February 2009

Claire is a miniature black poodle that weighs about 14 pounds and wears a very stylish brown sweater with a striped stocking cap attached to it for the extreme cold weather. Donna Burkholder, her owner, didn't know if she should take her precious pooch to work at her psychotherapy practice by the public market but she tried it and every body loves her.

Donna calls Claire her little therapy dog, "If people get teary eyed she goes over and comforts them". She goes most of the places that Donna goes and now even people at the public market know Claire. She was very comfortable standing on Donnas lap while we rode a crowded bus to downtown exuding calm like a good therapy dog.

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Jack Monroe has a good friend in Buddy. At 8 and a half years old that's a really good thing.

"He's Jack's dog," said his mom Kim. Jack saved half of the money needed to pay the fees associated with bringing Buddy home. Buddy was a rescue dog. "He was a $400 rescue dog," said Kim who noted that they saved him from a 'Puppy Mill'.

So now Buddy sleeps next to Jack's bed, in his kennel.

They think he is 2 or 3 years old and he is a Papillon and Chihuahua mix. Buddy "Likes to play with his piggy" as a favorite toy said Jack and "He wakes me up in the morning when he has to go poddy,"

As a rescue dog, Buddy was a little shy at first but has since come out of his shell and is really blossoming.

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Bill Wolford and his wife Hope met their pug Quasimojo about the time they were dating over 9 years ago. Bill was against getting the dog "because dogs are lot of responsibility," he said, but she chose the little black pug and that was that."He's a very special lovable dog," said Hope.

Quasi, as they call him, likes "all food" according to Bill and "if we had an unlimited supply of food he would probably explode." Even so, he's in fairly good shape for a pug showing some signs of age with gray hair but is not overweight.

He's neutered too so his once aggressive tendencies have been quelled and fortunately "He does not hump people's legs," said Bill. He can roll over and play dead, dance and shake, fetch treats and can fit a tennis ball in his mouth. He's also very good at keeping their young daughter occupied and "likes to sleep and cuddle with us if we let him."

Remarkably enough Quasimojo was born in corn country Harland, Iowa about 30 miles from where Bill grew up...and he DOES like corn. "If I give him corn on the cob he will eat the whole thing, including the cob," Bill remarked.

Powder is a beautiful white German Shepard and at 8 years of age has seen her share of issues but is still very active and loves her life.

James Hopper, her owner said, "Powder has had two 'Doggie ACL' operations on her knees and is a breast cancer survivor, she's pretty resilient." We caught up with them at the Hiawatha playfield next to West Seattle High School. "This is her favorite park," said James, "and she loves to come here and chase squirrels, though I never let off the leash."

Powder also enjoys going out on the boat and helps pick up crab pots. She's a good watchdog, true to the German Shepard tradition and at night she sleeps on the foot of the bed.

How to nominate your pet:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave SW and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online. Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.

Tallulah is 1 year old on Feb. 2 says her proud owner Heidi Reynolds. She is a mass of soft and shiny fur that Heidi attributes to her healthy diet of Natural Balance that she gets at Mud Bay, and the fish oil supplements she buys online that are especially designed for dogs. Tallulah goes to the Downtown Dog Lounge during the day in Belltown. She is so sweet, approachable, and outgoing that all the dogs will play with her. She has a doggy gang that follows her around.

While we were talking some birds flew over head and Tallulah, all seventy pounds of her, leaped up. She likes to watch the birds but she seems to want to join them, "Like she could make it 500 feet". For now she will have to keep her paws on the ground.

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Ralph is a 9 year old shaved Pomeranian that weighs about 15 pounds. His favorite thing to do is walking, sniffing, and marking his territory with his owner Erik Jaderquist.

For a big adventure they take the bus to downtown and walk all over. They meet about one hundred people that want to ask questions about his variety or stop to pet. It is no wonder because "Ralph is a good customer" at Cherie's Pet Styling Salon, says Erik. In this photo his clip is two weeks old, but he gets groomed every two months. He will eat anything, including chilis and onions. It does not seem to matter much, he still looks like he should be in a toy store window.

How to nominate your pet:

Want to nominate your pet for Pet of the Week? Stop by the VCA West Seattle Veterinary Hospital at 5261 California Ave SW and just ask for a form. A nomination is not a guarantee of appearance and your name and photo may appear in our newspaper and online. Photos may or may not be used and our "Pet Reporter" may be in touch with you to arrange to take a photo. Pets nominated will be chosen on the basis of uniqueness of the pet and the quality of the story and information submitted.

Marc Osborn has a spider web connected to his 43 inch flat screen TV and his DVR. It has been there about five months and contains what he thinks is a female spider.

Her name is "Spidie". He feeds her mostly living bugs from around the house and swimming pool. Spiders can only ingest liquid so they must inject a fluid into their prey and that digests the bug inside itself. Then the spider sucks out the liquid food. Marc learned this on Wikipedia but he learned how to catch flies from his father when he was about seven years old.

Friends also bring over live food for Spidie such as live bees and crickets purchased at Petco in the Junction. Marc suspects Spidie is somewhat handicapped however since her web is wide open and never catches anything itself so he believes she would not be alive and healthy with out his aid. He educates his friend's children when they come over to visit. Surprisingly they love it!

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King County Metro is expecting a $110 million shortfall in funding for bus service at a time when demand is increasing.

“People are riding the bus in record numbers, yet the very service they want and need is jeopardized by the continued drop in sales taxes,” King County Executive Ron Sims said. “We’ve already cut costs by $80 million in capital, and operating costs by more than $2 million in order to keep service on the roads this year.“

A new projection of sales taxes collected in King County shows that revenues could be down an extra $35 million in 2010, which when added to Metro Transit’s existing $65 million projected shortfall will create a $100 million shortfall in funding for bus service. 

The new report prompted the Chair of the Metropolitan King County Council’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee to call for action by the state Legislature to provide counties with new revenue sources for public transportation. 

Admiral Theater
2343 California Ave. S.W.
938-3456
Movie tickets $5.50
Tickets available at http://www.farawayentertainment.com/admiral.html
http://www.farawayentertainment.com/admiral.html

Current films, Feb. 23-26
Bolt (PG, John Travolta, LMiley Cyrus) 1, 3, 7
Twilight (PG-13, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson) 1:15, 4, 6:45, 9:10
Valkerie (PG-13, Tom Cruise) 6:50, 9:15

Ama Ama Oyster Bar and Grill
4752 California Ave. S.W.
937-1514
Happy Hour: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to Midnight daily.
http://www.ama-amaseattle.com/

Thursdays, 9 p.m.
Live Music (jazz, blues, funk)

Bamboo Bar and Grill
2806 Alki Ave. S.W.
937-3023
Happy Hour: Sunday through Thursday, 3 to 6 p.m., 10 p.m. to Midnight, Friday and Saturday, 3 to 6 p.m.
http://www.bamboobarandgrill.com/

Fridays and Saturdays, Live Music

Beveridge Place Pub
6413 California Ave. S.W.
932-9906
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 2 to 6 p.m.
www.beveridgeplacepub.com/

Micro Monday, $3 pints and $12 pitchers
Belgian Tuesdays and Free pool, $1 off all Belgian bottles.

King County Council chairman Dow Constantine, a West Seattle native, has announced that he will be running against fellow councilmember Larry Phillips for King County executive.

“The changes needed at King County now are too pressing for me to sit on the sidelines,” says Constantine. “We have an ongoing structural disconnect between the expenses of government and funds available which can only be solved with a fresh set of eyes and change in culture.”

Constantine says that after nearly seven years on the King County Council he knows how the county works, but hasn’t been around so long that he has become jaded or lost a fresh perspective.

He added that he is uniquely qualified because the district he currently represents as a councilmember is as diverse as the greater county, including Vashon Island, Burien, Tukwila, SODO, Pioneer Square and more.

Most of all, Constantine says he would serve the county wee because he does not hesitate to get involved in tough issues.

“I have jumped in when I saw an injustice,” says Constantine. “When I saw a problem that truly needed fixing I have suffered the slings and arrows to fix it.”