Fishermen Try To Rescue Dog Lost At Sea
Coast Guard Feeds Dog With Air-Delivery Pizza
POSTED: 5:36 p.m. EDT April 22, 2002
UPDATED: 5:37 p.m. EDT April 22, 2002
HONOLULU -- A dog feared lost at sea on an abandoned tanker began a trip to Hawaii Monday.
A Honolulu-based fishing vessel met Forgea Sunday.
A Coast Guard crew dropped food to the dog including pizzas and granola bars on Saturday when the vessel was spotted.
Forgea belongs to the Taiwanese captain of the Insiko, who along with his Chinese crew was rescued by the Norwegian Star on April 2.
The Humane Society said it's taking some time for the fisherman to befriend the frightened dog.
"One of the issues is the dog no doubt was raised on Mandarin or the Chinese language and the folks that are on board only speak English," said Pamela Burns of the Hawaii Humane Society.
The Humane Society spent $50,000 on an earlier rescue attempt but said it's gotten $40,000 in donations from dog-lovers wanting to help Forgea.
American Marine Services donated much of its time.
"One of the reasons our motivation for this project was that every night when I came home my daughter Morgan would meet me at the door and ask me 'Dad have you found the dog yet?' all I could tell her was: 'We're still looking,'" said Rusty Nall of American Marine Services.
Nall said 2-year-old Forgea keeps running below the deck of the Insiko and hiding. Nall said the crew can't go below deck because the fire that crippled the tanker last month made for dangerous conditions.
Nall said the fishermen are using peanut butter and a phrase in Mandarin that means "come here" to coax Forgea. Once they have her, they plan to bring her back to Honolulu next week.
Forgea belongs to the Taiwanese captain of the Insiko, who along with his Chinese crew was rescued by the Norwegian Star on April 2.
The Humane Society said it's taking some time for the fisherman to befriend the frightened dog.
"One of the issues is the dog no doubt was raised on Mandarin or the Chinese language and the folks that are on board only speak English," said Pamela Burns of the Hawaii Humane Society.
The Humane Society spent $50,000 on an earlier rescue attempt but said it's gotten $40,000 in donations from dog-lovers wanting to help Forgea.
American Marine Services donated much of its time.
"One of the reasons our motivation for this project was that every night when I came home my daughter Morgan would meet me at the door and ask me 'Dad have you found the dog yet?' all I could tell her was: 'We're still looking,'" said Rusty Nall of American Marine Services.
Nall said 2-year-old Forgea keeps running below the deck of the Insiko and hiding. Nall said the crew can't go below deck because the fire that crippled the tanker last month made for dangerous conditions.
Nall said the fishermen are using peanut butter and a phrase in Mandarin that means "come here" to coax Forgea. Once they have her, they plan to bring her back to Honolulu next week.Copyright 2002 by Lifewhile.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
