When Brandy Varvel came on board last August as the new shelter coordinator at the Kauai Humane Society, she inherited a big problem. The shelter was overcrowded with abandoned and stray hunting dogs, dogs that had been used to hunt feral pigs. Many were fated to be euthanized.

Then Varvel had a brilliant idea. Why not enlist the help of dog-loving vacationers to Kauai, who with the help of an airline are bringing back more than their luggage from the Garden Island?

In the last eight months, the program has helped save the lives of dozens of dogs.