Ding-dong, it’s the dog. Fireworks scared off SC pet; she politely announced her return

Mary Lynn Whitacre and Ryan Washick got married in May and moved into their new home in Simpsonville, a small city outside Greenville, about a month ago.

On Sunday night, their dog Rajah was in the backyard when someone set off some early July 4 fireworks. Rajah, a lab-Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, headed for the hills, as they say, jumped over the fence and was gone.

Gone. This beloved pet. Her sister, Ollie, a 2-month-old shepherd mix, just sat and watched.

Whitacre jumped on Facebook, posting on every page she could think of and then sent an email at the suggestion of someone on Facebook to Animal Services in case Rajah was picked up.

Washick drove around, traveling the rapidly developing southern Greenville County area for hours. One hour, two to three to four. Whitacre went with him. Then he walked for miles.

Nothing.

“I kept hoping I wouldn’t find her on the side of the road,” Washick said Tuesday.

Sad and dismayed, they went home. Washick said he sat up, waiting.

About 3 a.m. Monday he heard scratching, and then, the doorbell rang.

A Ring camera caught the moment Rajah returned, full of thorns and a bit worse for wear after rolling on — ahem — something smelly. But home.

“She was just sitting there,” Washick said.

He thought someone had put her there and rang the doorbell. But no, it was Rajah.

He said he intends to build up the back fence with cattle fencing so Rajah will roam no more.

Washick shared the video on Reddit, and WYFF in Greenville was first to report it.

On Reddit, the video has garnered more than 1,800 comments, including this: “She’s not even ashamed of herself.”