Posted Courtesy of the American Whippet Club
Jil reports another disappointing day of searching and tracking with no real leads, no sightings and no new scents. Dog trackers Laura Totis and Sam Connley left earlier today, and Jil and Rick are returning home to California on a late night flight after nearly a weeks walking and searching.
Bonnie Folz sums it up: "I think the best thing to do for a while, as hard as it may be for us, would be to slow down and stop searching so hot and heavy for Vivi. If we take a step back, I think she will start to show herself again. At that time, we need to proceed with more caution and have a better plan as to how to approach the area. Instead of all hitting the same place at the same time, we need to fan out a bit more. I tell ya, its definitely easier said than done, as I know first hand. However, this was also agreed upon by Laura and Sam as we spoke about it over lunch today."
We realize how disappointing this is for the volunteers who have spent so much time, energy and passion on the search. Nobody really wants to accept the fact that you can't catch a dog that doesn't want to be caught (especially not a Whippet), or the bitter truth that's been repeated by all those with more experience in catching lost dogs than we have: that they are almost never caught by their owners or those who search for them. A lost dog will eventually walk into somebodys yard when he's tired, hungry and/or not afraid of being chased any more. I keep repeating these truths both to myself and others. They are not easy to swallow but obviously important to remember.
That's the miracle we keep hoping for. When that happens we can only hope that the person who finds Vivi will know who she is. I doubt that any dog has ever been subjected to such a highly publicized search as Vivi, and we can only hope that the scores of TV images and newspaper articles, and the many thousand flyers and posters that have been put up, will help the public remember her.
If anyone has Vivi, there is a $5000 reward for her safe return to us, no questions asked. All we want is the dog back.
We will be forever grateful to the many, many people who have been so amazingly helpful in trying to find Vivi. We won't ever stop hoping to hear news of her.
Thanks,
Bo
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For more information visit the American Whippet Club website.
Posted: March 28, 2006, 5 a.m. EST