Lana Rapoza of Wahiawā went to work on March 19 as she does every weekday.

Later that morning, she got a frantic message from her husband, Tim, asking if Poki, their elderly mixed-breed dog, was with her.

Poki was missing, and he was going to need help.

The dog is blind and has severe arthritis in his legs. He also requires thyroid medication twice a day.

Poki was adopted 13 years ago from the Hawaiian Humane Society. He was 8 weeks old and looked a little like a German shepherd at the time, Rapoza said.

On that Friday morning, Poki managed to escape from the yard by jumping over a wall next to the Wahiawā Gulch, a deep, large valley filled with brush.

After a morning of frantic searching, the Rapozas were relieved to find out that Poki was at the O'ahu SPCA. A couple found him wandering in Wahiawā and took him to the shelter. Poki was identified by his microchip.

Rapoza said that Poki seemed fine except for red scratches on his nose, possibly from walking in the brush in the valley. She wants to thank this kind couple in person but needs help finding them.

"Since he was microchipped, we didn't get any information about the people who found him. I remember it's a real nice local couple from Wahiawā with a truck ... a young couple in their late 30s or early 40s," said O'ahu SPCA's co-founder Jennifer Kishimori.

"These people did the right thing. The fact is they took the time to care about my animal, (and) take him to the shelter in Kapolei. They didn't leave him," Rapoza said. "We want to give them an appreciation gift to say: 'Thank you for caring, and our animal is now back home. He's blind, he could have been wandering endlessly.' "

If anyone can help identify the couple, please contact me at 525-8081 or lkawamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.