Four Years after My Husband Went Missing, a Dog Brought Me the Jacket He Was Wearing on the Day He Disappeared

It was a quiet Sunday morning, like any other. I was folding laundry when I heard the scratching at the back door. At first, I thought it was a neighbor’s dog — until I opened it and saw Scout.

I froze. He looked older, his muzzle grayer, but it was him — our Scout. The same dog who vanished with Jason four years ago.

And clutched gently in his mouth was Jason’s old blue jacket.

My heart stopped.

“Scout?” I whispered, dropping the towel in my hands. “Is it really you?”

He padded in slowly, tail wagging weakly, his eyes glassy but calm. I knelt, trembling, and pulled the jacket from his mouth. It was worn and sun-bleached, but I’d know it anywhere. The name tag Jason had sewn into the lining was still there.

And then Scout did something strange — he turned and trotted back outside.

He paused once at the tree line, looking over his shoulder as if to say, Come on.

So I did. I grabbed my coat, called out to the kids that I was going for a quick walk, and followed him.

Into the forest.