Pup Missing Since November Reunited with Oconee Family This Month

They thought she was gone forever.

Oconee County resident Nancy Thompson can still remember exactly what time it was when her beloved Boston Terrier, Buttercup, chased a feral cat down her long, dirt driveway and out of her line of sight.

“It was six minutes 'til eight,” she said.

She remembers the time so accurately because her journey retrieving Buttercup was more than just walking to the end of her 1,000-foot driveway. After Nov. 30, she didn't see her dog again for another three and half excruciating months.

Harry Thompson said all they knew from eyewitnesses on Union Church Road was that someone in a small, white car picked up Buttercup and drove on.

“We just put the word out,” said Harry, who figured the dog was taken by someone who routinely traveled the road on their way to school or work. “We were talking to everybody we knew.”

The Thompsons spread the word, checked with dog shelters in neighboring counties and inundated the area with signs calling for Buttercup's safe return.

“I made a lot of signs, I was making a real name for myself,” said Nancy, a self-proclaimed animal lover to the core. “I think people were beginning to think I was a crazy lady.”

As the weeks wore on, the Thompsons wondered if they would ever see their dog again.

“We had missed her and the uncertainty of not knowing where she was and how she was doing, it took a big toll on us,” Harry said. “I just decided that after three and a half months there was really very little hope. I had almost given it up.”

Then, the news came: Buttercup had been found.

A man who had seen Nancy's posters recognized the dog in one of his employee's photos. The dog had been living some 40 miles away with another family in Monroe – and was coming home.

A healthy Buttercup was reunited with her human parents on St. Patrick's day – a very lucky day for the Thompsons indeed.

"To say the least, I was thrilled," Harry said.

Added Nancy, "I never thought I would see Buttercup again, I really didn't. All of the stars had to align for us to get her home."

Today, Nancy said she is grateful the man recognized Buttercup and decided to help.

“I just think that this has really shown me a sign of humanity, that people actually stop and just take the time,” she said. “For people to care about a four-legged little Boston Terrier, it's very touching, it really is. Just be kind to everybody out there, you never know what people have on their plate.”

The community reached out to the Thompsons, especially after hearing of Buttercup's safe return. Nancy said she has found notes – about a dozen of them so far – in and around her mailbox with words of encouragement and shared excitement. The notes, scribbled on napkins and scraps of paper, have reflected the intense joy that Nancy feels now that her whole canine family is together again.

And she's not the only one.

Buttercup's brother and sister – Big Boy and Baby – are just as happy as the Thompsons to have their buddy back. After Buttercup disappeared, the duo stopped playing their canine games.

“After Buttercup went missing, they stopped playing entirely,” she said. “The minute we brought her back in, they were so glad to see her. And now that she's back, they're back to their very sophisticated dog-like games.”

Buttercup – so named because of the way “she butters everybody up” by licking their faces – is happy to be home, Nancy said. Less than a month shy of her two-year adoption anniversary by the Thompsons, Buttercup is back to her same, friendly personality. Or, dog-ality.

“It's just fun,” Harry said, of having Buttercup back in the family. “Every time we look at her we think about how fortunate we are to have her back.”

Nancy remains grateful to the man who “connected the dots” and got the ball rolling on getting Buttercup returned to her after seeing the dog in an employee's photo.

“If anybody got a moral from the story it was me. Sometimes it's easy to take the easy way out,” she said. “He didn't have to say anything. I don't know if realized what an impact he made on my life that day.”