MOUNT WAIALEALE – He’s white with brown spots.
“Very thin and wobbly on his feet,” is how animal lovers describe the hunting dog they call, “Pup.”
Shannon Davis is one of those with a heart for Pup. She spotted the animal for the first time over a month ago near Blue Hole at Mount Waialeale.
“There’s not an aggressive bone in his body,” David said. “He is very gentle. I can lightly graze him before he springs away.”
Davis was swimming with her family at Blue Hole when they noticed Pup.
“All we had to share with him were our chocolate chip cookies and tuna fish sandwiches,” Davis said. “I went up a week later and he was still there. I brought him back some dog food and biscuits the next week.”
Penny Cistaro, executive director of the Kauai Humane Society, said they’ve gone up to Blue Hole multiple times a day at various hours for more than five weeks with no luck.
“We put food out and we’ve even gone up there with a pack of dogs thinking he might feel more comfortable with other dogs around, but he just ran off,” she said.
The next step is to try a dart gun with a CO2 cartridge, but Cistaro fears it could potentially have a reverse effect if the dog gets spooked and runs off into the woods. Then, trailing it could be difficult.
Cistaro said they put the word out to the hunting community through emails in case someone is missing their dog.
Davis has been posting, “lost dog,” notices about Pup on Facebook and Craigslist. She said the situation is one of animal neglect.
“My heart has been sick over this one,” she said. “No animal deserves to die of starvation.”
Cistaro said they’ve seen similar cases where dogs have been difficult to rescue or trap.
“There were a couple dogs at Kokee,” Cistaro said. “One of them was Bonnie Ray. It usually doesn’t take this long but they usually aren’t this skittish.”
KHS considered putting out a cage overnight but is concerned a pig will get trapped instead of the dog, and destroy the cage.
Cistaro said the dog at Blue Hole appears to have gained weight since they first saw him because so many people have been feeding him.
And yet nobody has had any luck in gaining trust or for that matter getting within 20 feet of him.
“It’s not for lack of trying,” Cistaro said.
Davis plans to return next week when she has a break from work and intends on bringing along a leash, collar, dog food and treats.
One animal lover has already expressed an interest in adopting Pup.
“We need to find a forever home for him,” Davis said.
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Lisa Ann Capozzi, a features and education reporter can be reached at lcapozzi@thegardenisland.com.
