Helicopters flew over the ship and got television footage of Forgea scampering over the ship’s deck. These pictures spurred animal lovers to action, and the Hawaiian Humane Society funded a rescue mission. More planes and helicopters were dispatched to look for the drifting Insiko 1907 and its lone sailor. Sadly, the pilots reported that they couldn’t find the boat. It may have sunk, taking the little dog down with it.
More money was raised, and the rescue efforts continued. On April 20, a U.S. Coast Guard plane spotted the tanker. The crew dropped their lunch to the deck of the ship – pizza and oranges – and Forgea gobbled it up. What had she been living on? Rats and rainwater, they supposed.