My Friendly Pets

Snickers is an 8 month old Cocker Spainiel who has seen more of Pacific Ocean than many of us see in a lifetime. But now he is bound for the U.S. once again after being left on Fanning Island, a small island about 1000 miles south of Hawaii for over 3 months.

Jerry and Darla Merrow set sail many months ago in their 48 foot catamaran with their dog Snickers and their macaw named Gulliver travelling with them. However, somewhere along the line, they developed mast problems with their sailboat and had to “abandon ship”. They did so with their dog and bird in tow. They all ended up on Fanning Island, but the Merrows were later picked up by a cargo ship. The dog and the bird were left in the care of islanders.

However, last month Robbie Coleman, was good enough to let people know, via a boating journal ,that the two animals were going to be destroyed. Coleman and his wife are sailboat owners who often sail around Fanning Island. Bad news travels fast and there were many sympathetic to the plight of these animals. Retired Las Vegas resident Jack Joslin was ready to adopt both animals.

Some great Norweigan Cruise Line workers rescued Snickers on April 9th and delivered him to Ohau Island in Hawaii. He will remain there in quarantine until he is flown to Los Angeles, free of charge thanks to Hawaiian Airlines. It appears that there are many people pulling for this dog!!! The Hawaiian Humane Society has provided Snickers with a pet carrier, flea treatment and food.

It shouldn’t be long before Joslin will be united with Snickers. Various people have tried to contact the Merrows, but they seemed to have moved on with their lives without either Snickers or Gulliver. No one who has tried has been able to contact the original owners of these animals.

Joslin also hopes to adopt Gulliver, but he says that will prove a bit more difficult than it was with Snickers. There are only two ports in the U.S. that actually accept exotic birds and the birds are quarantined for a longer period of time due to the possibility of disease. This doesn’t seem to deter Jack Joslin. He feels this way “Snickers is going to live with me, I hope, for a long time, and we’re trying like hell to get the bird back here.” Hurray for Snickers and Gulliver!!! Another great rescue.

For another great rescue check out this entry!!!