Sunrise Neighborhood Blog » Safety

Bobcat across the valley

Kirk Hall — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 02:33:08 +0000

On the ring app I was alerted to a sighting of a Bobcat across the valley from us. It is probably the same Bobcat which has appeared several times over here, but it could also be a new animal. Anyway we know that Bobcats are in the area, so be careful about letting your pets out.

Mail Thieves Are Active All Year

Kirk Hall — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 20:33:50 +0000

The other day I was on 111th Ave E between 128th St E and 122nd St E when I saw a man picking up mail which had been scattered on the ground. I stopped and asked him what had happened and he pointed to a row of mailboxes on the other side of the street, with their lids open. He said one of those boxes belonged to his daughter and he had found some of her mail in the pieces he was picking up.

Mail thieves are active all year and right now they are looking for IRS filings or refund checks. Please make their jobs harder by picking up your mail as soon as you can and do not put out mail after the Postman has passed for the day. If you have important mail, take it to the Post Office and drop it inside.

Dog Chasing Deer

Kirk Hall — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:46:07 +0000

Today a large dog chased a deer through my backyard. This was not OK!

I have never seen this dog in the Neighborhood, however it may belong to someone who has just moved in.

If you recognize this dog and know where it lives please let me know at kahall@hotmail.com or (253) 307-9812.

Kirk Hall

If you have comments on any post, Please Send Me an Email. I have just had to delete 750 SPAM comments while searching for actual comments. If you do not send me an Email when you comment it will not be posted.

Kirk Hall

Bobcat Again

Kirk Hall — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 21:10:45 +0000

Well it seems like the Neighborhood Bobcat is still in the area. I suspect it will be a permanent resident of our community. We may even see little Bobcats sometime in the future. Just remember that Bobcats normally avoid contact with humans, but under the right circumstances can take down deer sized animals. So keep your pets fenced in during the day and inside at night.

Fireworks on the 4th – Aftermath

Kirk Hall — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:13:35 +0000

Todd Vallie who lives on Shawnee Ridge Rd. near the corner with 136 Ave. E. wrote me the following.

We were gone last week and came home to a bucketful of fire works debris on our roof, new drive way, our patios and in our pool.

Who ever shot them off, further up Shawnee, needs to stop or come down and clean their mess up.

Todd is understandably upset. It is dry right now and with a little bit of bad luck some of the stuff which landed on his property could have been still smoldering. He might have come home to find a pile of ashes where his home once stood.

Please think about this next 4th.

SCAM TEXT ALERT

Kirk Hall — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 21:43:11 +0000

All,

My girls and I got a scam text this morning from 263-788-8845 claiming that we had failed to pay a toll. They wanted $6.67 for the toll, which would go to $66.70 unless it was paid quickly. The area code 263 is from Ontario, Canada.

Do not click on the link provided. Please forward this warning.

Kirk Hall

(253) 840-0411 home (253) 307-9812 cell

Aggressive Dog In Our Neighborhood

Kirk Hall — Tue, 14 May 2024 09:43:00 +0000

Recently I was informed about an aggressive dog in our Neighborhood. It took several interactions by the person who was attacked and intervention by Animal Control before the owner decided to turn the animal over to Animal Control. I am surprised that since a bite was sustained, Animal Control did not immediately quarantine the dog for observation. Pierce County has declined to pursue the matter since the dog was voluntary surrendered to Animal Control. However RCW 16.08.040 makes the dog owner completely responsible for dog bites.

In the above instance the victim showed what I consider too much restraint in dealing with the situation. Any animal bite requires the secure confinement of the animal for at least 10 days to rule out rabies. Failure to do so puts the person bitten in the position of hoping that they will not develop rabies, or having to submit to anti-rabies treatment. Rabies is a disease which is almost 100% fatal after symptoms develop. To my knowledge there is only one person in history who is documented to have survived after developing symptoms of rabies.

Your health is not the only thing at risk in a dog bite case. For example the average cost per dog bite insurance claim rose about 7.1% between 2019 and 2020 due to increased medical costs and the size of legal judgments and settlements. As of 2020, the average cost per dog bite claim was around $50,245.

Without the necessary insurance to provide enough dog bite coverage, individual pet owners could be on the hook for a considerable amount of money if their dog injures another person.

Please insure that your pets are under control at all times. They can be injured or killed if they run out in front of a car or attack or be attacked by another animal. If they bite someone you and your family could well find yourselves bankrupt if you are sued and the judgement goes against you.

Incident on 136th Ave E.

Kirk Hall — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 09:34:40 +0000

On 31 Jan 2023 at around 4:30PM three teenage friends, one of them black, were walking on 136th Ave. E. toward Military Dr. When they were near the sports court just before 118th St. E. they were accosted by two men in a red Chevrolet, License Number BMB 9859. One of the men asked the boys “Have you ever been robbed nigger” obviously referring to the black teenager. The boys felt threatened, though no physical harm was done to them. They reported the incident to their parents. Fortunately, because of the Neighborhood Camera System, we were able to identify the car which had cruised past the boys three times in total. A police report was made.

This kind of harassment has no place in our neighborhood, or in fact anywhere in the US. It was as vicious as it was unprovoked. Let’s keep an eye out for things like this.

Below are some pictures which show that between 4:08PM and 4:30PM the car passed the kids three times.

First recorded pass

Second recorded pass

Third recorded pass

Better Pictures of Bobcat

Kirk Hall — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 21:13:01 +0000

I received these pictures from a neighbor. She said “The bobcat has been coming to our house quite a bit now. We always take our dog out on a leash. The bobcat comes up to our slider and wags its tail when our dog barks at it. “

It appears that our Neighborhood Bobcat has become quite accustom to humans. This is not a good thing. Remember it is a wild animal and use great care if it is around. Always have your animals on a leash when you are out with them. Lets enjoy looking at our Bobcat , but don’t try to touch it.

PS: This time when I sent out notices I got the warning on my copy that “This may be a Phishing message”. In my case you can ignore the message, but be vigilant for real phishing messages. (KH)

Bobcat – It’s Still Here

Kirk Hall — Sun, 24 Dec 2023 23:34:57 +0000

Thanks to a call from a neighbor I was able to find the Bobcat crossing my backyard. It appears to be the same on as before, but who can tell. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

1300hrs 24 Dec 2023 – Bobcat crossing backyard