far end when the door comes down, so they would have to turn around or back out quickly in order to beat the door. This little guy was facing the door, and he almost managed to get to the opening in time. The door just barely came down enough to hold him in, and the rings came down to seal the door. He was trapped.
He barked just a little when I went to the trap. I loaded him into the back of the car, and it was basically like loading an empty trap, he was so light. Once I was in the car with the windows rolled up, I opened the trap, and he came out to see us before long. Tino sniffed him all over, which he allowed. He sat on my lap like we were old friends. He had a little bow tie on. I named him Harold.
I didn’t find a microchip during the first scan. I asked Diane if she could hold him overnight, and she said yes. She will take him to the shelter tomorrow, Sunday. The shelter is very full, and they probably would appreciate it if someone wanted to foster little Harold. He is a sweet boy. No trouble at all. Please let us know if you can help him.