Fate Serves Navratilova a Lost Dog; Neighbors Rally

When a dog disappears, the owner’s response is usually limited to efforts such as stapling “Lost Dog” notes to nearby telephone poles. But when the missing dog belongs to the top-ranked woman tennis player in the world, the response is different.

That became clear Saturday in Sherman Oaks, where residents said search teams were combing the hills in the second day of a quest for Yoni, a honey-colored dog owned by tennis star Martina Navratilova.

Two-page flyers with photographs and an offer of a $1,000 reward were stuffed in mailboxes. Two telephone lines were taking dozens of calls.

Navratilova, who is competing in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tennis tournament, had been staying at the home of Brian Murphy, a friend who lives in the hills between Sepulveda Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway.

Yoni is a Shiba Inus--a Japanese breed resembling a small husky--one of four that occasionally accompany Navratilova when she is on the road, Murphy said. On Friday, the dog, a 2 1/2-year-old male, apparently slipped out of the fenced yard.

“I’m manning the phones; everyone else is out looking, and Martina’s trying to play some tennis,” said Murphy, who also owns a Shiba.

Saturday afternoon, Navratilova returned from Manhattan Beach after winning a semifinal match against Helena Sukova and checked a nearby animal shelter, said Judy Nelson, her tour manager. But there was no sign of Yoni.

Anyone with information about the dog is asked to call Navratilova’s coach, Mike Estep, at the Radisson Hotel, (213) 546-7511.