HONOLULU (AP) She has been promised a lifetime supply of dog food, but Forgea prefers the ham and spareribs she was fed aboard a tugboat, say its crew members who rescued her from an abandoned tanker.
The 2-year-old terrier mix, who spent 24 days alone at sea, arrived in Honolulu Harbor on Thursday aboard the tugboat American Quest, which towed behind it the burned-out Indonesian tanker Insiko 1907.
Forgea, wearing a red flower lei, appeared before a horde of reporters and photographers. She was held by Dr. Becky Rhoades, a veterinarian and director of the Kauai Humane Society. Flanking her were Brian Murray and Pakalika Cunningham, the two tugboat crewmen who rescued her.
After a photo shoot, the dog was put in a kennel and whisked to the state’s Animal Quarantine Station for processing. She would be quarantined for 120 days, as required under state law.
When released from quarantine, Forgea will be adopted by the family of Michael Kuo, of Honolulu. Mr. Kuo is a longtime friend of Chung Chen-po, the captain of the tanker and owner of the dog.
“Capt. Chung eventually wants to come to Hawaii to get his dog,” said Mr. Kuo. “He also wants to come and personally thank everyone.”
Capt. Chung has said that his dog’s name is pronounced “Hokget” in Chinese. He said it means “happiness, good fortune, blessing all that is good.”
A pet-food manufacturer, the Iams Co., has donated a lifetime supply of dog food to Forgea, according to Pamela Burns, president of the Hawaiian Humane Society.
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