GLENDALE, Ariz. — Linda Montijo refused to give up.
Night after night, she would sit by a hole in her yard and do her best to comfort a tiny dog stuck deep inside.
That dog was Lucy, a 17-year-old chihuahua and Montijo's steadfast companion. She had fallen into the deep burrow made by Montijo's pet tortoise.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Una perrita Chihuahua de Arizona fue rescatada de una madriguera tras largas horas de pesadilla
"She's like a human and I could not let her die there," Montijo said. "Every night I go out there, my legs would be in that big hole, and I would sit there. I would sing to her, talk to her, and tell her that her Mommy is here."
Monntijo and her son, Jason, did everything they could. They called the fire department, the humane society and even construction excavators.
Nothing worked.
"You know, seeing my mom's heartbreak, I just couldn't allow that to happen," Jason said.
He finally posted a video to Facebook seeking help after other options were exhausted.
"Next thing I look and I got like 200 responses, and Kim being pretty much the first response did not even know us. She seeked us out," Jason explained.
Kim Powell from Samson K9 Rescue discovered the post and took matters into her own hands. She quickly found Montijo's home and brought her tools to the site.
Powell explained that the job needed a specialist because the burrow was "just under 30 feet and about a 9-foot drop overall."
A plumber also joined the rescue effort, helping to finally free Lucy from the underground tunnel.
At 17 years old - equivalent to 84 in human years - Lucy survived the ordeal and emerged to the cheers and relief of everyone who'd come to help.
"There are good people in this world, and it's just kind of cool to see everybody come together," Montijo said.
Lucy is currently recovering at a veterinary clinic. It won't be long before she can go home.