Nancy Dotz has never put down a dog. She’s never surrendered a dog to the humane society. And she certainly wouldn’t want to start with Lucy. Lucy is special.

Lucy is a 5-year-old purebred TreeWalker hound. Dotz, who teaches at Northern Hills Elementary in Onalaska, came upon Lucy when she was looking for a canine companion for her elderly father. She found Lucy at a no-kill shelter in Clark County and was smitten.

Not that Lucy was in all that great of shape. In fact, Lucy apparently was a hunter’s dog and had been shot twice - in the neck and in the head - and left for dead in the woods. Lucy managed to make her way to a highway near Neillsville and then was struck by a car, causing a severe injury to her front paw.

“When we adopted her, she was sick, injured and weak,” said Dotz. “When we delivered her to my father’s home, he began loving her, walking her, put her on a healthy diet. She now is a beautiful and healthy, happy hound.”

Dotz’ father began to weaken in the past year due to a terminal illness and started taking her to Pet Me Scratch Me Doggie Day Care so she could get some exercise and mingle with other dogs. As her father neared his death, he had everything in order except what would happen to Lucy. Dotz figures he clung to life for an extra two months because he was worried about Lucy.

He died July 22 and Lucy came to live with Dotz. She’d love to keep her, except for two things. She already has two dogs, the limit in Holmen, where she lives. She’s also got two cats, which is something Lucy can’t abide.

“The cats have been held hostage in our basement since my father’s death, because Lucy thinks they are coons or prey,” Dotz said. “She loves people, but does not like cats, or loud or sudden noises. She prefers to be indoors most of the time, sleeping on the couch or the bed. She loves going for walks, but needs a bit of leash training. She is an extremely mellow dog.”

One reason Dotz’ father might not have succeeded in finding a home for Lucy is he had a lot of criteria for the new owners. He wanted a gentle, experienced dog owner (preferably a retiree) with a fenced yard and another dog for Lucy to play with, and he wanted to be sure Lucy would get a healthy diet - no table scraps.

Anybody who would thinks they might fit the bill may call Dotz at 780-5833 or 526-4742.