Last September, William Thomas Green got up early to take his rescue pittie, Cokie, to the dog park. Even though it had rained all night, he wasn’t going to deny his active pup a walk and a game of fetch. But when he let Cokie off-leash, something caught her eye.

“Cokie ran immediately back to a corner of the park and wouldn’t stop staring at me,” Green told The Dodo. “I walked back to see what she was so concerned with.”

What Green found broke his heart.

Cokie led her dad to a dog sleeping in a muddy puddle. The foxhound had been abandoned during the night’s storm and was so skinny and sick that she couldn’t even stand.

“I immediately went to the car and got her food and water,” Green said. “After she ate and drank, she was able to stand back up and wouldn’t leave my side.”

Green gave the dog lots of pets and scratches, and he could see her start to relax. At the vet, the dog was diagnosed with heartworms and whipworms. She was also extremely malnourished and had been used for breeding in the past. Green named the pup Lucky Lucy.

After a few days of healing, he drove Lucy home to Huntsville, Alabama, where he introduced her to the rest of his family. “My wife’s parents fell in love with her instantly, and my younger brother-in-law did as well,” Green said. “They took her in, and she now weighs over 60 pounds and lives the happiest life of any dog you’ll ever meet.”

After months of care and compassion, Lucy began to understand that she was finally safe.

“Lucy was incredibly timid for the first few weeks and, even though she’s a foxhound, she wouldn’t howl or bark at anything,” Green said. “After she became more comfortable, she started doing little tiny ‘awoos,’ and we could tell she was starting to trust everyone in the family. Now, if she even sees a bird outside, she goes crazy and howls like the house is being broken into.”

Cokie and Lucy’s bond has also grown and deepened since their first unexpected meeting. “Her and Cokie want nothing more than to play together in the backyard and at the dog park,” Green said. “Cokie is always invited into Lucy’s bed, and they’ll cuddle each other. It’s a very big sister-little sister vibe with them.”

Green is so grateful he was at the right place at the right time to get Lucy the help she needed. And Lucy, in return, has given Green and his family nothing but love.

“It’s so great that she’s got a second chance at life,” Green said. “I don’t know how she’s so sweet after all she’s been through.”