Escaped Dog 'Lilly' Captured After 17 Days In Frigid Weather

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY - A black Lab named Lilly was finally caught this week after surviving 17 days in freezing temperatures near dangerous highways.

Lilly was among several dogs being transported on a truck from Texas to New York when she escaped at a commuter lot off the New York State Thruway in January.

Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery, based in New Jersey, was contacted to help find her.

Nicole Asher, owner and founder, detailed the rescue on the organization’s Facebook page.

Rescuers found fresh paw prints in the snow in a different commuter lot near the New York State Thruway. They set out cameras and traps, but Lilly didn’t show up immediately.

They later found her across the highway, hunkered down in a ball, trying to stay warm in some reeds, according to the post.

“We were not only mindful of the fact that one false move could send her to her death (if she ran into traffic), we were also frightened that it could potentially cause a serious accident to anybody driving on the Thruway,” the post said.

Rescuers needed to coax Lilly to a safer location where they could position a trap. When they set one up, Lilly circled it, but kept going back to the reeds.

They brought in a large enclosure trap, and had her former bed sent in hopes the familiar scent would get her to go in, according to the Facebook post. Lilly hesitated to step over the enclosure’s threshold, and rescuers weren’t able to capture her yet.

While well-meaning people who read about Lilly’s plight on social media showed up and tried to help, they unintentionally frightened the dog, making the rescue take longer, according to the organization.

There were Lilly sightings near the Palisades Parkway and by the New York State Thruway.

Eventually, on Tuesday, after 17 days in the elements, Lilly entered a trap enclosure far enough so that the door shut behind her.

Rescuers said they brought her to the Veterinary Emergency Group in Nanuet, which treated her for free. Lilly had lost 13 pounds and had some abrasions and frostbite, but is fine and ready to be placed in a loving home, according to the rescue organization.

“All she wanted to do was curl up against us and be loved,” the organization said, on the Facebook post. “I hope from the bottom of my heart that Lilly finds a soft landing with a beautiful family of her own.”

Read more about Lilly’s ordeal and rescue on Buddha Dog Rescue & Recovery’s Facebook page.