Navratilova Asks for Public’s Help in Attempt to Locate Her Lost Dog

Martina Navratilova, perhaps the most well-known animal lover in tennis, lost one of her dogs Friday.

Navratilova, who is playing in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles at the Manhattan Country Club, said the dog got out of the backyard of the house where she is staying.

“He slept on the bed with me, so I know he was there this morning,” Navratilova said.

Navratilova spent the morning before her singles quarterfinal match organizing search teams to comb the residential neighborhood.

Navratilova, who is the top-seeded player in the tournament, made a special announcement at her postmatch press conference. She beat Zina Garrison, 6-4, 6-4, then made a plea for the public to help her find Yonni, her 2 1/2-year-old male Shiba, a Japanese breed that resembles a miniature Husky.

The dog, one of four Navratilova brought with her, apparently slipped through a hole in a fence. She said it was in the vicinity of Sepulveda and Valley Meadows Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

Navratilova is offering a $1,000 reward for the dog’s return. She asked that anyone with information about the dog call her coach, Mike Estep, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Manhattan Beach.