Seattle’s most famous squirrel travels to the big city
Jan 2, 2018, 12:35 PM | Updated: Jan 5, 2018, 4:40 pm
“Do you want to come down to the City Attorney’s Office to meet Hawthorne?” was the gist of Seattle Police Sergeant Sean Whitcomb’s phone call to me last week.
“Yes, of course.”
You see, Peter Hawthorne is a bit of a celebrity, at least on Twitter. Whitcomb adopted the orphaned gray squirrel in August and has been documenting his development ever since. Followers have watched him eat his first walnut, investigate a vacuum, and everything in between. He has not tried water-skiing yet.
So on a cool December morning, we gathered in a conference room adjacent to City Attorney Pete Holmes’ office for a reunion of sorts. A squirrel reunion, complete with plenty of nuts. Real nuts, folks, real nuts.
Whitcomb brought Hawthorne downtown to meet the man, Kent Meyer, and his daughter, who rescued the baby squirrel while on an evening run over her college summer break. She wasn’t able to make it to the table, but dad took lots of photos.
So why is our city attorney involved? Well he’s Meyer’s boss. And when Meyer was faced with a suffering wild animal brought into his home by his concerned daughter, he immediately knew to contact Holmes, who has rehabilitated plenty of squirrels over the years.
“The next morning, I wake up and see an email from Pete, who said something like, ‘Hold on. It needs to be hydrated. Bring it into the office. I will stop at the pet store and get some puppy formula. And I’ll show you how to take care of it.'”
Kent admitted he would have just put it back where his daughter found it. But he brought the baby squirrel to Holmes.
Eventually, Whitcomb volunteered to be in charge of Hawthorne’s long-term recovery and reintroduction into the wild, which is most likely Whitcomb’s backyard. It’s a stone’s throw from a few neighborhood chestnut trees and the perfect stream for fresh water. And Whitcomb assured me that the door will always be open for Hawthorne’s return. Aw, what a good squirrel dad.
Below are just a few tweets about Hawthorne (OK, maybe more than a few):
DAY 1: We were entrusted to raise an orphaned baby squirrel until she is old enough to survive in the wild. We have named her Hawthorne. pic.twitter.com/36iN5KDpMx
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) August 24, 2017
DAY 4: Fostering a baby squirrel isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Lots of messy poop and pee today. This little guy needs a bath! pic.twitter.com/Msz01wabmt
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) August 27, 2017
DAY 5: It’s the little things that are keeping Hawthorne occupied. I suspect this is going to get interesting really soon. pic.twitter.com/HF6qflYvhv
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) August 28, 2017
DAY 6: Busy day for Hawthorne. Being a good squirrel, he didn’t complain about his accommodations one bit. pic.twitter.com/RQPRygvOQa
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) August 29, 2017
DAY 8: The perfect perch. pic.twitter.com/RZ07ugKRaZ
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) August 30, 2017
DAY 11: Let the house exploration begin! pic.twitter.com/mPyHVski7x
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 3, 2017
DAY 12: Dollhouse life. pic.twitter.com/TN7AiO9Fqe
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 3, 2017
DAY 13: Thank you @CityAttyPeteH for the squirrel-sized luxury condo. Little Peter Hawthorne loves it! pic.twitter.com/QCheCs6fWX
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 5, 2017
Day 20: Hawthorne had a great day today. Very hopeful that he will be playing in the woods before long. pic.twitter.com/6JTOGSoqa7
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 12, 2017
DAY 22: It was just a matter of time, really. pic.twitter.com/TY6821HXuc
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 14, 2017
DAY 23: Hawthorne is becoming an adept climber, traversing the couch & on to my leg. He’s so small his nails don’t scratch the furniture. pic.twitter.com/XmgIL78ZLr
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 15, 2017
Plan is to care for Hawthorne until he’s strong enough to survive in the wild. Living plants brighten his condo as we settle in for autumn. pic.twitter.com/RVDLKVgYEW
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 20, 2017
DAY 29: The body language says it all. pic.twitter.com/eHoI8zLMqo
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 21, 2017
DAY 33: Hawthorne is a playful squirrel! pic.twitter.com/HNC3DZX0z3
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 25, 2017
I am a tree. A very, very calm tree. pic.twitter.com/qYWzII501z
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) September 28, 2017
Does Hawthorne like Honeycrisp apple slices? Yes, he does! pic.twitter.com/AM4o8DEJfE
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) October 6, 2017
Hey @SeattleShepard, hopefully this little video will make your daughter’s next trip to the dentist a little bit easier. #LookMaNoCavities pic.twitter.com/6DjZEDmV7A
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) October 12, 2017
Not sure if Hawthorne saw a hawk or owl (or another squirrel?) outside our window, but it’s the first time he’s made this noise. pic.twitter.com/ggXi2aeya7
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) October 17, 2017
#SquirrelTraining pic.twitter.com/TCnNloF1MK
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) October 20, 2017
We did our best to create a forest floor for Hawthorne, complete with moss, leaves, branches and lichen. I think he likes it. pic.twitter.com/BxHsaAxLjw
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) October 30, 2017
Hawthorne is really enjoying his new scratching post. pic.twitter.com/b612dL6SXD
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) November 3, 2017
Hawthorne contemplates the forest below. pic.twitter.com/8npGcB7mSc
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) November 5, 2017
Sleepy squirrel. pic.twitter.com/dDqjBHDPyZ
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) November 13, 2017
A little morning playtime before heading out to work. pic.twitter.com/FE8eauLYfY
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) November 16, 2017
Dinner with an audience. pic.twitter.com/62R6EkNawa
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) November 28, 2017
The best squirrel kisses. pic.twitter.com/7Q9EA4OUYE
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) December 2, 2017
Hawthorne’s first walnut. pic.twitter.com/tRI8bAOBPi
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) December 10, 2017
Little squirrel on a big table eating a blueberry. pic.twitter.com/CbVQz8ahhd
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) December 16, 2017
Happy Christmas Eve, everybody! Someone got an early present… pic.twitter.com/gbMhyeXJMb
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) December 24, 2017
Sleepy squirrel. pic.twitter.com/RHDNvr2tWK
— Sean P. Whitcomb (@SeanPWhitcomb) December 27, 2017