Another lost airport show dog

From today's email, from katsridge@aol.com:

<<Help needed in the Seattle Washington Airport area.  16 month old Red Wheaten Show Male Rhodesian Ridgeback call name Rhett got loose outside at the Seattle Washington Airport today 8/22/2007 at 11:00am.

Avid Chip Number *094*102*077

Owners  Edward Balassanian and Molly Larkin

Phone Numbers  (206) 390-1946

                         (206) 465-3690

They are driving around the airport as I send out pleas for help looking for Rhett.  Anyone in this area who can help search or pass out flyers will be greatly appreciated.  Please give them a call.

Permission to cross post.>>

Vivi sighting?

Dare we dream?

Bonnie Folz sends this report:

<<A man saw what he believes to be Vivi on Saturday, just off the west-bound Northern Boulevard exit off the Van Wyck Expressway. He is a limo driver and remembers seeing the flier around La Guardia airport (thanks to our airport team member for making sure the airport lots are always covered).

Kathy “Bayside” contacted the caller for more info on Monday and emailed him the two photo line-up sheets. He picked Vivi out of both.

The out-of-town team has already begun another round of faxing and emailing businesses in the area. The location of the sighting has already been canvassed and it is a difficult spot to get to by car and you need to be careful if you park and walk as traffic whizzes by.  Some of the Vivi Team are out right now searching and will post around the area and repost Flushing Meadow Park and around Shea Stadium.

Guess the motion sensor cameras will be getting new batteries.

The man originally said the dog was the size of a German Shepherd, dirty white coat, brownish markings, and very skinny, but, then again, he did pick Vivi out of the line-ups.  There’s ALWAYS a possibility.

We can only hope and pray.>>

More on Gracie

  Theresa Hoang, the owner of runaway Gracie, sent an email to Team Vivi members thanking them for their help -- from posting fliers to calling veterinarians -- which ultimately made the Italian greyhound's ending a happy one.

"I would like to specially thank all of you for your tremendous help and support" when Gracie was wandering the streets of Brooklyn, she wrote. "I have never seen such a coordinated effort ... I [would love it] if we could meet each other some day."

Meanwhile, as these photos show, Gracie has returned to her life in New Jersey without missing a beat.

 

 

Gracie gets a happy ending!

  Gracie, the Italian Greyhound from New Jersey who was lost in mid-July on Brooklyn's not-so-mean streets, has been found!

Owner Theresa Hogang found out earlier this month that Gracie was taken in by a woman named Maria, who in turn gave the 4-year-old Iggy to an acquaintance named Kevin. The only information Maria had about him was that he was in his mid-20s and lives in Park Slope.

Vivi search coordinator Bonnie Folz, who had been keeping in close touch with Theresa (as have many Vivi-ites), emailed this morning with the rest of the story:

Turns out Kevin is not Kevin at all, but a fellow named Barry who had seen the fliers of Gracie posted, but didn't think they pertained to his new dog -- until a friend set him straight.

He called Theresa last night and she headed out to meet him, steeling herself for what could have been a crank call. (There have been several.)

Instead, she found her dog.

"As soon as Gracie found her family, she leaped into Theresa's daughters' arms!" Bonnie says.

The reunited family returned to New Jersey at 4 a.m., and have scheduled a visit to the veterinarian today to tend to Gracie's paw pads, which, are still in  bad shape from her Brooklyn adventure. She will be microchipped when she is there, too.

Bonnie had the best kicker for this story: "One can never give up hope."

The Vivi Crusade

From Vivi search coordinator Bonnie Folz:

<<The Vivi Crusade

The goal of the Vivi Crusade is to make air travel safer for pets. The Vivi Crusade came about after Vivi the whippet, CH Bohem’s C’est la Vie, was lost while in the care of Delta Airlines at

JFK

Airport

, after competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in February 2006.

Vivi is still missing.

In 2005, the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act was put into play. Also known as the “Boris Bill”, named after Barbara Listenik’s dog, who was lost during transport via the airlines, requires that airlines must report on all pets lost, injured or killed while in their care.

This reporting is posted monthly on the USA Department of Transportation web site: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/index.htm

Unfortunately, this past May, Ezra Malek’s cat, Tiger, was lost at the

Atlanta

airport.  Tiger’s crate was mistakenly mixed in with luggage and was dropped as it was being loaded onto a Delta Airlines flight.  Tiger’s crate fell to the ground, the door became unhinged, and Tiger ran off.  Tiger is still missing.

This incident was not listed on the DOT’s Air Consumer report for the month of May.

Fortunately, the number of pets lost, injured or killed since the reporting process began, is approximately 100 incidents. However, one pet that is lost, injured or killed during airline transport, is one too many. Granted, some of the incidents that have been reported were at no fault of the airlines, but through better education of airline employees and educating the pet owners, fewer incidents may happen.

Also, as part of the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, all airline employees must be trained in the proper handling of pets while in their care. Through numerous correspondences from many people, who have used the airlines for their pet’s transport, we are finding out that there doesn't seem to be much training at all.

We've also come to find that many pets that are lost during their flights are either lost or misplaced somewhere within the airport/terminal or they were mistakenly shipped to another airport. There seems to be no real tracking done on the crates these pets are traveling in and much confusion and heartache to the pet’s owner when these type of incidents occur. So far, we have not seen any of these types of incidents reported by the airlines. It appears the airline reporting is only done if the animal is NOT recovered and the lost pet incident, whether it's lost for an hour or a day, does NOT get reported.

The Vivi Crusade needs your help to gather information on any and all incidents of injured, killed or lost pets, even if the pet was lost for a short period of time and whether or not there was no report filed by the owner.

With pets becoming a more popular part of people’s families and more pet friendly travel destinations becoming available, it is imperative we work together to get these changes made.

Please forward the Vivi Crusade Questionnaire to as many animal lovers as possible; all dog and cat fanciers, clubs and organizations, breeders, veterinarians, pet supply stores, etc., in every city of every state, so that we can gather information, educate pet owners and help the Vivi Crusade make air travel safer for pets.  All pet lovers should be contacted.

The Vivi Crusade will work together with the airlines, various other agencies and crate manufacturers, etc. to make this happen.

Professional and conscious consideration and education are key.

A cover letter and the questionnaire to be sent out can be found on our web site www.vivicrusade.org  Please check back on the web site, as it is still under construction and more information and links will be posted going forward. 

We will ask that Denise Flaim continue to post updated information of the Vivi Crusade on the Newsday Animal House blog www.newsday.com/animalhouse

For more information about transporting animals, please visit:

http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/animals.htm

Together, we will make a difference.

Keeping the faith and making a difference

Bonnie>>

Arnold Schwarzenegger whippets

The Vivi search raised whippet awareness all over the country -- indeed, the world. So, in the spirit of that:

Recently, scientists announced that they had identified the genetic mutation responsible for "bully" whippets -- dogs that are unnaturally well muscled. If you've never seen an example of one, click here for a photo of Wendy the Whippet. Ahnold has nothing on her.

A note from Bonnie

A day-brightening email from Bonnie Folz:

<<To the Vivi Team Volunteers,

Last night I attended the annual awards dinner for one of the many clubs I am very proud to be a member of, for quite a few years: the Nassau / Suffolk Owner Handlers Association.

http://www.canineworld.com/oha/

 

Seated at our table for the evening were a few of my very close friends and students that attend the awards dinner with me each year, as well as my dear friend, Denise Flaim.

The food was delish and raffles were being won left and right at our table, as is the case each year, and we were having a very nice time whooping and hollering as our winning ticket numbers were called.

Each year, awards are given out to those members who have competed and achieved titles with their dogs. These awards are very special as they convey the commitment each owner has to the training and teamwork associated with competing in various events. I am proud to say I’ve been the recipient of these awards throughout the years as I competed with my furkids.

The top award is presented to the chapter’s Owner Handler of The Year. As I was bragging to those at my table about being close friends with two former Owner Handler of The Year award winners, one being Denise, our chapter’s club president, Susan Meluzin, began talking about this year’s recipient, and the wonderful commitment of time dedicated this past year. Bonnie Folz, were the next words I heard as Susan turned to me with a smile on her face. OMG!!!! ME??? I could not believe it (and still can’t)!! I was almost in tears as got up to accept the award for all of the work I’d done to help with Vivi’s search and continuing to do with the Vivi Crusade.

The beautiful, etched award reads "For Outstanding Contribution To The Sport Of Dogs 2006 Bonnie Folz." I cannot tell you how very proud and honored I am to receive this award!

I was (and still am) so excited, once the presentation was complete, I snuck outside to jump up and down, call Honi, and share the award and the news. I told Honi that she too should be included on this award as Honi has been my sounding board, my (sometimes) voice of reason (o: and pretty much my go-to-gal and right arm throughout these past 16 months. With all that we’ve gone through, and continue to strive for, Honi has become one of my very dear and close friends.

As I started to come down from cloud twelve, I came to realize that this award should include the names of ALL OF YOU, Team Vivi Volunteers, who have helped in Vivi’s search and saved so many animals this past year. Though it is only my name on the award, I and we, could never have done all that we did and continue to do were it not for each other’s support.

Like they say, there is no "I" in "TEAM." So to all of the Team Vivi Volunteers, I am very proud to say, congratulations to you for your Outstanding Contribution to The Sport of Dogs!

If anyone is looking for me, I’ll be on cloud nine.

Keeping the faith and making a difference.

Bonnie>>

The Vivi Crusade

From search coordinator Bonnie Folz:

<<Vivi Update – May 8, 2007

Just about 15 months after Vivi was carelessly lost while in the care of Delta Airlines, unfortunately,  there is no new news to report on the search for Vivi.  We have had no calls of confirmed sightings of Vivi in months now.  We pray that someone has her and if they do, that they would be kind enough to let someone know, even if anonymously, in the form of a current photo.  We just want to know that Vivi is okay.

 
There are still many fliers up in the various neighborhoods and the Vivi Team does go out now and again to replenish them.

So many good things have come about because of what happened to Vivi.  Good people throughout the country are helping to save other animals' lives.  Whether it be through petitions, networking, donations, forwarding information, prayers, requests for help with lost, injured or suffering animals as well as trying to help a special little girl, Madison, by reaching out to the Extreme Home Makeover crew to rebuild a home, thus giving her the care, therapy and treatments needed at home to assist her family and help Madison thrive and continue to improve.  http://www.gopetition.com/online/12112.html

   
For all of these GOOD things being done, we say, “Thank you Vivi” and thanks to all of you who are out there making a difference.

A group of Vivi volunteers, and others offering to help, have come together to pursue the airline safety issues that are needed to be put in place, and/or enforce those requirements that are already in place, for transporting pets via the airlines.  We are calling this the “Vivi Crusade.”

There is much needed information to be gathered, in order to present any changes that need to be made, whether it is amending a bill or creating a new one.

We are putting a web site together so that people can stay up to date on what the Vivi Crusade group is doing and what is needed.  We are in immediate need of a web host for this web site and are hoping that someone may know of a service that would donate the web-hosting or provide a discount to do so as we are in need of funding to get this new initiative going.  Anyone interested in donating the web-hosting, please contact me at Pawsativebf@aol.com or by cell 917-626-1374.

I contacted Barbara Listenik who, through the unfortunate incident with Delta losing her dog Boris back in 1996, was the driving force behind the Safe Air Travel for Animals Act, also known as the Boris Bill.  Barbara and a few other folks that helped get the Boris Bill passed have offered to join the Vivi Crusade.  With Barbara’s guidance, who has “been there-done that,” and that of Sue Weiss of the Long Island Coalition of Dog Fanciers, the Vivi Crusade is moving in the right direction. 

We’ve come to find that through the “Boris Bill”, training information MUST be given to all airline employees in the safe handling of all pets in their care.  We do not know if this is being done.  If anyone can provide us with training material that is being used to train airline employees and handlers, please forward the information to me.

We have put together a “Vivi Crusade Questionnaire” which asks for information of incidents that travelers have had transporting their pets via the airlines, even if the incident was not reported. 

It has also come to our attention, that many more incidents of pets being lost somewhere within the airlines/airports, are NOT being reported as the pet may have been found in another airport or another part of the airport, hours later.  These poor lost pets somehow get re-routed onto other flights, or are never listed as being on ANY flight to begin with.  There is no logged info about these pets making it a nightmare for them to be tracked when lost.  Only after hours of worry for the owners and some scrambling of airline employees, is the animal found and reunited with the owner with NO explanation what so ever from the airlines on what happened to the animal.  It seems that since the animal has been found, no report is written up and it does not get recorded as a lost pet, which is exactly what it was for that period of time.  With no reporting of the temporarily lost animal, it does not get reported to the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation, which the airlines are required to do, under the Safe Travel for Animals Act.  These complaints are then published in its Air Travel Consumer Report http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/  The complaints list the ‘Description of the Incident’, the ‘Description of Cause of the Incident’ and the ‘Description of Any Corrective Action’ taken by the airlines.  With these lost and found incidents not being reported, the airline is not held responsible to have any corrective actions put into place.  So this can happen to another animal at any time.

We know for a fact that incidents, such as these, go unreported by the airlines if they are not formally reported by the animal’s owner.  Take the story of Faith, the two legged dog, that was lost for almost 10 hours while in American Airlines care this past February, this incident was never listed with the Department of Transportation.  This is only one of the many we have heard of, with this type of “lost” incident happening, but unless there is some type of reporting/record of the incident, we don not have a leg to stand on and cannot get the changes made.  This is why the gathering of information with the Vivi Crusade Questionnaire is so very important.

Another finding we've come across with these lost animals, as you can see from the Air Consumer Reports, is that the airlines claim the crates being used to transport the animal seem to be the cause of the animals getting lost.  Whether it is a faulty crate door mechanism or the crate not being put together securely.  I do believe that this may be the case in some incidences but know that there was nothing wrong with the spring lock door on Vivi's crate when it was handed over to Delta, however, when Vivi's crate was returned days later, the spring mechanism on the door was clearly broken.  To me, this faulty crate excuse seems to be an easy out.  Having a crate manufacturer that can design a crate better suited to contain an animal, may prove to be very helpful in safely transporting them.

The "Vivi Crusade Questionnaire" will be distributed as soon as we have the web site up and running.  If anyone would like a copy of the "Vivi Crusade Questionnaire" sooner or knows of someone that would like a copy, please contact me at Pawsativebf@aol.com   

We appreciate all of your help compiling this information to make these changes.

Keeping the faith and making a difference.

Bonnie Folz>>

Barbaro Lives

If you haven't already, you might want to check out the beautifully written ESPN piece on "The Church of Barbaro." Vivi, in many respects, was the canine version of this inspirational thoroughbred.

Happy Birthday, Vivi

Yesterday was a time for smiles, and tears.

Several dozen Vivi searchers and devotees converged on Long Island yesterday afternoon for a luncheon in their honor. Intended as a special thank-you from Vivi's owner Jil Walton and her husband Rick Patterson, who flew in especially for the occasion, it was held at the lovely home of Honi and Carol Reisman.

Vivi's breeder, Bo Bengtson, and her co-owner, Paul Lepiane, were in China, but they were there in spirit.

The gathering was a chance to reminisce, and to socialize together in a different context: I don't believe I have ever had a chance to see Tina and Rosa when it didn't involve driving the bumpy streets of Queens. (Although Rick admitted he now considers no visit to New York complete without a visit to the Blue Bay Diner.) Honi, Carol and Jil set out a fabulous spread. (No plastic plates here, and salmon to die for!) Bonnie took time out during the gathering to check in on searchers for India the missing pharaoh in Alabama.

It was a bittersweet gathering, as it happened to fall on Vivi's fifth birthday. There was a lovely cake with Vivi's photo on it, and Jil said a very few words, because the tears were starting to well. But her message was heartfelt and profound: Thank you for everything you have done. What else is there to say?

Then Jil handed out some lovely thank-you gifts for all the searchers: Beautiful medallions with Vivi's photo, and the words "Keep the faith" on the back. (Now it was Bonnie who fought back tears.)

Imagine my surprise when Jil handed me a lovely plaque, with the same Vivi photo, as a thank-you for keeping Vivi's story alive. Actually, it is I who should be grateful, for meeting such an inspirational and dedicated group of animal lovers, near and far. Despite the blips and brickbats that hit this blog periodically, that basic sense of unconditional caring still remains.

I could have stayed for hours, talking dogs, catching up and soaking in the decor. (Anyone who can mix Mexican day of the dead statues in the same room with German borzoi porcelains has Martha beat in my book any day of the week.) But my three kids and four Ridgebacks were waiting at home, so I bid everyone goodbye.

As I left, I caught a glimpse of the photos Jil had passed around of the new 14-acre homestead she and Rick have bought in Montana. It's life: People move on, life changes.

There were also shots of Vivi's new sister, a black-faced Jack Russell mix with a mischievous glint in her eye. Jil said she hopes to extend their canine family with a deerhound in the future, and of course she wants a whippet. But she can't bring herself to get one, because she already has one, and somewhere deep inside, she hasn't let go of the possibility that Vivi is out there, sitting in someone's living room, waiting to be found.

I think some of us know exactly how she feels.

Happy birthday, Vivi.

Team Vivi Update

From search coordinator Bonnie Folz:

<<Sorry to say, there is no new information to report in the search for Vivi.

The Vivi Team and Out-Of-Town volunteers continue to post, mail, e-mail and send faxes that Vivi is still missing. Even though there have not been many updates, volunteers are still out there. There’s just nothing to report on. Feeding stations and cameras have been set up since the last “sighting” in Forest Park over a month ago, but the photos show only a small pack of dogs (from the nearby cemetery that we got on camera during the summer), as well as resident cats, raccoons, possum, rats, squirrels and birds. Thanks to Sophia and Angelo, from A&S Pet Supply in Ozone Park, for their generous donation of food. I loaded up the “Vivi van” and distributed food to the volunteers monitoring the feeding stations as well as a number of other rescue organizations. (Now my minivan no longer does wheelies when I hit the gas!)

With the lack of calls coming in of Vivi being seen wandering the streets, many of the volunteers feel she may have been picked up by someone, either not knowing she’s someone’s beloved pet or they just do not want to return her, or ... We received a good number of calls recently of people seen “walking” Vivi. Though a few of these have been checked and verified it was NOT Vivi these people saw, being in the right place at the right time to try and get a glimpse of these people walking the dog again is next to impossible.

I received a call from Paul Lepiane, Vivi’s co-owner, on Tuesday. He just got a call from, Ryan, a man in upstate, NY. Ryan lost his female Aussie/Border Collie mix, Haylee, about 8 weeks ago and had put out fliers and ads of his lost dog in the newspaper up that way. (see Haylee’s flyer below/attached) A woman called to say she’d like to help him search for his dog and asked him to bring her some fliers to her home. When Ryan got there and delivered the fliers, the woman told him he should change the format of the flier so the info would stand out a bit more and showed him one of Vivi’s fliers. Ryan thought it very strange that this woman, showing him Vivi’s flier had a dog that looked just like Vivi there in her house! Ryan asked Paul if Vivi had a tattoo in her ear as the dog this woman had, with the same coloring/markings as Vivi, had a bandage around its head and he thought this woman may have been covering up something.

I assured Paul I’d follow up with Ryan. After speaking with Ryan and getting the information on what he thought and saw, I remembered we have a couple of volunteers, Michelle and her sister Sylvie, that live upstate (though I have no clue where) and that they do own a whippet, named Winston. I told Ryan that many whippets have the same coloring (white and brindle). I mentioned that Michelle was one of our volunteers and strangely, he said the woman he saw was also named Michelle. Ryan forwarded me the address and phone number of the woman he suspected of having Vivi. Me, not having our volunteer, Michelle’s info at work with me, I contacted Rosa to get her number. Well, I called Michelle and yes, it was her that Ryan saw that night! Her dog Winston, got into a tiff with another dog and had his ear chomped, hence the bandaged ear. So glad Ryan took the initiative to call. So glad Michelle and Sylvie are helping to find his lost dog. Small world, huh?

We urge anyone that does believe they are seeing Vivi to photograph her right away (this is where those cell phone cameras come in handy) and email the photos to me at Pawsativebf@aol.com.

One call that came in this week was from a man that believed he saw Vivi laying dead on the shoulder of the Jackie Robinson Parkway. He couldn’t be sure it was her as it was during rush hour traffic. This is the second time during the past year I went out on a call like this and I dreaded what I might find. With my nerves frazzled and my mind racing, I was comforted to have Kathy “Bayside” keep me calm on the phone as I made my way onto the parkway. Driving very slow with my hazard lights on, I came up on the dog. Thankfully it was not Vivi but unfortunately it was, what appeared to be, a pit bull, white with black markings. I was told one of the volunteers had seen a lost dog flyer up in the neighborhood that could possibly be for this dog but we couldn’t locate it to check and see if in fact this may have been their dog.

On a happier note, Team Vivi rescued another four dogs the past few weeks. One, just this afternoon! A young German Shepherd dog was found running in a park. After over an hour of coaxing, he was caught and brought to a local rescue, Sean Casey Animal Rescue, to be put up for adoption. (I believe he found a forever home this week) Two Dalmatians that were found running in a park in Valley Stream, were captured by Barbara Jean and brought to a local vet. These dogs were happily reunited with their owner a day or so later.

Today, as the Vivi Team were getting together to do some posting, they came across a older dog laying in a yard, very dirty and in need of rescue as the dog did not belong to the homeowners. The gals gathered him up and brought him to Sean Casey’s Animal Rescue shelter. These dogs were left, with a donation from those that delivered them to the rescue. I cannot begin to tell you what an incredibly amazing group of volunteers these ladies are!

Myself and a few other Vivi volunteers have been doing research to put our plans in motion to get the Vivi Bill underway. Unfortunately, this is a slow process and the changes we’d like to make will affect many people and agencies throughout the country. All must be considered. This is not something we want to bulldoze anyone on and it is better to work WITH as many of these groups and agencies as possible to make these safety changes reality. Right now, educating as many people as we can, using the “Urgent Message” that we put together, as well as other info which can be obtained on-line, is what will help others safely transport their pets via the airlines. Some of the airlines already have fairly good procedures in place, others are very lax.

Below is a quick list of issues I put together. These are still to be discussed with the other volunteers working on the Vivi Bill and nothing is cut in stone as they must be revised, elaborated on and have to be workable for ALL involved i.e., the passengers, airlines, airports and other agencies but most of all make a difference to safely transport/fly our pets.

Safe transport of dogs issues

Educate any and ALL persons that will be handling the crate/pet at the airport.

Airline safe crates need to be manufactured to allow for zip ties or some other way of better securing the crate. Or, possibly manufacturing a more sturdy/ secure crate.

When purchasing a ticket for air travel, owners should be made to purchase a package which would include safety information on how the animal will be handled, an information sticker with specific owner information to adhere to the crate (i.e. type of dog, owner name, destination, phone numbers and any pertinent info) the closest airport emergency veterinarian information for each destination.

Ticket agents must be made aware of how to accept crates for transport.

TSA’s inspection must be done in a secure area.

Once TSA’s sticker is placed on the crate, NO ONE is to open the crate unless the owner is notified first.

Owners must stay with dog /crate until it is loaded onto the plane.

All baggage handlers handling crates must follow guidelines on handling crates and dogs.

Confirmation that the dog has been loaded onto the plane must be made by more than one person. Confirmation information must be forwarded to pilot/crew before plane takes off.

If a connecting flight is to be made, the same procedures of confirmation must be taken.

If a conveyer belt is used to load or off load the crate , the crate must somehow be secured to conveyer belt so there is no chance of if falling off.

Crates should be brought to a secure area for pick-up NOT in the baggage claim area.

Some sort of identification/baggage claim ticket MUST be presented to pick-up the dog/crate.

Emergency veterinarian information MUST be made available to ticket agents, security and baggage handlers in case of emergency.

Baggage and ramp personnel should be made aware not to chase a dog if it does happen to get out of its crate.

The above are based on unfortunate incidents that have happened to people transporting their pets in the past. I’m sure there are more issues that could be added but this is what we have so far and again, this is all in the early stages.

I encourage any and all input on these ideas/issues and also, if anyone has a story to tell of an incident, good or bad, that they have had transporting their pets on an airplane, please forward them to me at Pawsativebf@aol.com.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support, words of encouragement and prayers for Vivi. We continue to hold out hope that some day she will be reunited with Jil and Rick.

Keeping the faith and making a difference.

LOST DOG HAYLEE CALL: (607) 206-8931 Female 50 lbs Australian Shepherd Mix Brown, black and speckled white Last seen near Broome-Tioga Cy line in Crest View Heights in Jan. NEEDS MEDICATION REWARD

Bonnie >>

On the outside looking in

A nice job covering the Vivi phenom, and retracing some old tracks:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=vivi

A year later

A year ago today, the disappearance of a pretty little wisp of a whippet prompted me to use this blog to help keep people up to date on rescue efforts. It became inextricably linked with this spunky little show dog, who had a knack for capturing hearts as effortlessly as she did ribbons.

A year later, and still no Vivi. But in the meantime, this blog has become a place for dog lovers to come for the latest news -- even if that is that there is no news.

I still leave room for the hope that a page-one "Vivi Found" story lurks around the bend. I hope you do, too, if only because it's nice to believe in happy endings -- and to believe in believing.

Bagging Vivi

If you were at Westminster on Tuesday, you might have seen search coordinator Bonnie Folz tooling around with the hottest accessory for the Vivi faithful: the Vivi bag.

Rich chocolate brown with hot-pink accents, the glossy-paper tote bags have a photo of the missing Westminster whippet, along with the hot line number: 877-JFK-VIVI.

The bags are $5.95, and can also be ordered in bulk. A portion of proceeds will benefit two local no-kill rescue groups: Bide-a-Wee in Manhattan and Bobbi & the Strays in Queens.

Visit vivibags.com, or call (201) 265-0014.

Murky Vivi sighting

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz sends this on:

<<Rosa got a call of a sighting tonight [Monday, Feb. 5] at 10:30 p.m. The president of the Forest Park Dog Run, called to say he believes he saw Vivi around the picnic area by the band shell in Forest Park while walking his dog. His dog is who actually spotted Vivi first and the dog was about 20 foot away from his dog.  I was just finishing up my training class. I called and spoke with the man (a former student, owns an Irish Wolfhound) and asked if he could pick the dog he saw out of a line-up?  He said he thought it was a saluki at first and it looked beige in color.  When I asked him about any markings he said he couldn't be sure because it was dark and the dog ran off.  But he believes it was our dog.  I finished at class and one of my friends/students followed me up to Forest Park to the area of the sighting.  We met up with Gail, got out with flash lights and looked around but it's got to be below zero and the wind was just too much for us to stay out too long.  We all headed back to our cars and canvassed the area and some surrounding blocks.  Gail and I met up with Rosa and her room mate Wendy at the bandshell parking lot, discussed the sighting and where the dog could have gone for shelter.  Being it was sighted not far from the hole in the fence of the golf course where we once had a feeding station set up and the camera was stolen, the dog very well could have ducked back into the golf course and is hiding out there.  It got to be too late so I left Gail, Rosa and Wendy, drove around the golf course parameter and headed home.  Gail and Rosa were going to put out some food for the dog in case it was hungry.  Guess the Forest Park area needs to be posted again. >>

Crate Expectations at the Airport

Vivi's breeder, Bo Bengtson, sends this on:

<<SHIPPING DOGS: “SECURITY CHECKS” PROVIDE “NEW” RISK?

The following recent experience exposed an obvious risk in shipping dogs and other pets and could, I hope, be used as a catalyst for change and new federal regulations in how animals are treated while in transit.

On Friday, Feb. 2, 2007, I went to LAX to ship a Whippet puppy to Florida. It was the first time since Vivi’s disappearance almost exactly a year ago that I shipped a dog, which only affects the following in so far as I was pretty nervous about the experience and had spent a lot of time preparing for it. We had several plastic “zip-ties” to secure the crate and signs with the dog’s name, “DO NOT OPEN!” etc. The puppy, Griffin, is a nearly six-month-old son of Vivi’s older half brother, Chili.

I chose American Airlines because their web site impressed me as being very sensible and dog-friendly with a lot of specific information. Griffin was booked on non-stop flight AA262 departing at 9:25 PM and arriving in Fort Lauderdale at 5:10 AM local time. He was shipped Priority Parcel, which meant that we had to bring him to the AA baggage area at LAX. The airline staff was very helpful and considerate; they actually remembered the Vivi incident even though that involved another airline and a different airport.

With the crate checked and approved, and all paperwork done, we secured the gate with the zip-ties. Griffin was totally unconcerned and only focused on playing with his chew toy. Having paid the shipping charge we saw the crate being loaded on a cart and wheeled out; we were ready to leave the building when — by pure chance and because the cargo employee with the cart returned to the front desk — we overheard him saying that “Security wants to open the crate again.”

Obviously airport security staff works independenly from the airlines, and obviously they have the right to inspect any piece of luggage as they feel is necessary at any time. Reasoning with an unsmiling security officer exercising her authority was useless. The upshot was that the zip-ties had to be cut, the gate opened and Griffin taken out of the crate while the officer inspected the crate. Since I could hold the puppy in my arms, all went well – in spite of the fact that the inspection took place in an open building, with hundreds of passengers milling about, less than six feet from an open door with very heavy traffic outside. Any dog who ran out that door would unquestionably be killed by traffic in a matter of minutes.

I still get weak at the knees thinking about what could have happened if we had not been present. Certainly none of the security staff had any dog experience whatsoever; Griffin would have wriggled in their arms and tried to lick their faces; if they had dropped him they would not have had any idea how to catch him again. (Everyone who knows him is aware that he’d come to anyone who showed him a treat!)

It is appalling that living animals are not treated differently than other cargo in this respect. Quite obviously, from every point of view, it would make sense that security should check crates BEFORE they are closed by the airline staff at check-in, and that no crate containing a live animal should ever be opened unless it is inside a closed room and the owner (or at the very least an experienced animal handler) is present. Once the crate has been inspected, a sticker or plastic seal should be placed on the gate indicating that it cannot be opened again while in transit.

With the above in mind, it’s actually surprising that not more pets are lost at airports. Many dogs are nervous while being shipped and would bolt at the first opportunity to get out of the crate. A scared dog might bite a security officer, who then most likely would let the dog go.

There has been much discussion about whether it’s safer to leave a collar on a dog being shipped or not. While I agree that there is a small risk that the collar could get stuck in something during the flight, I now feel that it’s probably safer to leave it on, since this would at least increase the dog’s risks of not getting loose if it’s taken out of its crate after check-in.

We will never know whether it was a last-minute security inspection of Vivi’s crate what forced her to get out of her crate and eventually get lost. It is certain, however, that a new federal regulation needs to be introduced to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.

Griffin got to Florida safe and sound, not in the least upset by his experience. However, I urge anyone with contacts in the right places to help us push for a change in the federal regulations for how live animals in transit are treated by airport staff.

Thanks for your patience!

Bo Bengtson>>
    

One year -- almost -- and counting

A year later, is finding Vivi a lost cause?

BY DENISE FLAIM
Newsday Staff Writer

Vivi has come full circle.

The California whippet who became a household name when she bolted from her crate at Kennedy Airport almost a year ago after the Westminster Kennel Club dog show -- and who kindled hopes of her capture after six months of catch-me-if-you-can sightings all over Queens -- hasn't been seen in months. And as the anniversary of her airport escape approaches, some searchers worry that she truly is gone, this time for good.

Champion Bohem C'est la Vie, as Vivi was formally known, disappeared last Feb. 15 en route to a Delta Airlines flight. Searches of the airport marshland, cargo areas and surrounding neighborhoods yielded not so much as a glimpse of her.

Then, more than three weeks later, Vivi was spotted north of the airport, in Jamaica. Soon after, the white-and-brown whippet, which resembles a miniature greyhound, began a tour of Queens, sparking sightings in Flushing, Whitestone and College Point, some of which were confirmed by pet-detection tracking dogs.

Vivi's hot trail came to a sudden halt in August in Glendale, near the Brooklyn border. Since then, only sporadic calls have come through the Vivi hotline, 877-JFK-VIVI, all of them unverifiable dead-ends.

"I'm really saddened to realize it's been a whole year," said Vivi's breeder, Bo Bengtson, of Ojai, Calif., who will soon head east to attend the Westminster show at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 12 and 13, his annual ritual for more than 30 years. "I'll never forget the desolation of trudging through the areas around the airport that first night, or the following days and weeks and months. ... If there's been anything positive coming from all this, it's that we've concrete proof of how much people love dogs."

Indeed, throughout the year-long search, a die-hard group of local volunteers rescued more than 60 animals, from a batch of kittens nicknamed The Honeymooners to a Chihuahua called Pablo.

None of them, however, has been Vivi, a fact that disheartens search coordinator Bonnie Folz of Howard Beach.

"I don't think it's ever going to end -- I don't think I'm ever going to find her," she said. "My heart says yes, but my head says she could have been dead that night in the marshland a year ago. I hope that I'm wrong, but there are so many what-ifs and why-fors."

If Vivi is still alive, the dearth of recent sightings suggests she is no longer on the lam. Searchers are following up on reports that dogs matching Vivi's description have been seen walking on leash in East New York, Astoria, Glendale, and southeastern Nassau County.

"I hope someone has her," said Vivi's owner, Jil Walton of Claremont, Calif., who delayed her wedding from May until November "because we kept thinking, 'This is the weekend we are going to have to go to New York to get her.'"

Along with the nuptials, Walton's other concession to reality was her new puppy, a 5-month-old Jack Russell terrier mix named Lucy Brown, whose feistiness is a stark contrast to her devoted, shadow-like whippet.

Walton said she still occasionally speaks to animal communicators, who themselves are divided about her missing dog's fate. "Some say she's dead, some say they are still in touch with her," said Walton, who is moving to Montana in May to have more room for her horses.

If the optimists are right, "Vivi will have a great spread when she comes home."

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

Almost a year later

Team Vivi Update 2/01/07

The one-year anniversary of the day that Vivi was carelessly mishandled and lost at JFK Airport while entrusted to Delta Airlines to get her home, safely, to California, is only two weeks away.

Vivi is still missing.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Vivi since November. Since that time, we have received calls of people seen “walking” Vivi, unfortunately, the volunteers have not been successful in seeing these people walking Vivi while doing stake-outs of the areas.  There are three areas, one in Astoria, Queens, one in East New York, Brooklyn and one in Long Island, not far from JFK Airport.

We are considering hiring professionals to try and confirm these as the volunteer’s schedules and daily lives prohibit us from checking these calls out effectively.  Seems the Vivi Team is everywhere but never in the right place at the right time. I can only hope that if someone does have Vivi, that she is being cared for.

The media blitz surrounding Vivi’s unfortunate anniversary has already begun. As hard as it is, to relive what happened and all that the Vivi Team and people from all over the country have done to help with Vivi’s search, it is very important to keep the public informed that Vivi is still missing. Someone, somewhere, will see her and give us the call we have long awaited.

Besides learning about lost dog’s habits, what to do, and where to go for help, I’ve met some very incredible and caring people. The Vivi Team and Vivi’s Out-of Town Team, as well as other volunteers, brought together because of Vivi, have been instrumental in helping to rescue and re-home over 60 animals! A litter of puppies was rescued from a vacant lot in Queens by Team Vivi’s Barbara Jean and Nancy, just last week! All of these animals now have loving homes.

Many of Vivi’s volunteers, while out posting flyers and searching for Vivi, are helping to locate other missing dogs as well. Max, a white and brown pitbull went missing after a car accident in Kew Gardens, Queens in November. Bailey, a black and white Alaskan Malamute, was stolen from her home on January 18, and was seen wandering in Elmont, Long Island.

Whatever eyes were opened, because of Vivi, will never see things the same.  We will always look at a loose dog, not so much as a stray, but possibly as someone’s lost pet.

A small group of us, formed from the Vivi search, had our first meeting about how to change the way airlines treat and handle animals while in their care. We do not want what happened to Vivi and the torment that Jil, Rick, Paul and Bo have been put through, to ever happen again. There is no reason for it.  We never heard the outcome of Delta’s “internal investigation.” The report Delta did file is below:

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.

Delta did not return Vivi’s crate to her owners for two weeks after they lost Vivi.

We are in the research phase right now and are compiling information of airline procedures for checking in animals. We are putting together a list of questions to forward out to whoever flies or has flown an animal, and what their experience was, good and/or bad. In doing some research already, animals flying in cargo are considered baggage and it seems that many airlines subcontract baggage handlers.  It doesn’t make a difference to me who handles the baggage but whoever is handling the animals checked in MUST have some sort of training on the care and handling of the animal. A trained supervisor, from the airlines, should be on hand to make sure the animal boards the plane safely and arrives safely. I will make  the questionnaires available as soon as they are finished.

There are a few people on the Vivi Team that are still working on different tactics and angles. There are people on the Vivi Team that feel she’ll never be found. Everyone will have to decide for themselves when to stop their active search. Other than following up on incoming calls to Vivi’s 800 number and keeping in contact with the rest of Team Vivi, there’s not much more, I feel, can be done. In my heart, I’ll never give up hope. I’ll always be looking for Vivi as I drive.  I’ll continue to check the local shelter and will continue to tell people as I see them that Vivi is still missing. And I pray, someday, Vivi is found.

Jil, Rick, Paul and Bo have told me time and again, they could never thank all of the volunteers enough for the time, effort and donations put forth for Vivi’s search. I know we are all very appreciated for doing all that we have.

I’ll be attending and exhibiting at the Westminster Kennel Club show again this year, as I have since 1998. I know this year, and every year thereafter, will never be the same for me, all because of a beautiful lost Whippet, CH Bohem’s C’est La Vie.

As always, and forever, keeping the faith.

Bonnie

New Year's Update

From search coordinator Bonnie Folz:

<<Vivi Update - Januray 1, 2007

I hope everyone had the best of holidays and a happy New Year. 

Just wanted to let everyone know that though our search for Vivi may have slowed down, Team Vivi is still at work.

Despite our last call of Vivi’s sighting, a month or so back, at Freedom Drive and Park Lane South in Forest Park, and our efforts to flood the area with flyers, door-hangers and hand-outs, no new calls have come in. The camera at the feeding station that’s been set up has produced pictures of cats and very fat raccoons.  If Vivi is still out on her own, we at least have been fortunate to have unseasonably warmer weather here in New York City, and there are many places she could find shelter and food.

We have received a few calls that tell us “I saw someone walking your dog” and those calls are being followed up on with volunteers staking out the areas, but this may take some time to confirm. We do ask that the caller keep an eye out and to take a picture of the dog if they can. If it is Vivi the callers claim to see being walked, we know she is at least in a home where she’s provided food, warmth and exercise.

The possibility still remains that Vivi was picked up by someone passing through Queens and brought to another location, possibly outside of Queens or outside of New York for that matter. It’s important that as many veterinarians, pet shops and groomers outside of New York City are made aware that Vivi is still missing and may be in their neighborhood. So, please, if you live outside of NYC, hand out a flier or two to your veterinarians, groomers and pet-supply stores.  Speak to your friends and neighbors as well.

Our thanks go out to Liz Rhoades and the people at the Queens Chronicle, as Vivi, with her photo, was mentioned once again in their year-end newspaper, “The Top 10 of 2006, A look back at the stories that shaped Queens.”

Never-ending thanks also go out to Denise Flaim and the folks at Newsday for allowing us to keep Vivi’s plight alive with the Newsday blog.

If you have time, please send them a thank you as they have been extremely helpful getting the word out about Vivi and helping with our search. 

Team Vivi has also been doing what we can to help with the search for Ticket, the 11-year-old whippet missing in Cedartown, Ga. He has been sighted many times in the same area, and a couple of times by his owner just this past weekend. Ticket seems to be staying in one area, which, hopefully, will make capturing him an easier task than pinpointing Vivi. If anyone can lend a held with helping to capture Ticket, please contact me at Pawsativebf@aol.com.  Ticket’s owners could use all the help they can get.

With every New Year come resolutions. Mine for this year have changed quite a bit from the norm, as I’m sure they have changed for many of you with all we’ve been through together in our search for Vivi.  Whatever your New Year's resolutions are, I wish you success and hope they include animal companions in some way.

For everyone who sent me a card or email for the holidays, thank you.  Unfortunately, time just slipped away and cards never made it out of the bag I bought them in.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe new year.  May you be blessed with all good things.

Thanks for your continued support with Team Vivi.

I pray that Vivi, Ticket and all the lost animals find their way back to their loving homes soon.

Hug those pets!

Keep the faith!

Bonnie>>

Merry

Wishing everyone a happy holiday, and a New Year resplendent with Vivi sightings ...

Denise

Status quo, ho, ho

Other than new lows achieved in interpersonal communication in the comments section of this blog, nothing much to report.

Search coordinator Bonnie Folz writes:

<<I’ve got nothing new to report on the Vivi search as everything has been the same these past couple of weeks. There arel feeding stations being monitored, flyers, posters and door hangers as well as faxes and emails to businesses in the area being distributed. Canvassing of the park and neighboring blocks still being done. Couple of calls trickling in,but nothing substantial to go on.  .. Just no real news to report.

The Vivi Team is also trying to help Ticket, the 11-year-old whippet missing in Georgia, as best we can from far away, with ideas, thoughts and suggestions from what Team Vivi has learned and experienced these past 10 months. 10 MONTHS TOMORROW!!>>

Forest Park, a photo essay

For out-of-towners who have never been to Forest Park in Queens -- at almost 1,300 acres, the borough's third-largest park, and the location of the most recent Vivi sighting -- here are some selections from Newsday's photo library.

Townsend Harris girls handball player Michelle Kwa during a match against Cleveland High School in Forest Park in Queens in April. (Photo by Joel Cairo)

New York Police Department scuba divers search for Monica Lozada-Rivaineira inside a lake at the Forest Park Golf Coursefor a second day in October 2005. Police say her boyfriend confessed to killing her, dumping her body and then abandoning the woman's 4-year-old girl, Valerie, who was found on a street. (Photo by Robert Stridiron) Can't find that key? Maybe it's this one, seen dangling from a bird statue at the park in 2005. (Newsday photo / Alan Raia) At a free skate clinic in Forest Park in summer 2005, instructor Peter Giang is in demand for lessons. (Newsday Photo/Julia Gaines) Chris Nadareski, a wildlife biologist from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, releases a redtailed hawk in Forest Park in December 2004. Earlier that month, two members of the NYPD Scuba Unit rescued the hawk from a pack of seagulls in the East River. (Newsday Photo/Julia Gaines) At The Overlook, part of Forest Park near Park Lane in Kew Gardens, Boris Kotik lets his cat Fjedia out of his cat carrier so he can soak in some sun in 2002. (Newsday Photo/Julia Gaines) A very different kind of feline: In July 2004, Apollo, a 450-pound, 7-year-old Bengal tiger, escaped from the Coles Brothers Circus on tour in the Queens park. After roaming the Jackie Robinson Parkway (then called the Interboro), he was captured. The circus was issued a summons for animal nuisance. (AP Photo/Jennifer Szymaszek) Gilbert Strack, with daughter Samantha, after the May 2004 ceremony for the Pfc Laurence Strack Memorial Pond in Forest Park, named for his brother, the first Woodhaven resident killed in Vietnam. Strack said he and his brother played childhood ice hockey on the pond, which kept resurfacing despite the Parks Department's efforts to maintain ballfields there. Vivi's scent has been confirmed at the pond. (Newsday Photo/Alan Raia) The F3 Club (short for "fit, female, and forty") trains for the half-marathon at Forest Park in February 2004. (Newsday Photo/ Mayita Mendez) Neighborhood kids enjoy a new winter wonderland in Park Lane South in January 2004. (Newsday Photo J. Conrad Williams Jr.) A Forest Park squirrel stops for a munch in November 2003. (Newsday Photo/Julia Gaines) Bibi Khan and her son Ryan, 2, from Woodhaven, on one of the horses in the  Forest Park carousel in July 2003. (Newsday Photo/ Ken Spencer ) The Forest Park Carousel holds some of the last surviving creations of master wood-carver Daniel Carl Muller -- 49 horses, a lion, a tiger, a deer, and two chariots arranged in three concentric circles. The carousel was first operated in 1903 in Dracut, Massachusetts, then taken apart and stored for later use. It was put in Forest Park in the 1970s on the site of another carousel that burned down in 1966. Marilyn Rinchere serves her beans and rice dish at her family "restaurant" under a tent at the "L'ABAPEC" (Les Amis du Bas de Peu de Choses) Haitian family picnic at Forest Park in August 2003. (Newsday Photo/Julia Gaines)