The gentle yet skittish Lily, an Australian shepherd, was spotted last week in Bucks County, more than 15 miles from where she went missing in September 2013 and only days after her owners lost their other pup to a brain tumor.
"I'm fully aware of the possibility that I might never see Lily again, but I know if I don't keep looking I'll certainly never see her again," " said Lily's owner, Susan Reichlin, of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania. "Until I have proof that she is not still alive, I won't stop looking."
Lily went missing 16 months ago while on a Stockton, New Jersey farm with Reichlin and her husband, Peter, she said.
The dog owners focused their search on the Stockton area for several months, but a sighting in Solebury Township led the Reichlins to shift focus to Bucks County in November 2013.
Nine more reports came in over the next year-and-a-half -- nearly all indicating the 16-year-old dog has been following the north branch of Neshaminy Creek, Reichlin said.
The most recent sighting was in Plumstead Township, not far from Ralph Stover State Park.
"We got her when she was about 2-years-old," Reichlin said. "We drove to South Carolina and fell in love with her and for 13 years we were together."
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Along with Lily, the couple had another Australian shepherd, Kippie, until she passed away last Friday.
"I've never seen two dogs as close as those two," Reichlin said. "They stick to you like Velcro."
The dog-less house has made the couple even more determined to find their "Aussie," who they describe as devoted and affectionate.
Her color is blue merle -- meaning she has patches of black, white and gray, although her coat may appear slightly different after so many months outdoors. She weighs approximately 30 pounds and stands about 16 inches tall.
The breed -- an intelligent, working dog with a heavy coat-- is considered resourceful, according to the Australian Shepher Club of America. The combination makes it possible for Lily to have survived in the Bucks County woods all this time.
The couple created a Bring Lily Home Facebook page to draw more attention to their missing pup -- asking for Bucks County residents to keep an eye out for dog prints in the snow or mud -- and even enlisted the help of tracking dogs.
"We tore up a towel that Lilly used to sleep on and put it in plastic bags," Reichlin said.
None of their efforts have brought their beloved canine home, so they continue to ask for the public's help.
Instead of trying to lure Lily -- Australian shepherd's can be skittish around strangers, Reichlin asks anyone who spots her to try to snap a photograph and then contact her.
"Getting a picture of her would be the number one thing to do," she said. "Then we would get over there and we'd set out food and a camera and a trap."
