WATCH: Missing Dog Returns Home At 3am, Rings Doorbell To Be Let In

A neighbor’s unexpected fireworks blast scared a Greenville, South Carolina dog from her backyard. She’d been gone for nearly 8 hours when she returned home at 3:00am. Although she’d never been taught how, the clever pup knew exactly how to wake up the family to be let back inside.

Mary Lynn Whitacre said her 18-month old a Lab/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, Rajah, had been in the backyard playing with the family’s other dog when a neighbor’s early July 4th fireworks startled her. In a moment of fear, Rajah jumped over the family’s fence and took off.

Having only lived in their new home for about a month, Whitacre and her husband Ryan Washick were worried sick about their beloved pup. The pair drove around searching for hours and walked for miles calling her name. Whitacre took to social media in the hope that someone would spot the spooked pup.

More than 7 hours later, the couple ended their search for the night and went back home, devastated that they hadn’t found her. The couple draped a t-shirt over the porch railing, hoping their scent would help her find her way back home. Washick, unable to sleep, waited up.

Then around 3:00 in the morning, he heard scratching followed by the video doorbell ring. Rajah was home! The couple thought someone had found her and brought her home, but when they reviewed the Ring video footage, they learned just how clever their young dog really is!

Washick posted the video to Reddit for other dog lovers to appreciate:

No one knows where Rajah went or what she did during her 7-and-a-half hours adventure. When she came back home she was covered in thorns and had, apparently, found some fun animal poop to roll around in—FUN!

Thankfully for Rajah and her family, this story had a happy ending. This time of year, a vast majority of missing dog stories don’t end so well. More dogs are lost, injured, and accidentally killed surrounding the 4th of July holiday than any other time of the year, making it absolutely vital to take steps to prevent your dog from becoming lost.