Dear editor, and West Seattle friends,

On Feb. 20, our beloved Papillon, Pogo, a 7 lb. long-haired dog with large, erect ears, ran away from our house in Delridge after her bath, wearing no collar or tags. She was tracked from our home up to the High Point Library on Feb. 22 by a K-9 tracker with a trained sniffer dog. The Seattle Librarian at that branch alerted me to the news that three weeks ago, another small dog had been nabbed from the back door of the library and sold to gang-bangers to be used as a bait dog for dog fights! We really hope this hasn’t happened to Pogo!

Two young people (in High Point found Pogo) and took her around the neighborhood, asking households if anyone knew her. They also took her to the Seattle Housing Authority office. None of these people could identify her, since she lives down on 26th and they were up in High Point.

When these young folk had to leave town, they entrusted her to a neighbor, who graciously offered to watch her in the meantime. Sadly, the dog escaped from that home on Feb. 21. She has not been seen since.

Our friends have been blanketing High Point, Sea View, Admiral, and the West Crest Dog Park with signs. Please, friends, if you see a very small white dog with long, silky fur, a reddish head, red markings, and a tail that curls up over her back (although it’s probably curled between her back legs since she’s so scared and alone), don’t chase her, but do gently entice her with a treat, and contact me at 206-353-9334 right away. Please don’t let her get away again.

She may have been spotted at a location that meets this description: at the bottom of a steep hill or ravine, four almost identical houses are in a row, facing a steep hill or drop-off. At the end of the row of four houses is an brambly, abandoned lot containing the foundation of a fifth house. One of the houses has an arbor, one has a chain link fence. Two are white, two are light blue. In front of one of the houses are some older model cars in good condition. If this area sounds familiar to you, especially the old cars, please also let me know. Unfortunately the person who spotted her did not think to note the address.

Thank you friends, we are really relying on the goodness of strangers in this situation. Pogo has a microchip, so if someone takes her to the vet or the shelter, we will be reunited. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Betsy, Jerry, Isaac & Rebecca Hoffmeister, who miss their Pogo very, very much