Seal pup Abe returned again today to Lincoln Park for a rest, but narrowly escaped an off leash dog in what could have been a tragic incident. The hotline received a call this morning that a pup was on the beach. Our responder found an alert Abe at the water’s edge with a small crowd quietly observing from a reasonable distance. The responder quickly established a tape perimeter around him, but due to walking path issues people were still allowed far closer than the ideal. Abe became more relaxed and settled in for a quick nap, but as the tide came in he moved closer towards the walk and captivated onlookers. Still, people were very respectful of his need to rest and Abe slept for several hours nestled behind a log. However, one of our volunteers noticed a man and off leash dog approaching the area close to the beach; she asked him to please leash his dog as there was a seal pup resting on shore. Unfortunately, he did not. Suddenly, from the grass above, his black lab got a whiff of the unsuspecting seal pup and bolted straight for him. Abe barely managed to escape the dog - who even followed him into the water!

We plead with people over and over to please keep dogs leashed near the beach and to respect the city ordinance that dogs are not allowed on any public beach. A dog’s sense of smell is amazing - and one can just never predict how a dog will react when they discover a seal is on the beach. This is a good example of how a dog owner can overestimate the control they have over their pet and underestimate the pet’s reaction in these situations. The dog owner was apologetic. We were very lucky today that this seal pup was not seriously mauled or killed. Had Abe been ill or trying to heal from an injury, he would not have been able to escape. Abe did not return to shore.

Seal pup Spanky visited his favorite rock again today, but returned to Puget Sound at high tide.

Tags: Abe, Spanky