When Sparky, a purebred Chihuahua, darted off the edge of a 30-foot cliff along the Big Island's Kohala Mountain Road on Sept. 1, 82-year-old Edna "Kaleo" Mendonca thought she'd lost her only "child."

Mendonca said she had pulled over at a scenic lookout during her trip to Waimea, which she takes three times a week with Sparky, allowing the 14-year-old Chihuahua to take a bathroom break.

She said her dog, who went blind about a year ago, normally walks around slowly, circling a few times before finding his "spot."

However, that Tuesday was different. Mendonca said the dog she's had since he was about 5 weeks old acted crazy, darted from the car and was over the edge before she could stop him.

Mendonca tried to rescue the dog, but fell to the ground and was unable to get back up. She crawled to her car, using the vehicle, along with her cane, as a brace to stand up.

"I prayed to God that somebody would come help," said Mendonca, who has no children of her own and said that the white Chihuahua is her baby.

Within five minutes, police Officer John Kahalioumi drove up. Mendonca flagged down Kahalioumi, was not in a marked vehicle.

She said that Kahalioumi came to her aid and asked, "What's wrong, aunty?" thinking she was injured. She told the officer that she was just terribly shaken up, but not injured.

When the officer learned she was not hurt, but startled because her "child" had fallen over the edge, some 15 feet down into a ravine, he immediately offered to help save Sparky.

Mendonca said that she feared for Kahalioumi and begged him not to fall, but the officer trudged down the cliff and brought the dog to safety.

Sparky was not injured in the incident because a clump of fountain grass cushioned his fall, Mendonca said, noting that Kahalioumi followed her into Waimea where she said, "Thank you and God bless you" to him at an intersection before the two went their separate ways.

Mendonca said when she realized she hadn't gotten the officer's name, she went to the North Kohala police station to let Capt. Richard Miyamoto know what the officer had done for her.

Kahalioumi could not be reached for comment Friday. Miyamoto noted that the officer was out on patrol most of the day.