There are animal heroes everywhere.

On Monday, Tracy Burnham, who works at the Starbucks office in Ward Plaza, found a male pit bull/Lab mix tied to the stairwell of her building. The dog was a healthy male, about 2 years old. His shiny honey-colored coat matched his beautiful brown eyes.

He was clearly abandoned and only had a rope around his neck. The Ward security team said someone left him in the stairwell around 10:30 a.m.

The Hawaiian Humane Society was called, but the animal investigator was not able to pick up the dog immediately because he was handling other pet emergencies.

Burnham went to the Pet Spot across the street and bought dog food. The dog was very hungry and truly appreciated having his tummy filled. Burnham then took him for a walk and continued to check on him throughout the day.

The dog sat in the stairwell all day, greeting visitors and enjoying the petting and attention. "He clearly wasn't aggressive and loved people. When a little boy approached, the dog welcomed his new friend and the boy named him Airplane," said Burnham.

It was 4 p.m. when Burnham learned the Hawaiian Humane Society could not pick up the dog until after 7 p.m. She decided to help by giving Airplane a ride to the shelter.

"I would have loved to take him, but I have three other dogs at home," she said.

Burnham plans to continue asking the Humane Society about him.

Kawehi Yim, community relations director for HHS, says, "With our limited number of animal investigators, we have to respond to calls of animals in distress first, so it is very helpful when people bring in 'found' pets to the shelter." The shelter is open 24 hours, 365 days, to receive pets and for emergencies.

When I drink my Starbucks coffee in the morning, I say a short prayer about how lucky we are to have animal heroes like Tracy Burnham out there.

USEFUL TIPS

If you find a lost or abandoned pet, here are guidelines to follow:

1. Do not approach the animal if it is unfriendly.

2. If it is friendly, confine the animal in a secure, safe area.

3. If you can, take the pet to the Humane Society to assist animal investigators who are very busy out in the field.

3. If you need assistance, please call the Hawaiian Humane Society at 946-2187.

4. Make sure water and food are available. Keep the animal sheltered from the sun, wind and rain.

Humane Society people will come as soon as they can.

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at http://islandtails.honadvblogs.com.