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. >>
Comments (36)
Please anyone who can go to this, please do! It is a chance to get more volunteers and more eyes in the park!
What
Walk The Dog Health Hike
When
Sun Feb 11 10am - Sun Feb 11 12pm
Where
map
Park Drive & Woodhaven Blvd, Glendale, NY 11385
Created By
Glendale NY
Description
Come and walk your dog on the Blue, White, and Yellow trails with the Rangers. We will walk for two hours, so dress for the weather and bring water and a snack for you and Fido.
Location: Forest Park Visitor Center
(FPVC): Forest Park. Woodhaven Blvd. & Forest Park Drive.
More Information:
Phone number: (718) 846-2731
What a wonderful thing if the dog was Vivi! I'm all sniffy again over the possible sighting..Oh ye of little faith, pray, light a candle or 10..Just maybe, this weekend the gals will be out and find Vivi!
We love you Vivi!
Will definitely light candles for Vivi -- and for all the volunteers who are keeping the faith and working hard to bring Vivi to safety, love, and warmth.
How far is this from the last sighting in November??
hb,
It's VERY CLOSE to the November sighting.
Tara
more candles - you bet! ww.gratefulness.org
j
er...that would be:
www.gratefulness.org
ViVi has almost 6,400 candles lit. Way to go ladies. Keep the candles burning.
The only bad thing about this candle lighting is now I have to replace all those I lit on Monday.
Carpal Tunnel here I come!!!LOL.
My prayers are with all of you who are going on the 11th. I will think of you throughout the day!
I am so hopeful that this last sighting is of Vivi and that she will be home very soon.
The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet quota of getting free food donated every day to abused neglected animals. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and then click "feed an animal in need" for free. This doesn't cost you thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals exchange for advertising. Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com
I don't know why someone would camp out where she is and have another dog with you. Sit there with food and water and stay there, and maybe she will come up to you. I hope she is still alive and hope that one day that she will get caught and bring her home. I am still waiting for that time to come. Good luck
I'm not trying to get in a debate with anyone... but I'm in Chicago and know that the east coast is getting blasted with cold. Bitter cold so sitting "out" might be a little risky. Please give these individuals who have worked so hard to find Vivi some ray of hope and applaud them for their efforts. I know I applaud them (more than they know) each and every day...
Someone is watching over Vivi. We all hope for the best. And, at the end of the day, we need to remember that Vivi has saved so many strays that would have gone unnoticed if it weren't for her.
She's an angel.
SUSAN STAHLER--Amen!! Vivi is an angel who helps many lost pets are now rescued!!
keeping candles over the 10,000 mark so far. :)
I have been following this blog for quite some time hoping and praying for a "Vivi's is found" post. I was so happy with the "Murkey Sighting" post, still flipping out that she out there in this weather, but deep inside I believe she is ready to be found. I am originally from Howard Beach, Queens but now live on Staten Island, I wish I were still in Queens for I would probably be out every single night looking for her. Jackie’s post about getting more volunteers out there is a great idea and with that in mind, I will be coming into Queens for the dog walk, but leaving my dog home for I'd like to lend a hand looking for Vivi. I've had many sleepless nights thinking about her out there. The awareness of so many issues that has been brought about by the illusive Vivi is probably the one good thing that came out of this. Sometimes looking at the bigger picture is the only thing that keeps you sane. I hope she has found a warm place to sleep at night and that she has found that feeding stations you guys put up for her. You all should be commended for keeping this active. My name is Barbara and I hope to meet some of you on Sunday.
From someone far away, Thanks Barbara!
YAY - Welcome Barbara - I'm sure the footsoldiers will welcome you with open arms - they welcome all the help they can get. Thanks
The candles keep dipping below 11,000 and I have been lighting more. We lost some so we need the west coast people to take over. To our great foot soldiers, I'll be thinking of you this weekend. May Vivi cross your path. I hope the dog walk on Sunday is a great success with many eyes out there looking for our canine girl. My daughter and I are volunteering at a Dog Adoption Day tomorrow in Montville, CT. There will be the neighboring animal pounds as well as various rescue groups there. It's going to be hard not to take every dog home with me. I'm such a wimp I can't watch the Pedigree commercial that shows the shelter dogs.
I wish those "boys" had gotten 20 year apiece for what they did to that puppy. May the inmates administer their brand of justice on them.
Okay, I had NO IDEA about that pit bull and I have been bawling for the last 1/2 hour. That is the most horrific, horrific story that I have ever heard. I can't stop crying! The only ray of hope is they got caught - cuz I can't imagine that they haven't done cruel things before.
I can only imagine what comes down the pipeline for these monsters... cruelty to animals doesn't fair well - it's like being cruel to a child.
God bless that little guy.
Hello to all of you wonderful Vivi people.
I have been following Vivi's story since I heard about it on the news last year. Everyday I look for more updates on her. I just could not understand what the problem was about catching her. You see, I'm from central NJ and had never even been to Queens...until this past Saturday. I decided that with the day off and it not being as cold out, I would venture out to her last sighting and just look. So, I packed up maps of her sightings, printed out her flier, dog food/biscuits, sandwiches, cell phone and a flash light in hopes of seeing her. I planned on calling in the sighting and trying to follow her until the search team arrived. But I never imagined how Queens actually was..meaning how large!!
I met an old man and his two old dogs walking in Forest Park and he knew who Vivi was and her whole story. He showed me where food was put out for her and he took me through the golf course. There are so many places that she can hide and keep warm. I spoke with the manager in the club house at the golf course and he as well as all the guys in the golf club house knew about Vivi. They however have not seen her but did say that they are looking and had gone through all of the out buildings on the course in search for her that week. I was also amazed that under the major roadways are walkways that she can avoid the buzy streets but get around. Also, there are sooo many cemetary's that she must be useing to get from place to place. I also went to Flushing Meadows-Corona park and looked around but felt very discouraged and over whelmed without having any luck.
If you Vivi searchers need help on a weekend giving out fliers or searching let me know and I will venture over again and help. I now realize how dificult it is to find her and want to commemd the search team for all that they have done in the past year.
You people are dispicable....what don't you expend so much of this effort into pursuing missing children instead of a damn stupid animal!!!! People are more important than animals you idiots. You make me sick
Joe Blow....You certainly are no example of a person who is more important than an animal. should you ever become missing, we won't look for you. promise.
Peggy,
While I intend to agree with you, I think the important point to make is that many of these people do both--They help take care of children and animals. "He" obviously doesn't read the column often enough to know about the groups' devotion to Madison for example. He doesn't realize that many of the people here helped ease Anne's worry about her doxies when Alzheimer's got the upper hand. They don't know about the number of people here who helped other Seniors die with peace because they knew there animals had a home. Or the people who have worked non-stop (unsuccessfully so far) to return the family dogs of some kids who have been stolen. Or who have been there when a fellow animal lover lost an animal who was a member of the family.
These people haven't just helped with Vivi--they have helped improve life for many people and animals. As an Episcopal bishop I heard at an animal blessing this Fall said, "When people believe in God, and believe in Jesus' love is the rule. People, or animals? It is not a question of either, or ---It is BOTH, AND!" What have you done JB except criticize those who are actively working to make life better? And you don't even have the courage to print your name.
Joe Blow -
If you go back and read, you will see I have addressed the plight of children many, many times on this blog as well. In fact, I am an IT person who volunteers time monitoring the internet and chat rooms trying to locate predators and pedophiles to help some police officers I know in Memphis. My ability to help is limited though because I am not an official member of any government group who does this. I just have to turn over the information to the people I know.
This is also one of the best methods to possibly locate missing children. Too many of these are falling prey to porn circles that operate often on the internet.
No "official" position is required to look for a missing animal, but unfortunately it is to search for missing children. There are many systems in place to help do this even on the internet such as the posting of the Amber Alerts. I would advise people to bookmark locations and routinely check out any pictures (especially in your area).
There is no reason people cannot help both - children and animals. And many of these people do. They have all been there for anyone, whether they are two- or four-legged children of God.
Never think a missing child cannot turn up close to you. I insisted telling my son in New Mexico about the little girl from Oklahoma that had been abducted. He felt there was no possibility she would be in New Mexico, but I still stressed this to him (guess I was having one of my premonitions). Within a few hours the little girl had escaped in Clovis, NM, the town my son went to college in and his wife is from. So don't ever think you may not see a child in your area - you just very well may.
Here are a couple of sites to help watch for missing children:
http://www.amberalert.gov/
http://codeamber.org/alerts.html
Ann - Thank you for your time and your kind offer to help search for Vivi. The searchers in NY need more help, and I know they would love to have you join them.
Just be prepared to look for other animals and save homeless animals too (as well as helping homeless people like some of our searchers do too).
Team Vivi has saved over 60 animals so far, and that does not include all the people who have been helped along the way as Sharon pointed out above. There has not been a night missed of prayers for my sweet little Madison since I met these kind people and asked for their prayers.
As Kathy (CO) has said, I am proud to be a part of Team Vivi and to have known all of these people. So much good goes on behind the scenes that never makes it to this blog. Viva la Vivi and Viva Team Vivi!
Joe Blow is an example of all that is bad with the human race. He obviously doesn't know what he is talking about or he would know that those who are animal lovers care more about children and people in general. Animals turn bad due to people. Child molesters usually first start their path with animals. If we save animals and turn in the abuseres we have probably stopped a future child molester. He probably never read about Gandhi who said it so simply , You can judge a people and the progress of the culture by how they treat their animals. We are responsible for what happens to the animal kingdom and it impacts on humanity. Don't worry, Joe whatever, if you are ever lost I would never look for you.
Very well said, Susan. Thanks.
And BTW, "yes" you would look for Joe Blow because your kind animal-loving heart would make you do it. I can tell what a kind person you are.
People who love animals are also able to love all types of people as well - regardless. Show me a person who does not like animals, and I'll show you a person who would not go out of their way to help a human being either.
My grandfather used to watch our dogs' and cats' reactions to people when they came to our home - especially guys I was dating. He always said they read people "who cared" better than human beings. And they did. My favorite cat bit one guy who later turned out to be the worse guy I had ever met. "Should have listened to Mambo and saved myself a lot of heartache!"
JOE BLOW--I am a deaf woman in case if you wanted to criticizes me for saying or doesn't believes me when I said I am deaf.
Anyway in your reply about "stupid" animals...well Jesus created the animals first then man then woman that was how we the humans are put on Earth for this reasons: To taking CARE of animals (beast and tame) AND CHILDREN! Not only the children are important but the animals are also important because the animals fell victims to our own sins in a fallen world.
So if you ever get lost...forgive me God for saying this: I will not looking for you or to give out any of my ideas in how to find you in this big world. If you cares enough to be more understanding how STRONG WE THE VIVI BLOGGERS ARE!! And God bless us for this long,tying YEAR and I'm sure it will be more years before we know the fate of poor lost lonely Vivi is.
God bless you in case you wants our forgiveness.
Paula
Thanks, Kathleen. I just want people to remember that if they're lost who goes looking for them, but search dogs, land or sea, valleys or mountains filled with snow. For the blind, deaf, those with physical limitations, dogs are their link to going about their daily lives. Therapy dogs, dogs who protect and serve our brave military, police, firefighters, search for land mines in faraway lands. And they give us unconditional love and loyalty. I see in my childrens' friends who have no pets, there is something missing from their souls; a natural gentleness. As someone else said, If dogs don't go to heaven, then I want to go where they are. The Rainbow Bridge sounds fine to me.
Can we please not give Joe Blow another ounce of your energy. Come on - he is not even man enough to give a real name. He clearly doesn't have a clue about what your intentions are.
Being a mother myself, I do all that I can to protect the innocent: which includes animals. After you have a child (which includes adoption) your entire perspective on life changes. You wish you can save every innocent creature from harm.
If Joe Blow wants to feel as if he's having the last say - let him. We all know better.
Best to all of you.
Joe Blow and people like him are the main reason I surround myself with animals instead of people and why I care so much more for animals than idiots like him.
Animals will not stab you in the back or cut you down like people can. They give unconditional love. I will always have animals in my life. Not so sure about certain people.
Animals are way better than people any day!
What is the latest on Vivi? Today is April 6, 2007.