By NANCY TULLIS

By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LUCY, THE LUCKY BASSET HOUND, IS back home, digging up flower beds and chewing things like nothing ever happened.
Her owner, Stephanie Stonemetz, however, knows that Lucy is one lucky pup, and she is one lucky owner.
The week before Memorial Day, the year-old Lucy slipped away from her home, near the city park, where she lives with Stephanie and Stephanie's mom, Cindy. After not just one, but several, lucky coincidences, Lucy and Stephanie were reunited three days later.
Stephanie said: "In my heart I knew I'd find her. It was meant to be."
Stephanie said she was heartbroken when Lucy disappeared, but "she is such a friendly dog, I knew that if I didn't find her, she would be happy no matter who she was with."
What happened
Lucy disappeared May 18, sometime after Stephanie tied Lucy out in the yard before leaving for a graduation party.
Later, when Cindy went out to bring Lucy in, the dog was gone. Cindy wasn't concerned, however, thinking that Stephanie had taken the dog with her to the party.
The family didn't know Lucy was missing until Stephanie returned from the party about 12 hours later. They spent all day May 19, a Sunday, driving around the city looking for the dog.
How far could a young basset hound go on such short, little legs?
As far as Pittsburgh -- with a little human help.
Things happen
The series of chance events began May 20.
Stephanie went around the city putting up posters of the missing basset hound. She stopped at the East Palestine Police Department, where Cindy has her office as city clerk.
Stephanie just happened to stop in when Police Chief Clyde Hofmeister was in his office next to Cindy's, and she and Stephanie related the tale of their missing hound to the chief.
Hofmeister's presence at work had become a rare occurrence because he has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The odds that he would be in the office when Stephanie stopped by were slim.
From there, however, the story becomes even more incredible.
Later that day, a man from Enon Valley, Pa., installed air conditioning in the Hofmeister home in New Waterford.
Party crasher
The man told Hofmeister the story of a basset hound's crashing a surprise anniversary party he'd attended Saturday. The party was in the community center at East Palestine's city park.
The Enon Valley man told Hofmeister all the people at the party were from Pennsylvania, and after much deliberation about what to do with the friendly dog, one family from Pittsburgh decided to take her home with them.
"When Hofmeister heard that, he said, 'If there was a basset hound running in the city park on Saturday, it could have only been Lucy,'" Cindy said.
Hofmeister and Cindy arranged to meet the Pittsburgh family thatMay 21 in Ambridge, Pa., where Cindy reclaimed the dog.
She's OK
Other than sleeping all night and most of the following day, Lucy showed little sign of being traumatized by her ordeal.
"She's fine," Stephanie said as the dog gave her wet, sloppy doggie kisses. "She's just Lucy."