Denise Flaim, a Newsday staffer since 1994, covers companion animals
– not pets -- every Monday in her Animal House column. Denise
is owned by two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and is involved in breeding,
conformation (code for "dog shows"), lure-coursing (don’t
worry, no one else knows what that is, either), obedience, agility
and therapy-dog work. She is the historian of the Rhodesian Ridgeback
Club of the United States, and author of "The Holistic Dog
Book: Canine Care for the 21st Century" (Wiley, 2003) and "Getting
Lucky: How One Special Dog Found Love and a Second Chance at Angel’s
Gate" (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2005).
<<Once again we will have the "Vivi Base" set up at Utopia Parkway and Peck Ave this Saturday, April 29, from 7am till 12pm. for whomever needs flyers, posters, tape, etc...supplies for the week.
I believe I had much success handing out flyers and postcards to motorists that stopped for the traffic light in front of one of the shopping centers last week. Mind you I was wearing a neon pink sign around my neck with Vivi's picture and "LOST DOG last seen IN THIS AREA Call Immediately 877-JFK-VIVI." I may have looked a bit odd but just about everyone I asked to take a flyer from me did as they read my sign.
At the suggestion of one of the volunteers, Gail Thomas, this week we will be asking for volunteers to stake out the various "crossings" from one neighborhood to the next. At these intersections you can distribute flyers as well as watching for the elusive Vivi. I will have those intersection post as well as maps of the area available at the Vivi Base on Saturday. The parks will also need volunteers handing out Vivi's info.
It is VERY important to continue to GET THE WORD OUT about Vivi. She is still out there somewhere.
Please volunteers, make sure to take care of yourselves as well and do not over do it. We all had and still have a life before Vivi somewhat took over. So many of you have been going non stop since the beginning, sometimes it helps to take a step back, take a deep breath and take a break. This helps to clear the mind a bit and keep you healthy.
It's amazing the dedication you volunteers have, trying to rescue this beautiful little girl, whether you are able to contribute 5 minutes, 5 hours, 5 days. I know I can speak for Jil, Rick, Paul, Bo and Honi when I tell you anything and everything you all have done and are doing is so very appreciated. I cannot say enough good things about the "Team Vivi Volunteers"!!!!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Keep the faith. We will find her or should I say, she will find us.
<<In an effort to reach as many people in as many places as we can, we would like to know if you are available to volunteer some time during the week to go to the Long Island Railroad and subway platforms in Flushing, Bayside, Auburndale, Whitestone and College Point to hand out cards with Vivi's info. This would only be a two-hour assignment, from approximately 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Please let me know. We will be out tomorrow morning, not sure which station yet but you can reach me at 516-776-0923.
It has been brought to my attention that some people have given Jil’s fiancé Rick a hard time because he saw some “stray” dogs when searching the area for Vivi in a helicopter. These people apparently felt that Rick should have tried to deal with those dogs instead of looking for Vivi.
If I inadvertently caused this I apologize. What Rick saw from the air were a few dogs in back yards or out with their owners. The last thing Rick needs is anyone giving him grief for any reason, least of all due to a misunderstanding. The fact that Rick has taken more than a week off in NY with the sole purpose of looking for Vivi is really great and all those of us who miss Vivi are grateful to him.
As mentioned earlier, I won’t have access to a computer next week, so no updates unless something really important happens.
<<P.S. Jil called and told me there have two reported sightings today. Rick will check them out; if they turn out to be reliable we’ll at least know that Vivi is still around...
We are very grateful to the persistent volunteers who are helping Honi distribute flyers and posters this weekend. Thanks, everyone!>>
There have been no new sightings of Vivi for several days. We know that the sightings won’t bring her back but they are proof that she’s around and hopefully doing OK. With no sighthings it’s difficult to keep the spirits up. The fact that none of Vivi’s immediate family or any volunteers have seen Vivi since she was lost on Feb. 15 makes us sometimes wonder if it’s really her people report having seen. However, some of the sightings back up each other, and Sam came in once again with her tracking dog who confirmed that it was indeed Vivi who had been in the areas she had been seen.
Jil’s fiancé Rick has been in New York all week, mainly hanging out on his own in the parks where Vivi is known to have been, hoping for a miracle. He also went up in a helicopter to survey the area, saw several other stray dogs but no Vivi, and got a feel for how vast the area she’s been in really is — at least 1,500 acres of interlocking parks and greenbelt. ...
Search organizer Honi Reisman reports that Saturday morning starting at 9 a.m. she and other volunteers will be at their usual location at Peck Park (Utopia Parkway and Peck Avenue) in Flushing.
They will have fliers, posters, plastic sleeves, tape and other supplies for those who want to pitch and and post more Vivi notices.
Even though the weather forecast is less than stellar, they will be there!
No news of major importance. Thanks for several dozen emails with suggestions for where to find large size traps, what type of trap might be preferable, etc. The practical problems are considerable – not just cost, transportation, set-up, baiting and the necessity of regularly checking the trap, but also the fact that traps cannot be set on public property (too risky for children to get caught or hurt). This means we need to find a local resident who is willing to keep a large trap in their yard, possibly for a long time, with the attendant risk of catching not Vivi but other dogs, cats, raccoons, etc.
We also need to make sure that the large traps we find can be triggered by a 30 lb Whippet, and we finally need to use suitable bait. Judging by all reports the commercially available lure bait smells too bad to be used in a residential area, although it is apparently so attractive to dogs that we might end up catching any number of other stray dogs.
There is finally the problem of Vivi ranging over such a large area that she may not even find the trap, even if she should be interested in the bait.
No easy decisions. Jil as owner and Honi as the person in charge of search efforts in New York will make the final decision.
Next update, barring major developments, will be posted on Friday night.
The good news is that Vivi is sighted regularly by different people now, several of whom have gotten a good look at her. She is obviously in good condition – one person who saw her said she looked “well groomed” which is difficult to believe but still encouraging. Although still skittish she seems to be less afraid of people. A man fishing in a pond says she was sniffing around his car, then came up when he fed her a sandnwich and even let herself be petted. A few other dogs then arrived and scared her away. A few people are now putting out food for her, in the hope that she will keep returning to the same spot.
Unless someone is lucky enough to close a gate behind her, the best chance to catch Vivi are traps. Records prove that most of the hundreds of greyhounds rescued over the years have been caught in traps. The problem is that Vivi is obviously concerned about going into a trap (probably after being traumatized when her crate was bumped open at JFK), and she also finds enough to eat elsewhere that she’s not desperate for food. We are investigating different types of over-size traps and other kinds of traps that may be more appealing to her.
Surprisingly, even the biggest dog traps we’ve found on the market are only 26” tall. (How does one catch a Great Dane in those?) If anyone has further information, please contact me via this website.
Several people have pointed out that it’s impressive that a supposedly spoiled show dog is so eminently capable of coping on her own. This is perhaps something to be proud of in some respects, but I would much rather have her be a little more in need of help.
I will not send daily updates in the future but limit them to twice a week: Monday and Thursday nights ... They may be brief, but I will of course make sure that any important news is posted immediately, regardless of what day it is.
<<Tomorrow is going to be a lovely day. With that said, we could use some volunteers to hand out flyers and hang posters. There should be a lot of folks out and about tomorrow so we may be able to get the word out in force.
Diane and I will be at our usual haunt, Peck Avenue and Utopia Parkway in Flushing from 10-12 with some new and improved cards. Please feel free to stop by and reload even if not for tomorrow but for whenever you can get out.
Thank you so much.....and if I don't see you, Happy Easter (warning to all Easter bunnies ... Vivi loves you ... run quick!)
Please feel free to share this with anyone who may want to help out.
No news yesterday. Vivi has been gone for eight weeks today. She continues to be spotted frequently by different people in the area where she has been for a couple of weeks now. We are of course worrying about how she’s doing, what condition she is in, etc. Rosa and Tina, who are taking the calls, tell me that a woman who saw her pretty close up today said she was “beautiful” which indicates she can’t be in too bad shape. A 10-year old boy said she was following him for a while, as if she wanted to play, which is also encouraging. We cannot of course be absolutely sure that it’s Vivi who is seen every time, but the descriptions are pretty convincing. If even half of them are correct, Vivi is still around and coping much better than anticipated.
What’s frustrating is that none of the volunteers and none of the owners have caught even a glimpse of Vivi since she was lost. Sometimes it feels as if we’re chasing a ghost, but it’s impossible to discount the evidence from earlier tracking dogs and the many different sighthngs, some of which corroborate each other.
There is also evidence that Vivi has hunted and killed small game in the park. What was found was not even entirely eaten, which would confirm that there are lots of feeding opportunities for stray dogs in this area and that Vivi is not starving.
Jil’s fiancé Rick will go back to NY again shortly and spend a week mainly hanging around the area where Vivi has been seen. Vivi loves Rick, and if she’s calmer and less worried about being chased now we hope she will come to him.
I will post news when I have any, but basically this is a waiting game now. We are hoping that some sensible local resident will put out food often enough for Vivi to come back to one place and eventually feel comfortable enough to let herself be caught.
The daily message from Bo Bengtson, Vivi's breeder:
UPDATE AS OF MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 10, 2006
Two recent stories of lost dogs that were caught parallel Vivi’s situation. One is told by Karin Goin, who helped track Vivi earlier:
“I privately just finished a case study I was working on a with dog at large in my area. The ‘at large’ problem in my mind is the biggest one for me to conquer. I chose a German Shepherd that has been in a mile square area near the town I live in for the past four months. Xenophobic and extremely skittish. ... No one could get within 100 yards of her. ... I am putting together the notes now but after just seven feedings, I captured her and it went very quickly after the first five feedings. On the sixth time I fed her by hand and on the seventh I picked her up and put her in my van. I used lots of little tricks which I will forward to you and the most surprising thing is the dog seemed to relax when I lay a leash across her neck and slip knotted it.
“She is here with me now and became very different after being helped. She is very devoted and has obviously been someone’s dog... Ultimately I figured out her routine and then used my scent and tongue clicks to get her to come to me. I also used my little Chihuahua, and his eating caused her to be more bold. I let him go out to her off leash and then return to me. The little 5-pound wonder really helped in bringing her closer. By the fourth feeding, she knew the van meant food and she looked for it at around 6:30 pm. I showed up near the same place whenever I could get there at that time. I believe I have the beginnings of a solution.”
Barbara Burdick of the Barclay/Lyca Poodles writes:
“I had a Miniature Poodle running for six weeks in New Jersey. Like Vivi, people kept seeing her but could not get her. People were feeding her also, she was running a 10 mile radius, was seen one day over here and the next day five miles away and then running the main road. Like Vivi she was not a street dog, in fact the only place she ever had been was with Camille and then me for three years. ... She circled around, had only been in NJ for one week and did not know the area. There were acres and acres of woods, farms and wildlife. People would see her in one area so they would leave food, I would run down (two hours away) and she would be gone again. We put posters up. The police and animal control were no help. The people were wonderful, a lot of rescue people.
“Two days ago two burly guys put some pork and raw chicken with bacon grease over like a gravy and made a trail from their trap to the woods where the foot prints went to. The next morning they called and said they got her in the trap. These guys had a huge trap and that is what she went into. The other people were setting out the small traps, we also got raccoons and cats, but these traps were too small. I knew that a 15 inch Miniature Poodle would not go in that one. Their trap was as big as a 700 crate or even bigger.
“Anyway, what I am saying is all these do-gooders (pet people) will not catch a dog on the run, these guys are farmers, trappers and hunters and knew what to do, don't know if they will go to NY but won't hurt to try. By the way, the only reward they wanted was a case of beer and for the dog to be OK. The girlfriend raised Shelties. Good luck.”
These stories confirm that simply going out and looking for Vivi is not going to help. We can’t stop anyone from doing so, but I hope if these people see Vivi they will at least follow the guidelines for “How to Catch Vivi” that emphasize NOT trying to go up to her, not establish eye contact and of course absolutely not chasing her. Establishing a bond through food is key. We will also investigate the possibility of finding an oversize trap.
Waiting and not doing anything actively is tough, but it’s important if we want Vivi back. It could take a long time since she’s obviously coping much better in the wild than anyone could have anticipated.
DEALING WITH DELTA
Delta has sent the two checks promised to Jil’s laywer. It no longer appears clear that Jil is releasing Delta from any responsibility by accepting these checks, so she will do so. (Like everything dealing with airlines and legalities, the information keeps changing.) What Delta has paid barely begins to pay for the costs for the search so far but will at least help cover some of our travelling costs. Most of the big expenses so far have been funded by Paul, with additional costs paid for by generous contributions from Westminster Kennel Club, private individuals to the Vivi fund and a separate group operating independently from the fund. We appreciate all the help tremendously and are pleased that it seems a considerable portion of the Vivi fund will be donated to the JFK shelter, “Bobbi and the Strays.”
Following is a statement that Jil’s lawyer, Joyce Randazzo, has authorized me to release:
“Delta’s actions are contemptible. Delta negligently lost Jil’s dog Vivi, then was further negligent in failing to properly help find her. At this point, Jil and Vivi’s co-owner Paul have expended $10,000 or more searching for Vivi and Delta has agreed only to reimburse her $2000. Delta has also offered to pay the limit allowed for lost baggage, $2800.
“Jil only wanted her dog back and some assurance that Delta would adjust its procedures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. When Vivi first escaped on the tarmac Delta wouldn’t even provide information as to what really happened or what steps, if any, Delta was taking to help find her dog. When there had been a sighting of Vivi near a Sky Chef building at JFK, Jil arranged for a professional searcher to search the area. Delta thwarted the search for days, claiming the Port Authority would not allow the search. However, after contacting the Port Authority it was learned that permission was not necessary to search the particular Sky Chef building.
“I have not received a response to my letter to Delta’s General counsel, Scott Kruse, Esq. To date I have only rec’d a telephone call from John Goodwin, a Delta Customer Claims Manager, who advised that ‘legal will not respond until a lawsuit is commenced.’ He also stated that Delta will go no further with paying any of Jil’s expenses and that Delta is prepared to defend in a lawsuit.”
That’s from Joyce. A few weeks ago I reported from my own initial dealings with Delta, which were equally disappointing. Individual Delta check-in employees, on-flight staff, etc. (all of whom knew about Vivi) have been extremely sympathetic; the above concerns management only. According to a LA Times story, Delta pilots, “angered by management’s efforts to throw out their contracts and impose a deep pay cut” (over 50%), have voted to authorize a strike. Delta filed for bankrupty protection in September, 2005 and says that a strike would put the airline out of business.
A company spokesman is quoted as saying, “… we remain focused on our No. 1 priority, which is taking good care of our customers.” Obviously this does not include customers accompanied by dogs.
The response I have received from the major airlines I contacted has been slight so far, but I gave them a Thursday deadline so hope for more information.
On a positive note, the USAirways employee newsletter of April 7 published an “all points bulletin” about Vivi, complete with a color photo and information about how to act if anyone sees her. Our appreciation to USAirways Communications Director Elizabeth Landau and USAir flight attendant Courtney Sardella for helping with this.
Finally, Denise Flaim has put up the most recent Vivi posters available for download and printing on http://newsday.typepad.com/news_local_flaim Thanks to Denise and everyone else who is helping!
And while Vivi is the most famous dog lost in New York City in recent months, she is by no means the only one. Here is a flier for Sniffles, a German shepherd/greyhound mix lost in Brooklyn. Download snifflesposter3rdversion2.pdf
Please send all fliers and posters to Diane Tamm, 111 East Shore Road, Manhasset, New York 11030.
UPDATE AS OF FRIDAY NIGHT, APRIL 7, 2006 (sent Friday)
A copy of the Delta Air Lines “Live Animal Incident Report” was sent to me, not from Delta as requested and promised but from an observant correspondent who found it on the internet.
Following is the complete report, with some comments afterwards.
Delta Air Lines Live Animal Incident Report - REDACTED Reporting Period: February 1 – February 28, 2006
Carrier Delta Air Lines
Flight Number Scheduled Flight # DL2027 JFK-LAX
Date and Time of Incident February 15, 2006 – approximately 1100
Type of Incident Escape
Description of Animal Breed: Whippet Name: ViVi Age: 3 years
Description of the Incident Passenger checked one dog to travel on Flight DL2027 from JFK to LAX. At acceptance, a visual inspection of the kennel did not reveal any defects. All locking pins appeared to be fully engaged. This kennel and two additional kennels were transported in a secured conveyance to the gate. When the driver disconnected the conveyance, the driver noticed that one dog was out of its kennel. Ramp agents attempted to secure the dog but were unsuccessful. Delta, with assistance from the Port Authority, provided additional resources for the search efforts.
Cause of the Incident A manual inspection revealed that the kennel’s locking mechanism appeared defective, as it lacked adequate tension to keep the locking pins properly engaged.
Corrective Action Taken System review of pet acceptance procedures, with an emphasis on kennel specifications. Additional procedures implemented requiring kennel doors to be secured with releasable cable ties where possible.
That’s the end of the report. I need to make only two comments. First, since the inspection at check-in “did not reveal any crate defects,” what caused it to be “defective” after Vivi was lost? We know the crate was OK when Vivi was checked in, so something happened after that to damage the crate. That’s the part Delta is leaving out. We can only assume that the crate was dropped or bumped hard enough for the door to open and Vivi to get out.
Second, Delta indicates that they were involved in the search for Vivi. In reality, it was primarily Paul with help from [the Port Authority] who led the search efforts at JFK for the first 12 consecutive days. A Search & Rescue team, Honi, Jil and I assisted on different occasions. Delta was in no way involved in those searches.
I understand that there have been several sightings of Vivi during the past week in the same general areas as before but have no details. We are hoping that everyone who really wants Vivi to have a chance of being brought back to us accepts that she cannot be tracked, chased, hunted or caught against her own will. Please follow the guidelines for how to act if you should come across which are on the www.awc2006.com under “How to get Vivi back.”
As mentioned yesterday, if anyone wants to help the best activity is printing and distributing the posters and the guidelines. See yesterday’s posting for details
Vivi's breeder Bo Bengtson addresses the question of how non-locals can help in the Vivi search:
UPDATE AS OF THURSDAY NIGHT, APRIL 6, 2006 (sent Friday)
Obviously my updates aren’t as clear as they should be. I received the following: “… We need Bo and the owners to outright tell us what they want us to do. Not the actual volunteers, by the bloggers that live out of state and want to help. … We all have a vested and emotional interest in Vivi, but we also know that she belongs to them. All we want is to help, but if we are hurting the search, we need to know that too.”
Here’s the response I sent:
I’m sorry there if there is any confusion. … What we are really concerned about are over-enthusiastic locals who want to “catch” Vivi and believe they can actually do so. As we’ve said a dozen times, that won’t work and will only serve to scare her away from the relatively safe area where she is.
The only things a local can do, other than help post flyers and distribute the Guidelines for how to act if you come across Vivi, is to sit on a bench in the park and eat their lunch – and, if Vivi should turn up, follow those Guidelines. They have been posted on both the AWC website and Denise Flaim’s blog. Print them out, read, distribute, etc. However, that will only work if you’re really experienced with feral dogs, Whippets and retrieving them. Trying to catch Vivi and failing to do so would make it even harder to ever get her again.
If you don’t live in the area, obviously “chasing” Vivi is not a problem. We appreciate very much the concern of so many hundreds (thousands?) of people around the country and abroad. If you want to help produce flyers, contact Diane Tamm at <dtamm@prodigy.net>; she is in regular contact with Honi and the rest of us. Other than that, the best thing anyone can do is offer financial assistance to “Bobbi and the Strays” (with checks marked “For Vivi” if that’s what you prefer), or to your local shelter. Vivi is incredibly lucky to have so many people care for her. My hope is that other dogs should be so fortunate.
Jil, Paul and I are of course in exactly the same situation as other concerned people around the country: since we are not on the spot there is nothing we can actually do to help get Vivi back. I always assumed that losing a dog must be a bad experience, but this has been a hundred times worse than imagined. Handling the mass of emails and calls has been an unexpected problem. We have no infrastructure to deal with all this. We all have now missed so much time from our “normal” full-time jobs that this is a serious concern, and we cannot continue to do so.
Please excuse me if I cannot express our gratitude for all the concern as well as I should. What can you say except “Thank you!” a thousand times?
That’s it. I should have added that checks made out to Bobbi and the Strays with "For Vivi" in the subject line can be mailed to 3392 Bay Front Place, Baldwin, NY 11510.
Vivi supporters who want to make a donation to the search effort can always contribute to the long-established fund used to offset the costs of finding Vivi.
Checks made out to Bobbi and the Strays with "FOR VIVI" in the subject line can be mailed to 3392 Bay Front Place, Baldwin, NY 11510.
Any remaining monies after the Vivi search has concluded will be donated to Bobbi and the Strays, which helps find homes for homeless dogs and cats in Queens and throughout the city.
There is a lot of activity among people who no doubt have good intentions but do not listen to advice from Vivi’s owners, from those whom we have asked lead the search, or even from the experienced “dog searchers” who have been consulted.
This is very disturbing. Among much else, I was sent one email urging people to “get together” to try to “catch her” or to “amass as many people as possible in the sighting area,” etc. This is directly contrary to what should be done. Even if well intended it would have the effect of scaring Vivi away from the relatively safe area where she seems to be. Anyone who thinks this is the way to get Vivi back should not be out there looking for her.
Please accept that you cannot catch Vivi. If left alone she may build up enough confidence to let herself be caught by a local with common sense, the way most lost dogs are retrieved. This isn’t a sure thing, but we KNOW that going out to catch her won’t work. Please stay away, please calm down, and please don’t write long emails criticizing what’s being done. Quite frankly, unless you have been in our shoes you have no idea what’s going on. It’s a difficult situation but we are making the most careful and sensible decisions possible.
If you want to help, please do not take any action without clearing this with Honi Reisman. She is in regular contact with Jil, Paul and me. She has taken on this responsibility purely on a voluntary basis and we are enormously grateful to her for this. [Honi's email is roxiethedoxie@aol.com.]
At the last minute, Delta Air Lines responded to Jil’s lawyer, Joyce Randazzo, and informed her that they are sending $2,000 to Jil for “expenses” as promised several weeks ago. They also offered to pay $2,800 for the loss of Vivi, but since this would involve absolving Delta from all responsibility, future lawsuits, etc. Jil has decided not to accept this. (If e.g. Vivi should run out in traffic and cause an accident, Delta is still the responsible party, not Jil.)
I have today contacted all the major airlines with a few questions about their conditions for shipping dogs, how they deal with the situation if a lost dog, etc. The findings will be published as an editorial in Dogs in Review.
Thanks for your patience with this frustrating and long drawn-out affair. More than seven weeks have gone; how people whose dogs were lost and gone for several months could cope I do not know.
Honi Reisman calls to say that the new toll free number for Vivi is now operational. It is 877-JFK-VIVI.
Honi reminds that the new approach to the search is to back off of chasing Vivi -- a tactic that many pet detectives and sighthound rescuers say will likely only serve to push Vivi farther away. However,- this does not mean that the search is over. It simply means that the search has entered a new phase where the emphasis will be on raising community awareness about Vivi, not catching her.
The most crucial way to do this is through a continued and constant posting of fliers, as well as handing them out to passersby in the following communities and areas in northern Queens: Whitestone, College Point, Flushing and Alley Pond.
Also on the advice of experts, the Vivi team has decided not to emphasize the reward amount, out of concern that it will only encourage "bounty hunters."
Downloadable electronic versions of these posters in several languages will be posted to this blog as soon as they are available. For those who want to make their own posters in the interim, Honi asks that they use the following numbers.
##########
LOST WHIPPET
May Be In This Area
DO NOT CHASE
CALL IMMEDIATELY
(877) JFK-VIVI
(917) 647-4848
(917) 626-1374
Reward
########
Please send all posters to Diane Tamm, 111 East Shore Road, Manhasset, New York 11030.
The daily report from Bo Bengtson, Vivi's breeder:
<<UPDATE AS OF TUESDAY NIGHT, APRIL 4, 2006
After a conference call with Honi Reisman today we have agreed that it’s time to change tactics. The intense search for Vivi and the number of people involved may actually have backfired in the efforts to leave Vivi alone so she gets comfortable enough to let herself be brought back home.
We all know that you cannot catch a Whippet that doesn’t want to be caught. All the sightings and ensuing activity aren’t going to bring her back. Most lost dogs eventually get back to their owners without even one percent of the attention that Vivi has been getting, but as long as she’s chased and grabbed for we will NOT get her back.
Those volunteers who are willing to help are encouraged to continue to post flyers (without the reward listed, as per Jil’s, Paul’s, Honi’s and my conviction that it doesn’t help but is now more likely to bring in unwanted “bounty hunters”). There is also a need to educate the public and the media about what you should do if you come across Vivi (see “Guidelines” posting on www.awc2006.com and on Denise Flaim’s Newsday blog from March 31), and to keep veterinarians, shelters, police, etc. alerted about Vivi, since those are the people who are most likely to be contacted if someone should catch Vivi “by accident” - the way we’re told this usually happens.
Traps are not a good option since there is plenty of food in the parks where Vivi obviously hangs out.
It’s against human nature to NOT act, but when what we’ve been doing obviously doesn’t work we have to maintain enough control to step back, calm down and focus on the few activities that definitely do not hurt and may actually help.
The 1-877-JKF-VIVI number is now up and working. It should be used for sightings of Vivi only.
Thanks for your understanding of all this. All suggestions and decisions should go via Honi, but please remember that we are all overwhelmed and have a difficult time dealing with calls and emails. Again, I apologize for not being able to respond to all the mail I get.
Finally, it seems that we may actually have some news from Delta tomorrow!
The daily report from Vivi's breeder, Bo Bengtson:
<<UPDATE AS OF MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 3, 2006
We hope to confer tomorrow with those most closely concerned in the search for Vivi about changing tactics. On Wednesday it will be seven weeks since Vivi was lost and in spite of the enormous, probably unprecedented efforts that have been made by so many people, she is no closer to getting back to us. It’s good news that at least some of last week’s sightings were confirmed, but as we know these sightings do not help bring her home.
On Wednesday the five days that Jil’s lawyer, Joyce Randazzo, gave Delta to respond to her final letter will also have passed. If they do not provide the information and at least some of the help we have asked for at that point I think it our responsibility to inform the public as widely as possible of what a passenger who loses a pet while in their care can expect.
One writer tells me that when he wrote to Delta to criticize them for the handling of this matter, they responded that “Delta employees are on the lookout for Vivi.” That letter was reportedly dated two days ago; since Vivi has not been at JFK for at least three weeks one wonders where they were looking.
Nothing new to report, unfortunately. I have spoken to Honi and know that a lot of great people were out today in the area where Vivi was last seen, posting flyers, talking to people and handing out flyers. There have been no confirmed sightings since Monday but there are rumors that one or maybe two people saw her later in the week, and these possible sightings are being investigated.
Honi asks anyone who wants to make flyers or contribute to the search to please contact her. Vivi’s owners have designated Honi and Bonnie to organize all search efforts in New York, and all decisions should be run through them. ... [Honi's email address is roxiethedoxie@aol.com.]
Apparently the 1-877 number that was introduced yesterday was still not working as of Saturday afternoon. Until we are sure it works, please use the other two numbers on the flyers for any Vivi sightings: 917-626-1374, or 516-776-0923. Thanks for your patience! Bo >>
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