SEQUIM — A puppy named Captain Kirk is about to boldly go to a new home.
Captain Kirk was involved in a wreck about 11 p.m. Nov. 12 on U.S. Highway 101 when a driver collided with an unsecured makeshift kennel that fell out of a truck on its way to Port Gamble.
Mel Marshall of Welfare for Animals Guild (WAG) in Sequim wrote via email that Captain Kirk, named after the Kirk Road location where he was found, has been in a foster home and there’s a “great adoption application” in for him.
Captain Kirk was one of several malamute mix puppies inside the kennel. One died from injuries in the crash and two were rescued and transported to Kitsap County by State Patrol troopers.
At least two other puppies were unaccounted for in the area, troopers reported. However, Marshall said WAG later received a call about “a little white dog” on the highway near Sunny Farms.
She and Mary Kniskern, owner of Sonny’s Spaw, went to look for the dog, presuming it was one from the wreck. Kniskern previously found the deceased puppy from the collision.
“We got a call that someone had found the puppy (and) we asked that they bring the puppy to us so we could get the puppy to the vet,” Marshall said.
Dr. Linda Allen of Pacific Northwest Veterinary Hospital examined Captain Kirk, took X-rays and discovered he had no broken bones or swelling.
“He was lucky to be alive,” Marshall said.
The State Patrol said no humans were injured in the collision, and no criminal charges were filed against Captain Kirk’s former owners as the wreck was considered to be an accident.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.