A Lindenhurst man who struggled with an opioid addiction found healing through his adopted dog and a love for the outdoors.

Patrick Regan says things truly changed in his life when he met Clove four years ago at the Ruff House Rescue in Freeport. 

"I saw this face, and it was a dog that needed a home and that became my motivation," says Regan. 

Clove, a pit bull, came from a kill shelter in Georgia and was suspected of being used in a dog-fighting ring. 

Regan says Clove was so timid at first that she wouldn't make eye contact. That changed after he brought her to Blydenburgh County Park in Hauppauge. It was there where the dog fell in love with the great outdoors. Soon after, Regan began sharing their hiking adventures on Instagram.

Their story has garnered 22 million views on the Facebook page of The Dodo, which regularly shares animal- and pet-related content. 

"A lot of people had told me, 'You should get your story out there,'" said Regan. "'Your story of rescue, rehabilitation, and second chances and finding this positive outlet in the outdoors together.'"

Regan was awarded a grant to give to an animal rescue, after entering the video into the Petco holiday wishes campaign. His choice was the Ruff House Rescue. 

"This whole time, I really wanted to give back to them because she's brought so much back into my life…It's definitely a 'who rescued who' situation," said Regan.