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Many sightings, but no sign of Vivi

By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER | Associated Press Writer

June 17, 2006

NEW YORK - The sightings have trickled in _ sometimes in flurries, sometimes breaking anxious weeks of silence _ in the four months since a prize-winning show dog bolted her carrier at Kennedy Airport and raced headlong into the winter cold.

Some tips about the missing dog appear legitimate, others just downright mean. And not one of the calls has panned out in the ongoing hunt for Vivi, a whippet honored with a Westminster Dog Show award of merit just before her Feb. 15 disappearance.

"It just goes on and on, and every time there's another call it's like, `OK, here we go again,"' said Jil Walton, the dog's co-owner. A team of volunteer searchers often felt they were chasing their own tails _ until last week, when one of them spotted the pooch in the Laurelton section of Queens.

"She crossed the street less than a block from me," said Barbara-Jean Landsperg, a 56-year-old volunteer for Team Vivi. "She stood in the middle of a large road, checked for traffic, and crossed through like a bullet and hid in a gully."

Landsperg's call was one of three sightings last week, and a welcome change from the misinformation provided by some callers.

Mean-spirited pranksters have claimed to have Vivi safe in their homes, only to dissolve into giggles when pressed for details. Others have called in the dead of night to demand a ransom _ all such demands are refused. Some just call to say, "Your dog's dead by the side of the road."

The ultimate goal remains returning Vivi to California, where the pooch would spend her days hunting squirrels while Walton works as a horse trainer on a farm. It won't be easy, since Vivi's top speed of 30 mph makes it difficult for any two-legged beasts to keep up.

"I just want her to be home by my birthday, July 5," Walton said. "We've got a big parade here the day before, and I want Vivi to walk in that parade with me."

Stranger things have happened, said New York City ASPCA special investigator Joseph Pentangelo. Though slight-framed and short-haired, like other sighthounds _ greyhounds and salukis _ whippets are fast and capable hunters. And the city's voluminous waste provides another source of food.

"Besides, the immediate area around JFK is not built up _ it's not urban like Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street," Pentangelo said. "It's not Yellowstone (National Park), but if you were walking there it's not likely you would encounter a lot of people like you would in an urban city environment."

Those involved in the search effort are doing their best to protect the missing dog. Flyers with information about Vivi no longer mention the $5,000 reward, an effort to separate those with the dog's best interests from those just interested in the cash.

Team Vivi also stopped giving exact locations of sightings over fears that people would flood the area and frighten the dog.

What should locals do if they see Vivi?

"It's going to be very difficult to trap the dog because she's not hungry, so you have to be a little smarter than her," said Honi Reifman, a search coordinator. "Don't call after her, just be friendly and get down low to the ground so she can see you're submissive. Then try and lure her into an enclosed area."

Co-owner Paul Lepiane considers Vivi's survival a testament to the dexterity of show dogs, which he says get a bad rap as pampered. Vivi is valued between $15,000 and $20,000.

"In a way, we're really proud of her," Lepiane said. "Especially with a dog like a whippet. They're so fragile looking, and you have this little dog out there surviving on its own."

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Sightings or information can be reported to 1-877-JFK-VIVI.