Rescued dog to arrive in five days

The Honolulu Advertiser

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Forgea the seagoing dog, flea-bitten but apparently in good shape otherwise, is on her way to O'ahu as a passenger aboard the ocean tug American Quest.

She is expected to dock at Barbers Point within five days, as American Quest arrives with the tanker Insiko 1907 in tow.

The body of a crew member from the People's Republic of China is still on the derelict tanker. The crewman was killed when the engine room of the Insiko exploded into flames on March 13.

The Coast Guard had first planned to deliver Forgea to Johnston Island so she could be picked up by Humane Society veterinarians while the American Quest took the Insiko to deep water and sank the vessel.

Further examination of the Insiko revealed that it was seaworthy enough to be towed into O'ahu.

Forgea and the tanker's crew drifted dead in the water until April 2, when the cruise ship Norwegian Star stopped to rescue them.

Forgea was left behind by her master, the tanker captain, and became the object of a 24-day search by the Hawaiian Humane society.

"She's doing great," Coast Guard Lt. DesaRae Atnip said of the 2-year-old mixed terrier. "She's letting the crew members pet her, and she's eating, drinking and sleeping."

The American Quest crew rescued her Friday afternoon, after being hired by the Coast Guard to tow the Insiko away from Johnston Atoll, where the tanker posed a threat to an environmentally sensitive area.

Although the dog ran from fishermen who had tried to rescue her the week before, she allowed herself to be taken off the ship by tug crewmen.

"She's not drinking a lot of water," said Linda Haller of the Hawaiian Humane Society, who is also in contact with the crew. "That's making us a little concerned."

Haller said she recommended that the men mix a little water into the mixture of table scraps and dog food they are feeding Forgea.

Crew members are unable to bathe the dog for fear of further traumatizing her, but they did clean her up and get rid of a lot of the fleas, Haller said.

After arriving here, Forgea will be examined by a veterinarian and then flown to a Humane Society facility on Kaua'i for the required 120-day state quarantine.

Correction: The crewman who was killed in the fire on the Insiko 1907 was from the People's Republic of China. A previous version of this story was incorrect.