Vivi's StoryShe made news around the world. Vivi, a white and brown whippet, escaped from her crate at JFK Airport in NYC as she was preparing to return home from the Westminster Kennel Club Show in February 2006. There was a massive dog hunt, first on the huge grounds of the airport, then in the streets of New York. But she was never found, even though dozens (maybe hundreds?) of people helped in the search (many of whom had never met her), and she was sighted frequently for months afterwards. Vivi was a "showdog" - that year, she was in her prime and at the show every weekend, where she was one of the top dogs in the country. But don't let anybody tell you that showdogs have an awful life, or never get to be "just dogs". Vivi loved going to the show, but out of the ring she was the family dog, in her favorite stuffed chair during the day and on the bed at night, and having the run of the spacious, grassy equestrian center where her family lived and worked. She was much beloved and she loved her life. She was a beautiful dog - as all dogs are beautiful - and she was a member of a wonderful family like all dogs deserve. Before Vivi's fateful trip to NY, I met with Vivi's family - Bo Bengtson (Vivi's breeder), Paul Lepiane (her handler and best friend), and her owner Jil Walton - at the equestrian center to take some photographs of Vivi. Because of bad freeway traffic (yes, in Los Angeles), everybody was late and when we had all arrived there was barely enough light to see. Having come all this way, however, I decided to shoot anyway just to see what I could get. The photos weren't very good. The shutter speed was very slow (and Vivi was very fast!), and the autofocus didn't always find the dog, so most of the shots are blurry, fuzzy, and smeared. But Vivi had a great time playing with her dog family, and what the photos do communicate are her grace, speed, agility, and her pure dog joy. I feel very honored to have been able to capture these very special images of the expression of a dog's soul. For the benefit of those of you who never got to meet her, I have put these photos into a slide show that you can view. Let Vivi show you how to be a whippet!
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