“We know there are problems (with the airlines) and we are looking for solutions,” she said. “We want to work with the airlines; we don’t want it to be one-sided.”
Vivi, whose full name is Bohem’s C’est la Vie, was lost while in the care of Delta Air Lines at Kennedy International Airport in February 2006. She had just competed in the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in Manhattan and was on her way home to California.
According to Delta, Vivi’s cage mysteriously opened while on the tarmac, she bolted and airport workers were unable to catch her. Thus began a search that would take volunteers through much of Queens. Over the months, Vivi would be spotted in Jamaica, Bayside, Whitestone, Flushing and Fresh Meadows. Her last sightings were in and around Forest Park in Woodhaven.
Despite the efforts of about a dozen hard-core volunteers, Vivi was never found.
“I think she was out there,” Folz said, “and I hope someone has her and doesn’t realize who she is and is taking good care of her.”
Folz is realistic enough to know that Vivi could have been hit by a car and died and there will never be any resolution.
“If we could just know she’s okay,” she said. “We haven’t had a sighting in almost a year.”
Vivi’s California owners were astounded with the level of commitment by the volunteers, who actively searched for the dog for so long. Aging posters of the whippet still can be found throughout the borough.
“I don’t know if we’d do anything different,” Folz said. “It was a learning experience.”
Despite their disappointment in not recovering Vivi, volunteers were able to rescue 40 dogs in New York City and 20 out of town as a result of the attention brought by the whippet’s disappearance.
Whippets are particularly difficut to recover because they become feral very quickly, go into a survival mode and run extremely fast. They are also excellent hunters.
Trying to turn the experience into a positive, Folz is soldiering on in hopes that other pets won’t meet the same fate as Vivi.
“We are starting off with educating the public and the airlines,” she said, “and improving what’s already in place. We don’t want to go in there like gangbusters.”
She believes reporting incidents of lost, injured or killed pets and proper training of airline employees and pet owners are the key. One possibility is designing a better crate that can withstand rough handling. At this time, Folz noted, it is up to the pet owners to additionally secure crates on their own, even if the cages have locks.
She added that there seems to be no real tracking done on the crates in transit. Although airlines are required by law to report if an animal is not recovered, other cases, where a pet goes to the wrong airport or is lost temporarily are not reported.
“These are not pieces of luggage,” she added. “The airlines must have compassion for living beings.”
Last year, Delta considered Vivi missing baggage and reimbursed one of the owners $2,800.
Because the campaign is just starting, Folz hopes that pet lovers will transmit the questionnaire to veterinarians, breeders, animal groups and owners to get a wide sampling of experiences. The questionnaire can be accessed online at vivicrusade.org. To request copies, e-mail pawsativebf@aol.com. Fax requests to (516) 379-0975. Mail requests to Vivi Crusade, 3392 Bay Front Place, Baldwin, NY 11510.
“We need help with putting the word out,” she said. “Change won’t happen over-night. There is lots of work to be done.”
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