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1. The Dog-Catchers of Old Seattle

   A reporter spends a harrowing night in a wagon with the city's dog-catchers, witnessing the capture of pampered pets and the cold reality of the local pound.

   Aug 28, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSecond Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

2. A Cougar Attacks in the Salmon Hatchery

   A hungry cougar terrorizes a local salmon hatchery, leading to a desperate defensive battle involving dogs and a rifle.

   Oct 23, 1903The Evening StatesmanIlwaco, Pacific CountyStrange But True

3. The Dog Tax That Barked Back: Seattle’s First Crackdown on Strays

   In 1876, the City Council passed a law requiring every dog to wear a numbered collar and pay a tax—or face execution. The result? A chaotic hunt for unlicensed mutts and a grim new reality for the city's half-starved strays.

   Sep 16, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

4. The Neighborhood Dog Dispute

   A man takes violent measures to stop his dog and his neighbor's dog from fighting, leading to a criminal charge.

   Jan 30, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

5. The Trial of Prince the Dog

   A Seattle jailhouse standoff erupts when two men both claim ownership of a local canine, forcing a judge to decide who the dog really belongs to.

   Oct 14, 1887Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerCounty Jail, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

6. The Battle of the West End

   Neighbors in Tacoma's West End are calling for city intervention after a wave of poisonings fails to curb the local dog population.

   Apr 27, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

7. The Fashionable Business of Curing Pets

   A local dog fancier describes the burgeoning industry of canine health, from tail-docking 'fads' to managing bilious pugs.

   Mar 12, 1891The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountySnake Oil

8. City Marshal Vows to Clear Streets of Unlicensed Dogs

   Marshal C. E. Copeland warns Kennewick dog owners that their pets will face the 'bone yard' if license fees aren't paid by July 1.

   Jun 11, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

9. The War on Stray Dogs at Wright Park

   Park commissioners order police to shoot all canines found loose in the city's green space.

   Jun 21, 1904The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

10. A Neighborhood Brawl at the Hiteshue Home

    A domestic dispute involving rocks, clubs, and an angry dog leads to a shooting incident in Tacoma.

    Aug 15, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

11. Rabies Scare Puts Every Dog in the Richland District Under Quarantine

    A state veterinarian quarantines the Columbia River Valley after a mad dog bites local animals, ordering dogs tied or muzzled from the Horn to the Columbia.

    Nov 23, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyCity Hall

12. Kennewick Sheriff Spares the Dog, Bills the Owner

    A new enforcement order ends the practice of killing unmuzzled dogs found at large, putting fines and jail time on the people who let them run.

    Jan 31, 1918The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

13. The Sad End of Sport the Fire Dog

    The local firehouse dog, a beloved fixture of the Seattle south end, met a tragic end under the wheels of a patrol wagon.

    Jun 25, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

14. The Town Goes to the Dogs

    A state-mandated rabies quarantine forces Kennewick residents to muzzle their dogs or face the consequences.

    Dec 13, 1917The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

15. The Stray That Found a Home Amid the Earthquake

    When the great tremor rattled Seattle, a terrified stray pup fled for its life, only to find an unexpected new beginning in the city’s chaos.

    Jul 3, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

16. The Cruel Poisoning of Seattle’s Street Dogs

    An 1885 report reveals a string of violent animal deaths in Seattle, sparking public outrage against those using strychnine in the city streets.

    Aug 7, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

17. The Hanford Coyote Scare

    A bold coyote invades a residential fence line, bites local dogs, and sparks a small-town manhunt.

    Mar 2, 1917White Bluffs SpokesmanHanford, Benton CountyStrange But True

18. The Trial of the $12,000 Yellow Dog

    A vicious canine’s habit of biting pedestrians leads to a massive civil lawsuit that leaves a judge weighing the legal definition of a trespasser.

    Oct 29, 1903The Evening StatesmanWalla Walla, Walla Walla CountyStrange But True

19. Dog Poisoner Terrifies Everett Neighborhood

    Local pets are dying after a series of cruel attacks in the south end of Everett, prompting a police investigation.

    Sep 26, 1924White Bluffs SpokesmanEverett, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

20. The Price of a Bulldog Bite

    A Seattle millhand secures a $4,000 judgment after a vicious guard dog attack on the tide flats, despite the owner's attempt to deny responsibility.

    Oct 31, 1903The Evening StatesmanConnecticut Street, Seattle, King County

21. The Seneca Street Prankster

    A pet parrot in Seattle develops a sophisticated and cruel sense of humor, terrorizing a local dog with fake emergency cries.

    Aug 2, 1880Puget Sound DispatchSeneca Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

22. The City Council's Dog Catching Dilemma

    Seattle's municipal politics get messy as aldermen debate the ethics of canine control and the cost of public service.

    Apr 30, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

23. The Price of a Poodle on a Cable Car

    A muddy dog sparked a violent brawl between a streetcar passenger and a gripman, leaving a commuter toothless and the transit worker with a fine.

    Nov 20, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

24. Every Street a Sled Trail: Seattle Breaks in Dog Teams for the Klondike

    In the winter of 1898 the thoroughfares of the Sound cities turned into training grounds — sleds, go-devils and sail-carts everywhere, companies buying and selling sled dogs at $25 to $100 a team, and one man solemnly breaking in a team of billy goats.

    Jan 8, 1898Ranche and RangeSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Local Legends

25. The Wolf-Dog of the Grande Ronde

    A ranger’s loyal pet answers the call of the wild, but gives his life to defend his master against his own pack.

    Sep 1, 1916Coulee City DispatchAsotin, Asotin CountyStrange But True

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