Hokget is the center of attention today as she is carried by veterinarian Becky Rhoades, director of the Kauai Humane Society. She is flanked by members of the American Quest, Brian Murray, left, who first captured the dog aboard the Insko, and Pakalika Cunningham. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

She looked serene as she posed for the press, sniffing the air and lolling her tongue as a veterinarian held her, tightly. She never barked, not even when state Department of Agriculture officials whisked her away for the mandatory 120-day rabies quarantine. She will spend her quarantine at the Kaua‘i Humane Society.

“It’s a very happy day,” said Pamela Burns, president of the Hawaiian Humane Society. “A very happy day.”

It was an amazing ending to an amazing story.

After being stranded for more than three weeks aboard the crippled refueling tanker Insiko 1907, the dog was rescued Friday by the seagoing tugboat American Quest, which also towed the tanker into port this morning. The tanker caught fire in March and its hull was a blackened, rusted mess.

Eleven members of the Inskio crew were rescued one month ago today by a passing cruise ship but for reasons still unclear, Hokget was left behind. Also left behind was the body of a crewman killed when the fire swept through the engine room.

The Hawaiian Humane Society quickly began the first of several searches for the dog, spending nearly $50,000 in the process.

“It’s difficult to express just how delighted we are today to finally meet Hokget,” Burns told reporters today. “I believe the most appropriate expression was voiced by a friend of mine who said: I’m as happy as a dog with two tails.”

There were times when humane society officials feared the dog was lost at sea.

“There were tears shed in our office when we thought the dog was gone,” Burns said.

Two searches failed before a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 located the Insiko on April 20. Federal officials had feared the tanker, which carried an estimated 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lube oil, would run aground on Johnston Atoll and damage its pristine reefs.

“It is truly wonderful to see that all of our hopes for Hokget’s safe return have been realilzed,” Burns said. “This experience has also led us to realize something just as important: That on this day, the power of the compassion in people’s hearts overcame the great ocean that kept Hokget lost for so long.”

The humane society received international attention during the search and more than $45,000 in donations, Burns said.

The Coast Guard will now oversee the inspection of the Insiko, removal of the fuel and lube oil and a search for the crewman killed in the fire. He was identified today by the Coast Guard as Gi Hui Nian.

Capt. Gilbert Kanazawa, commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office, said the condition of the ship presented several problems for searchers who will focus on the engine room, the last known location of the dead crewman.

The tugboat American Quest brings the burnt hulk of the Insiko 1907 into Honolulu Harbor this morning. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

“It’s very dangerous,” Kanazawa said. “It’s gutted. It’s dark. We may have to pump the oily water out. They have to make it safe for people to go in and do the search.”

It is not clear how long that will take.

Hokget will be adopted by Michael Kuo, a long-time friend of the dog’s owner, the former captain of the Insiko. Kuo, who had never seen the dog until today, waved an “Aloha Hokget” sign and shouted the dog’s name when it was brought on deck.

Kuo beamed with pride, happy as a dog with two tails.

“It’s very exciting,” he said. “It’s a beautiful dog.”