Lost dog, Fort Mill owner reunited after 13 days, thanks to ‘outpouring of kindness’
After a multi-neighborhood search over nearly two weeks, five-year-old Oakley made her way home.
Oakley is an eight-pound Maltese that inspired Fort Mill residents and social media to help reunite the dog with owner Cara O’Riley.
“It was so overwhelming that so many people were looking for this little girl,” O’Riley said of the dog. “It’s amazing the outpouring of kindness.”
Oakley went missing on April 24 after escaping from the dog park at O’Riley’s apartment complex, Beckett Farms, she said.
Over the next 13 days, Oakley was spotted by multiple people in neighborhoods off Gold Hill Road and I-77 and near Pleasant Road, O’Riley said.
Oakley was rescued from what O’Riley describes as a puppy mill. The family adopted her on Nov. 4, 2019, at a time when they were going through some hardship.
“I’m her therapy human and she’s my therapy dog,” O’Riley said. “She helped me and my girls through a very traumatic time. There was no way I could let her go.”
O’Riley said Oakley has bonded with her and does not easily go to anyone else. That made finding the dog more difficult.
Also, Oakley does not have any teeth. O’Riley said she knew the odds were slim for a small dog missing that long.
O’Riley said while searching she thought “...I can’t stop looking for her. I have to find this dog because she’s so important to us.”
Sightings came in from parents whose children had seen a dog in the woods. Oakley showed up on multiple surveillance cameras.
Updates were posted to the NextDoor social site and Facebook. Fliers were put out.
A promising call came April 27 after a neighbor spotted Oakley on her outside security camera. O’Riley canvassed the area but did not find her dog.
O’Riley said at one point she was about five feet from Oakley but could not get to her. Oakley became scared and ran off again.
Days followed with no reported sightings, O’Riley said.
By that time it had become a community effort.
Oakley was eventually spotted in the Hamilton Place subdivision in the Fort Mill area. Oakley had nearly crossed into North Carolina, O’Riley said.
Lucky 13, as O’Riley called it, turned out to be just that.
On May 7, 13 days after Oakley ran away, a resident saw a small dog wander into their backyard.
Once the neighbor called O’Riley and asked if her dog had any teeth, O’Riley knew it was Oakley.
“I was so happy that I was being reunited with my little baby girl,” O’Riley said.
O’Riley picked Oakley up and immediately took her to Baxter Veterinarian Clinic.
Other than some burrs, a few ticks and the need for a bath, Oakley was in good condition, O’Riley said. She didn’t have any snake or spider bites or any injuries but is battling an infection in her eyes.
“She’s a little fighter,” O’Riley said.
Oakley has since been groomed and is resting comfortably with her favorite human.
O’Riley said she could not have found Oakley without help from Fort Mill residents.
O’Riley and her family moved to the area three years ago from Missouri.
“I knew I liked living in Fort Mill, but this pretty much sealed the deal. I don’t think I’ll move from Fort Mill ever,” she said. “It’s because of the community that I have my little girl back.”
For updates, follow Oakley on Instagram @Oakley_ways.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 4:40 PM.
