The last time Alexis Regula, a resident of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, saw her toy fox terrier Lucy was in 2011 before she disappeared from her backyard while Regula lived in Tennessee. Little did Regula expect that she would be reunited with her beloved pet on Thursday after nearly nine long years.
Still coming to terms with her unforeseen reunion with Lucy, Regula said on Friday: "I am still completely in shock about the whole thing. "I just can't believe it." The pocket-sized bundle of energy, who will be 11-years-old in November, however, has already fit back into her family right away. "Once I gave her a bath, she started running around and playing with toys and the kids and our other dog," Regula said. "Her tail has been wagging a mile-a-minute, just like I remember."
A Long Wait Comes to an End
Regula did everything in her power to find Lucy after her disappearance in October 2011. She searched for Lucy in all the local shelters in and around Clarksville, Tennessee immediately, the York Dispatch reported. Also, messages were posted on Craiglist in order to seek assistance in the location of the canine. Alas, all the efforts went in vain.
When Regula shifted base to Pennsylvania later that year, she had literally abandoned all hopes of finding Lucy again. However, luck shined upon heron Tuesday night, when her mother, Ame Kessler, received a call from an animal control official in Tennessee, who said that the dog had been located finally. Lucy was identified after the official has scanned her microchip.
A Cinematic Reunion
Kessler, who runs a rescue center known as Aglyphic Creatures Rescue and is a Humane Society police officer, said that she received the call as her number had been registered as the secondary contact and Regula's number had changed after she moved away.
"It's almost like a miracle, but this is the reason why you should always microchip your dog and never give up hope and always update your information on your microchip," Kessler was quoted saying by the York Dispatch. "They think somebody had her and they just kept her and no vet down there ever scanned her microchip," she added.
Kessler explained that a Maryland-based group, 'Forever Changed Animal Rescue', arranged for Lucy's return. Another volunteer group, 'Pilots N Paws' had her flown on happy Thursday to York Airport, where she was finally reunited with her family. A happy Regula concluded, "She's a little thin, but she'll be OK."
