VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - For nearly two years, a brown and white hound dog has been turning heads on Lynnhaven Parkway in Virginia Beach.
"She was street smart, not afraid of much," said Regina Quinn.
According to Virginia Beach Animal Control, the female hound, about 3 to 4 years old, escaped from her adopters before Christmas of 2018 and made her home in the woods across from the mall.
"It wasn't just food she was yearning for; she was yearning for human connection but afraid," said Quinn.
Animal Control, dedicated animal advocate groups and citizens tried everything from traps to food to love. But Lucy, as the elusive hound was known, simply would not budge.
"After two and a half months, I started to stay here all the time," said Quinn, owner of Blue Angels Pitbull Rescue.
Quinn heard about Lucy over a year ago and at the time was living in Hampton, coming daily to check on her and leave fresh food and water. This summer, she moved to Virginia Beach and made it her mission to try to bond with Lucy.
"I work a lot on intuition and divine sense, and something told me this is where I needed to be," she said.
Quinn was so dedicated to bringing Lucy to safety she had been parking across the street at a nearby bank and sleeping in her car just to get a glimpse of the pooch.
"If I came at two in the morning, I would use a squeaking toy to just make the same sound, just to show consistency for her," said Quinn.
In the wee hours of Saturday morning, her persistence was about to pay off. She used her rescue dog, Brody, to show Lucy it was OK to come play.
"After a few hours of cat-and-mouse she started coming, and she literally traversed an entire area showing me her turf," said Quinn. "She was so happy; she let me pet her, too."
She finally led Regina put on a slip lead, and the two instantly bonded.
"She started rolling on her back. [She] was so happy, like she felt part of a pack," she said.
Lucy is now in the hands of Animal Control to be assessed and cared for. She's in great health, just a bit overweight. She will stay at the shelter to get acclimated for some time.
"I just gave her as much love as I could before she went," said Quinn.
