A dog found in Hawaii appears close to being reunited with its Illinois owner after eight years.
Waukegan schoolteacher Sheryl Jans said she lost her Boston terrier, "Koki," when her boyfriend, after their breakup, took the dog.
Jans said Friday that a friend called her a couple of weeks ago to say someone had left Koki at the Hawaii Island Humane Society shelter in Kona.
The friend had been listed as an emergency contact on a microchip embedded in Koki. The microchip also identified the owner as Jans.
"I couldn’t believe it," Jans said. "I said, ‘Shut up,’ and started crying."
She said the boyfriend and his mother had apparently moved to Hawaii a couple of years ago.
Humane Society front desk dispatcher Oliana Villanueva said someone brought Koki, 11, into the shelter, saying the dog was wandering about.
The person didn’t want to see the dog get hit by a vehicle.
Villanueva said as standard procedure, the Humane Society looked for a microchip that might identify the dog’s owner and found Jans.
"It’s a happy ending," Villanueva said.
Jans said she has paid medical bills to a Hawaii veterinarian for shots to prepare Koki for the flight and that a good Samaritan is taking care of Koki until Jans is able to raise enough money to fly to Hawaii to get her dog.
"I call her every night to make sure she’s OK," Jans said. "She’s always been a sweet dog."
She said she’s grateful to the Humane Society and for the person temporarily taking care of Koki.
Jans said Boston terriers, with their snub noses, cannot tolerate heat, so she does not want to ship the dog as cargo in hot summer months and wants to keep Koki in the cabin area.
Jans said she teaches eighth-grade English and doesn’t get paid much. She and her friends are hoping to raise $3,000 in donations through a website.
To make a donation, go to tinyurl.com/GetKokiHome.
