My Dog Returned a Meaningful Keepsake — and Led Me to an Unexpected Discovery

Three weeks after losing her young daughter in a sudden road accident, Erin found herself moving through each day on autopilot. The house felt quieter than she ever thought possible, and ordinary routines had lost their meaning. Her husband was still recovering physically and emotionally, and grief seemed to fill every corner of their home. One foggy morning, as Erin sat at the kitchen table staring out the window, their family dog, Baxter, began behaving in an unusual way. He scratched insistently at the back door, not with excitement, but with urgency, as if he needed her attention for something important.