*** Request for Volunteers ***

We have a new feeding station set up near Olivia's latest confirmed track and need to recruit some more volunteers to monitor it. We have a schedule set up; you can sign up for once a week, or more or less, as your schedule permits. Interested? Email Beth at riguski@gmail.com and I'll send you the sign-up sheet and walk you through what you need to do. Thanks so much! Let's bring this girl home!!

*** Brand New May Sighting of Olivia ***

Laura passed along the wonderful news to us that Olivia showed her sweet self last night! Hallelujah!

A woman who had seen the posters (yay flyer-ers!) was driving down (or up) 10th street southeast. Ahe and her husband stopped on the 700-block and got out of the car, and she thinks she saw olivia then. It was 10:30 at night, so it was dark and she didn't get a very good look at the dog, so she said she couldn't say for sure whether it was olivia. I told her not to worry about that - Our tracker dog, Salsa, will be sure one way or the other. Anyway, Olivia was just "trotting along" (true to form, according to the other sightings!) down the street, doing her thing. Also consistent with the descriptions in other sightings, Olivia crossed the street to avoid the woman and her husband. Another advantage of that is that, if it was Olivia, her scent will be on both sides of the street, so we won't need an exact point at which to start the track.

A track is tentatively planned for today (Saturday). Keep your fingers crossed!

We'll be sure to keep everyone posted and, as always, if you're available at all to help, please let us know via the contact information at right.

Olivia's Latest Tracked Route (As of 4-6-2011)

Sam and Salsa were able to do another recent track for us based on the sighting that we had a few days ago. I'm attaching that track now and, above it, a graphic that shows the track overlaid with all previous tracks. The good news is that, at least for this latest track, she seems to be staying in SW near the Coast Guard Facility, as opposed to crossing over into Anacostia. We'll keep you posted and, as always, if you're able to help with fliers, please email or call any of us (contact info at right) and we can most definitely use the help! Livvy's been out there for quite a long time; this would be a great month to finally bring her home.

New Sighting of Olivia!

After a bit of a dry spell for sightings, we just received a call from a woman who believes she saw Olivia yesterday (Monday) at 3rd and M St SQ (her known, tracked route)!!!

Thanks so much to all of you who are keeping an eye out for her, and thanks to Debra who suggested the Craigslist ad; that ad brought in our latest sighting. If you happen to see Olivia, please call immediately (Contact info is listed to the right) and one of us can come down and try to find her.

We'll be working with Sam over the next week to determine next steps. And, as soon as we know the plan, we'll let you know so you can help!

All the best,
Team Olivia

Latest Track Confirms The Very Recent Sighting of Olivia

Attached is the track Sam & Salsa ran on 2/27/11. The track confirms that the very recent sighting by our Coast Guard friends near the power plant was, in fact, Olivia. Now that one of the guards has actually seen her, they'll know to watch the shadows for her from now on and investigate any rustling in the bushes next to the guard shacks.

If you can help: Since Olivia's expanded her track further out, we have some gaps in flier and poster coverage. We can provide all the supplies for anyone who is available to volunteer to put up fliers in his/her off time. Thanks so much in advance! You guys have been really wonderful about volunteering your time so far!

Also, a big shout out to our blog followers in New Zealand!

* * * New Sighting Tonight * * *

We just got a call at 8:15 tonight from a guard at the Coast Guard facility who saw a solo dog that matches Olivia's description.

She was on 1st St SW between V St and T Sts SW and was by the fence at the Pepco Power Plant (see attached map at left for the location of tonight's sighting).

We're heading there now, but even if we don't locate her tonight, this will still be one of our first confirmed, "real-time" sightings of Olivia in a while, so it's wonderful news!

Olivia's Latest Track & Another New Sighting!!!

We have a new sighting of Olivia! One of our volunteers (thanks to Beth!) handed out a business card to a jogger near Randall Rec Center -- one of Olivia's known spots. He'd seen her on more than one occasion "near a pond" and pointed away from the waterfront area (so, north). I'll look at a satellite map tonight, but if anyone knows what pond he might be referencing, comment below -- it would be either north, northeast, or northwest of the Randall Rec Center in SW.

Sam and Salsa did another fantastic and long track yesterday. You can see them at left tracking along the Anacostia Riverwalk. Sam puts it best below, but the short of it is: Olivia is much braver than we thought, has extended her range in circles out as far as Anacostia and has even crossed a railroad trellis/bridge to get there! Her track is below (the latest track is in turquoise; the track from a week or so back is in red).

From Sam: "Here is the track from yesterday. The map doesn't really show how 'interesting' this track was. Our girl has really expanded her territory and is much "nervier" than we thought. She walked across the Anacostia River on a train trestle and found a nice, dry shelter right on the other side of the river.

Then, after spending some time munching crabs in the pavilion (photo right) and sightseeing in the Anacostia park, she walked across the South Capitol St. bridge into the old neighborhood and turned right between the stadium and the river.

We stopped there because Salsa was getting quite tired after 2 1/2 hours of tracking and almost 5 miles. However, what we were able to answer is why did she just keep going and going, and the answer was, she didn't, she just is making much bigger circles. Also, the way that she was able to get across the river twice without any dead ends leads me to believe this is not her first trip around that block.

Postering needs to also be expanded to cover the park and the neighborhood (at least the big intersections) on the other side of I-295 between Pennsylvania Ave and S. Capitol St."