When Jerry and Darla Merrow set sail for their vacation they never expected to end up drifting at sea for 95 days. They eventually hit an island a thousand miles from Hawaii and were rescued but they were forced to abandon their pets Macaw parrot and their cocker spaniel, Snickers. Luckily, as a result of the spread of the story across the Internet, the dog is now back at home while plans are underway to retrieve the parrot as well. Read the full story below.

Although we could focus on the story about how the couple survived at sea, given the fact they were rescued four months ago and we recently heard about it, we figured we might as well talk about the pets. The whole situation began when the Merrow’s were rescued from Fanning Island by the inter-island supply ship the Nei Momi. US regulations forbid the importation of animals from the islands, forcing the Merrows to leave their pets in the care of Robby and Lorraine Coleman of the Honolulu-based Southern Cross who had been staying on the island for months.

The Merrows tried to do everything they could to get their pets back but we unsuccessful, that is until they used the power on the Internet to their advantage. Jack Joslin from Las Vegas heard of the story and immediately began looking into bringing the animals home. His calls to several agencies eventually led others to join in the effort.

“I was willing to spend whatever it took, but because so many people got involved willingly, it turned out not to cost me much at all,” said Joslin.

Norwegian Cruise Line offered the services of the Pride of Aloha to pick up the dog from Fanning Island and bring it to Hawaii while Hawaiian Airlines volunteered to fly him to Los Angeles. One there, the dog was given back to the Merrows.

“Snickers got a trim and flea treatment before boarding. Getting the canine cleared for travel involved the Hawaiian Humane Society, state agencies and the Department of Homeland Security.”

Sadly, stricter regulations on the importation of birds is preventing rescuers from bringing the parrot home but a plan is currently underway to take it to Christmas Island and then to Los Angeles, both of which contain ports willing to take exotic birds.

What a happy ending. We are fully aware the money and effort spent on bringing the animal’s home could have been spent elsewhere but given the circumstances we think it was worth it. Also, we at ITR spend so much time talking about stupid criminals that it’s nice to hear of something more cheerful.

[Read here and here]

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