One day, an adorable dog came strolling into the yard of Charity Golloway’s home in Virginia. The pup was “super nice and gentle” and had a collar on, but she had no idea where he came from.
Charity posted a picture on Facebook of the pooch in an attempt to find its owner, but no one reached her. So she assumed it was a stray so she took him in and made her two children very happy.
Butter was named by the couple and they made an outdoor shelter for Butter, fitted with an electric lamp to keep him warm. The dog enjoyed his cozy resting spot—until it burst into flames one night.
The flames quickly grew after the lamp caught fire. Butter understood something was terribly wrong and barked incessantly at Charity’s bedroom window to warn her of the danger that was less than five feet away from her house.
“He knew something wasn’t right and that someone needed to know,” Charity said. “He’s a smart dog.”
Butter began barking even though the fire alarms hadn’t yet gone off. Charity took some time to get up, but once she did, the heat of the fire had burst one their windows. She was able recall how quickly the flames became very large.
“It’s overwhelming actually how fast it happened,” Charity said.
Butter had warned Charity and her children about the fire early so they were able to evacuate their home and call 911 before the flames consumed their entire house. Her son even managed the fire extinguisher with their garden hose, before the Valley Volunteer Fire Department arrived.
Butter was happy to meet the firefighters who responded to the emergency call. They all felt the same about the heroic dog.
“It was a really nice dog,” said firefighter Justin Stidham. “It came up and played with all of us. It was so cute that I just wanted to pet it. It was just nice as it could be.”
The firefighters inspected the home and discovered that it had only sustained minor exterior damage, including melted vinyl siding and Charity’s broken window. It’s fixable, but it will take time.
Charity and her family don’t have to worry about repairs.
“If wasn’t for that dog, that house would’ve been lit up all throughout the ceiling, and we would’ve been there for hours fighting that house,” Justin said.
Early notification made all the difference because it slimmed down the fire department’s response time—and it’s all thanks to Butter.
A photo of the dog with firefighters was shared to Facebook and became a viral hit, prompting an unexpected appeal for charity. Turns out, Butter isn’t a stray—his parents recognized their missing pup through the photo that’s been circulating online.
Charity and Butter’s owners have been in touch and verified that Butter had been living with her. The dog’s real name is actually Cooper. His family was eager to see him again after he ran away from home in the summer.
“He’s going to be leaving us and that makes me want to cry, but I’m happy for him,” Charity said. “We will be staying in touch.”
Charity and her children have enjoyed the time they spent with Cooper. She stated that she will reward Cooper with a juicy steak before the lifesaving dog returns home to his owners. After all, he deserves it.
“If it wasn’t for him, who knows what could’ve happened. It could’ve been way worse,” Charity said. “I’m really grateful for that stray dog that wandered up into my yard.”
Good job, Cooper! You can watch the video below to see more about this story.
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