Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

On Saddle Road between the 20 and 21 mile markers is a lone dog that has been wandering alongside the highway endangering itself and drivers.

Late afternoon Saturday (May 14), the dog was walking across Saddle Road in misty weather toward a pick-up truck.

I recalled seeing the same dog along the same stretch of highway while on my way to Kona two or three weeks ago. I assumed a hunter was nearby and because a car was pulling over near the dog behind me, I thought nothing more of it at the time.

However, on Saturday I saw the same sad pup as I drove towards Hilo and spun my car around to find a dad and three daughters in the pick-up.

They said the dog was walking on the highway and they had tried to coax the dog with beef jerky but never got any closer than a couple of feet from the dog.

They also said the dog was skittish and would back off when approached making things dangerous as the dog would sometimes run out onto the road to get away in the rainy and misty weather.

They were trying to catch the dog so it could be taken to safety.

Although we couldn’t get the dog close enough to catch, we discovered someone had left a container of water and a pile of dog food on the Mauna Kea side of the road for it.

The dog looks like in good health, has a collar, doesn’t bark, doesn’t appear aggressive and will approach out of curiosity and for food. Just not close enough to catch.

The dog also walks across the highway and sometimes sits in the traffic lane.

I left a message with Hawaii Island Humane Society answering service and hopefully they can get someone out there.
In the meantime, be careful when driving in that area – for the dog’s sake and other drivers’.

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