We Adopted a Rescue Dog — The Next Night, My 8-Year-Old Son Was Gone

What began as a simple family outing to adopt a rescue dog quickly turned into a night of panic, hidden secrets, and difficult truths. That night made me question everything I believed about trust and family.

Last weekend, I thought I lost my son.

It all started with a dog. My son, Andy, had been begging for one for months. Every day, he’d ask, “Dad, can we please, please get a dog?” He was relentless, and I was getting close to giving in. But he also had to convince Kelly, my wife.

After a lot of talking, my wife finally agreed. She looked at me seriously and said, “Fine, but only if it’s small and well-behaved. We’re not getting some big, messy mutt.”

Kelly had grown up in a tidy home, where pets were seen as small, clean, and polite. A poodle or a Yorkie, maybe, but definitely not a scruffy dog. Our son, though, wanted a real friend.

Source: Midjourney

The shelter was loud, full of barking and howling. Andy’s eyes lit up as we walked down the rows of kennels, skipping over the fluffy dogs we were supposed to be considering.

Then he stopped. In front of us was a kennel with the scruffiest dog I’d ever seen. She had tangled fur, big brown eyes, and a tail that looked crooked. She didn’t bark, just looked at us, tilting her head as if curious.

I squatted down next to Andy. “She’s not exactly what your mom wanted, buddy.”

“She needs us,” he said, looking at me with a stubborn glint. “Look at her. She’s… sad. We could make her happy.”

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“All right,” I said, ruffling his hair. “Let’s bring her home.”

When we walked in, my wife’s face fell. “She’s a little scruffier than I imagined,” she said, glancing between the dog and me.

“Come on, Daisy’s great,” I said, grinning. “Besides, they’re already best friends.”

She forced a small smile, looking unconvinced. “I just hope she doesn’t ruin the carpets.”

That evening, as we got ready for bed, Daisy wouldn’t settle down. She paced around, whining softly.

“Can’t you do something about that?” Kelly sighed, looking irritated.

“She’s probably nervous being in a new place,” I said. “Maybe she just needs some attention.”

Kelly hesitated, then swung her legs over the bed. “Fine. I’ll give her a treat or something,” she muttered and left the room.

Source: Midjourney

Minutes later, she returned, saying, “She just needed a treat.” She climbed into bed, and the whining stopped.

I woke up around 3 a.m. to a strange quiet. Something felt wrong. I got up to check on Andy. His bed was empty, the covers on the floor, and the window slightly open.

A cold panic crept over me.

I rushed down the hall, checking every room, calling his name louder each time. But he was nowhere.

I ran back to the bedroom and shook my wife awake. “He’s not in his room,” I said, my voice shaking. “The window’s open. Daisy’s gone too.”

She sat up, her eyes wide, but there was something else—guilt?

“Maybe she escaped, and he went after her?” I asked, desperate for an answer.

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She bit her lip, hesitating. “I don’t… I don’t know,” she stammered.

I picked up my phone and called the police, praying he was somewhere nearby.

Just as I was about to step outside, there was a soft scratching at the door.

When I opened it, Daisy sat there, covered in mud, panting. I dropped to one knee, feeling a mix of relief and confusion.

“Daisy?” I whispered. “Where were you?”

It felt strange to ask a dog, but I was desperate. She just looked up at me with tired eyes.

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Hours later, just as dawn broke, my phone buzzed. It was Mrs. Carver, an elderly neighbor who lived nearby.

“I saw a little boy near the woods behind my house,” she said. “He looked… lost.”

I thanked her, grabbed my keys, and headed to the car. Kelly and Daisy followed, looking tense. The woods weren’t far, but it felt like miles.

When we arrived, I ran into the woods, calling his name. And then, finally, I saw him.

He was curled up under a tree, shivering, his face dirty. I knelt beside him, pulling him close.

“Buddy,” I said, my voice breaking. “You scared us half to death.”

He looked up, his face lighting up when he saw Daisy behind me. She’d followed us, sniffing the ground.

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“Daisy,” he whispered, hugging her. “I thought you ran away because of me.”

I picked him up, wrapping him in my arms. “Let’s go home, all right?”

He nodded, looking back at Daisy like she was the only thing keeping him safe.

When we got back to the house, relief washed over me. My son was safe, Daisy was with us, but something still felt off.

My wife was tense, her eyes avoiding mine. She seemed distant, almost nervous. After we’d settled Andy on the couch with a blanket, I turned to her.

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“I swear I locked the door. How did Daisy get out?”

She looked down, her hands twisting. After a long pause, she took a deep breath. “I… I let her out.”

I stared, not understanding. “You… let her out?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I thought… maybe if she disappeared, he’d get over it. She wasn’t the dog I wanted. She’s… scruffy, and I didn’t think she fit here.”

I felt anger and hurt boiling inside. “So you just… let her go?”

“I didn’t know he’d… he’d go after her,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I thought he’d be sad, then move on. I didn’t want this mess. I just wanted things to be normal.”

Source: Midjourney

“Normal?” I repeated. “You put him in danger because you couldn’t handle a little mess?”

She sank into a chair, covering her face. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he’d do something so brave or that Daisy would stay with him. I didn’t think.”

I shook my head, struggling to understand. I looked at Andy, snuggled up with Daisy on the couch, her head on his lap. They’d bonded through something none of us had expected.

“I don’t know how we move past this,” I said quietly. “But for now… Daisy stays. She’s part of this family, and you need to accept that.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes, realizing the weight of what had happened.

Source: Midjourney

As I watched Andy stroke Daisy’s fur, a small, hopeful warmth rose in my chest. Family wasn’t about having things perfect. Sometimes, it was about the imperfect moments, the scruffy dogs, and the quiet forgiveness that held us all together.

I walked into our house and found my husband with his ex-wife — what she was doing there sent me into a rage

Imagine coming home after a long day, expecting peace, only to find your husband and his ex-wife in your living room. That’s exactly what happened to me. But Melissa wasn’t just there for a chat. What she was doing was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.

Do you know the feeling when you return home after a day full of meetings and deadlines? All you want is just to take a shower, change into a fresh pair of pajamas, and sink into your cozy bed. It’s just the best feeling ever.

I felt the same when I got home from work two weeks ago. All I wanted was my bed, a cup of hot coffee, and the true-crime documentary I’d been watching. I was set to watch episode 3, but what I saw when I stepped inside made me forget everything.

I opened the door, hung the car keys, and began walking towards my room when something unexpected caught my eye. At first, I really thought I was imagining things because it seemed too odd to be true.

I noticed the couch was gone, the rug was missing, and even the bookshelf had vanished. I checked the hallway and the kitchen, and sure enough, most of the items were missing. The coat closet? Gone. The coffee machine? Gone. The dining table? GONE!

What the heck? I thought. Where’s Roger?

Roger, my husband, usually came home before me, but I couldn’t see him around. Then, I heard his voice, like he was yelling at someone. It was coming from the end of the hallway. From our living room.

I threw my bag on the kitchen island and followed his voice. As I got closer, another voice echoed through the hallway. It was a woman’s voice.

Not ready for what was waiting, I pushed the door open and saw my husband with his ex-wife, Melissa. The woman Roger swore he’d never see again, the one he called “a filthy rich spoiled brat.”

I felt like my heart had jumped up to my throat. Why was Melissa in my house?

“Roger?” I said, interrupting their conversation. “What… What happened to our house?”

“Oh, Liz, you’re here?” Roger asked as if he wasn’t expecting me.

“Yeah, I just got back,” I said. “What’s she doing here?”

“I’ll explain everything,” Roger stuttered. “I’ll fix it, I swear.”

Roger looked desperate for me to stay calm, while Melissa stood there smirking. I almost thought they were having an affair until Melissa’s words sent a wave of pure rage through me.

“No, you won’t,” she snapped at Roger. “Didn’t you tell her that everything you owned is mine?”

“I… I…” Roger stammered, lost for words.

“Well, honey,” she said, turning to me. “All of this furniture… it belongs to me. You see, your husband and I bought it together when we were married, so I’m just taking back what’s mine.”

What the… I thought. What does she think of herself?

She was practically destroying my house and acting like it was no big deal.

I remember staring at her for a few moments, thinking what kind of an evil person would enter their ex’s house and take away most of their furniture.

I wanted to scream, to kick her out, but I couldn’t. Not with Roger just standing there silently and watching as she humiliated me.

“And you’re letting her take everything?” I finally managed to speak, looking straight into Roger’s eyes. “You didn’t even try to stop her? And why didn’t you tell me she was coming? You knew, right?”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled as he lowered his gaze. He was too ashamed to even look at me.

“Seriously, Roger? That’s it?” I rolled my eyes. “I never thought you’d let your ex walk out with our whole life! This is ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?” Melissa laughed. “I’m sorry honey, but technically everything in your house belongs to me. Even the bed that you two share. I paid for all this stuff, so I have every right to take it.”

Yeah, right, I thought to myself.

It would be true if I said I’ve never felt this humiliated in my entire life. Can you even imagine what kind of patience it took to stop myself from humiliating Melissa?

I could’ve thrown every embarrassing secret Roger had told me about Melissa right back at her, but I wasn’t about to stoop to her level. I wasn’t going to be petty.

At that point, I wanted to ask why she needed this old, used furniture when she could afford a brand-new bed set, and the latest model of the automatic coffee machine.

She was wealthy, owning one of the most popular businesses in town, and she could easily afford a fully furnished house.

But I knew why she was doing it. It was all about humiliating me. I could see the jealousy in her eyes.

“Fine,” I spat. “Take it. Take everything you own. But don’t you dare contact me or my husband ever again!”

“Sure, honey,” she said, smirking as if she had won the biggest prize of her life.

I watched as she walked toward the main door and called the workers inside to pick up the remaining furniture. Then, I spotted a truck in our backyard, full of the furniture the workers had already moved.

Meanwhile, Roger silently watched the workers tear our house apart. He was helpless, and just as heartbroken as I was.

That’s when I came up with a plan to make Melissa regret her decision.

Right when she stepped outside to look at the truck, I hurried into the kitchen and pulled out a few frozen shrimp from the freezer. Then, I quickly hid them in different places including our side table, the living room chairs, and inside our mattress.

I even stuffed a few of them inside the decorative pillows. I only had to wait for a few days to see the shrimps do their magic.

You see, I knew she wouldn’t keep this furniture in her house. She was probably going to dump it in some storage unit, and I couldn’t wait to see how these little pieces of meat would turn that place into an unbearable stink bomb.

As the workers loaded the last piece of furniture into the truck, Melissa gave one final self-satisfied glance around, ensuring she had destroyed our house in every possible way.

“I hope you’ve taken everything that’s YOURS,” I said, my arms crossed.

She nodded. “Yup, I’m done, honey. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Sure, sorry, I thought.

And with that, Melissa left our house and drove away in her shiny SUV. Meanwhile, Roger sat on the ground with his hands on his head.

“I’m so sorry,” he said as tears trickled down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know how to tell you. She called me a few days ago and told me she’d come over, but I had no idea she was serious. I never thought she’d do this to us.”

I sighed and sat down next to him.

“It’s alright, babe,” I said, caressing his arms. “I wouldn’t want to live in a house furnished by your ex-wife anyway.”

At that point, I could’ve yelled at Roger, blamed him, and made him feel terrible about the situation, but I knew things weren’t in his control. Besides, that’s exactly what Melissa wanted.

She wanted to see us fight and break apart, and I wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.

“Instead of apologizing, I want you to buy me new furniture, okay?” I chuckled. “Anything I pick. I want to make this place feel like home again.”

“I’ll do that,” he looked up at me with a smile. “I’ll buy every piece of furniture that you want. I promise.”

I held his hand and squeezed it hard.

“I love you, Roger, and I’ll always be there for you,” I said. “We’ll get through this together.”

As we lay on the bedroom floor that night, I realized that I didn’t need Melissa’s furniture to make my house feel like home. I had Roger, and that was all I needed.

But the story doesn’t end here.

A few days later, while scrolling through Facebook, I stumbled upon a post in one of the local groups. It was from Melissa, and it was clear she was desperate.

HELP NEEDED URGENTLY! Does anyone know how to get rid of a horrible, rotting meat smell in furniture? I recently moved some old furniture into a storage unit, and within days, it started smelling like something died inside.

I’ve tried airing it out, deep cleaning, and even using baking soda, but nothing works! The smell is unbearable, and I can’t even walk into the storage room without gagging. Please, if anyone has tips, I’m losing my mind here!

I couldn’t help but chuckle while reading her frantic post. All her wealth, all her pride, and she was brought down by a few pieces of hidden shrimp.

It was the sweetest revenge. Served cold.

What would you have done if you were in my place?

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