Ipo is indeed one lucky dog

Cats, so they say, have nine lives.

Dogs must have at least two.

I know this because my dog Ipo is still alive. She defied death again Sunday, thanks to the caring and kind hearts of a local couple.

Allow me to explain.

Sunday, after taking Ipo on a walk near the Kauai Marriott Resort, I tied her up back home in her usual spot near our lanai and headed to work. Usually, she simply sleeps and waits for me to return and I planned to be gone only a short time. But an hour after leaving her, I got phone call from a California number, didn’t recognize it, so I didn’t pick up. A few minutes later, leaving work, I listened to the message:

“Hi. This is James. We think we picked up your dog. It looks like a yellow lab. She’s kind of old. Ipo, I think is the name. Please call me back.”

What? How did she get free?

I called back. No answer. Called again. No answer. Then, my phone rang again. It was James. Yep, they had Ipo. He said they found her walking down Rice Street near the entrance to the Marriott. This is a busy stretch of road, cars and trucks going 45 in a 35 zone that turns to 25. The shoulder is narrow, a few feet. Ipo wandered down the hill, I’m guessing, lots of vehicles whizzed past her. She had covered nearly a mile from our home. I’m amazed she didn’t turn into the road and get hit because as she’s gotten older, she’s gotten more stubborn about going where she wants to go, no matter if a cement truck is bearing down on her.

I raced to meet them at Petco, where they had already bought a new leash and treats for Ipo. Oh, she was a happy dog. And lucky. She gave me a grin and seemed pleased with herself.

James and wife Melissa stopped when they saw her so close to traffic and likely to be hit. A tour bus driver, James said, had stopped and tried to catch her, but Ipo ran along the shoulder of the road near the guardrail. Fortunately, when James and Melissa pulled up, Ipo was probably tired of her breakaway and wanted to rest by then. She hopped in the back seat of their SUV and plopped down.

While she’s about 11 years old, she’s still strong. She got free when she snapped an old leash I had foolishly used to tie her up. Our walks often take us toward Rice Street, and she followed that route and began her dangerous trek down the Rice Street hill toward Nawiliwili Harbor. Amazing, really, she wasn’t hit for as far as she traveled.

I thanked James and Melissa for their kindness and offered to pay them for the leash and treats. They declined and said they were just glad they could help get Ipo back home, safe. Good people like that, we need more of in this world.

I hate to admit it, but it was Ipo’s second escape from Rice Street traffic. Another time, last year, I decided she was so well trained (I don’t know why I decided this), I didn’t need to tie her up when I went running. She would just stay. When I glanced back as I headed up the hill, she was in the yard, sitting there, watching me go. What a smart dog, I thought to myself.

Smart dog. Dumb owner.

When I returned, she was gone. I began frantically racing around in my Honda Fit, searching along Kapule Highway and Rice Street. Where is she?

The phone rang. I quickly picked up.

“Bill, this is Jonny Fisher at the humane society. Is your dog missing? I think my dad found her. A yellow lab?”

This time, Ipo had wandered up Rice Street and to Ace Hardware, where she crossed the street a few times, just missed getting hit, before Jonny’s dad, Rich Fisher at the Kuhio Ford dealership, took a rope and got her. He checked her license number, called his son, who called me. I rolled up and Ipo happily hopped in the front door. This dog and her owner were both panting happily as we drove away.

Again, Ipo had walked about a mile, much of it along a busy Rice Street, and survived, thanks to a man who cared enough to help her, which is good for me. We adopted Ipo about two years ago when her owners moved to the Mainland and couldn’t take her with them. She still a great watch dog. I sleep soundly at night knowing she is right inside the unlocked screen door. She’s been a loyal friend since she came into our home.

Ipo isn’t done with her great escapes. Tuesday, she squeezed through a hole near the fence, jump down an embankment and slipped her leashed collar over her head in her quest for freedom. She could have choked to death. I panicked when I got home at lunch and saw she was gone. But a minute later as I shouted, she jumped up and over the embankment to the lanai.

Now, you’re wondering, will I ever learn how to tie up a dog? Yes. Now, she’s sporting harness that wraps around her that can’t slip off. And it’s attached to a steel cable. Attached to a post.

That ought to hold her.

If not, well, fortunately, Kauai has an abundance of people who look after old dogs like Ipo — and me.

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Bill Buley is editor-in-chief of The Garden Island. He can be reached at bbuley@thegardenisland.com