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For Colleen Dunn, Oct. 10, 2025, unexpectedly turned into a day she won’t forget.

The evening started like many others: a walk along the shoreline near Nehalem Bay State Park with her two dogs, searching for sand dollars. “Come on universe, I just want one. One sand dollar,” she remembers thinking.

Then she saw what looked like driftwood in the distance — until it moved. She suspected it might be a harbor seal pup. Knowing wildlife officials urge people to leave seal pups alone so their mothers can return, she kept her distance. But as she got a little closer, she realized it was a small shark, roughly 3 feet long, lying on its side and gasping for air.

The shark showed no signs of injury. Dunn, unsure if it might be aggressive, sized up the

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