TROY, N.H. – Here’s an upside to all this snow: It was so deep in Troy, New Hampshire, that residents were finally able to capture a black Labrador retriever who’d been on the lam for three years.

The wily female pup, who’s 3 or 4 years old, had been spotted regularly, but nobody could get close enough for a grab. That changed Sunday night when Courtney Davis and his girlfriend, Tiffany Bennett, spotted her running from an abandoned trailer. Hampered by deep, fluffy snow after a series of heavy storms, the dog couldn’t get away again.

Carl Patten Jr., who’s been keeping the pooch in his heated garage since then, said Tuesday that he’s using two collars on her: one a harness and the other around her neck, just to be safe.

“It’s like Houdini, this dog,” Patten said. “That’s what we nicknamed her. She’s calming down quite a bit, but she still wants her freedom.”

Folks in the southwestern New Hampshire town had tried for three years to lure her close or catch her in humane traps. No dice. Residents left food out, and the Lab could be seen traipsing around carrying squirrels that had been road kill. Patten said it took a little adjustment to her new surroundings, but the dog is eating now.

The rescue organization Granite State Dog Recovery is asking for the public’s help in finding the dog’s owner. A tracking microchip was implanted in New Hampshire, but the paperwork was never registered.

The dog has heartworm and Lyme disease and will require some medical treatment. A local veterinarian, Dr. Andrew Cooke, checked her out and gave her a rabies vaccine, Patten said.


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