Last Thanksgiving, my husband Kyle went out to pick up our pre-ordered turkey, promising he’d be back soon. When he finally returned over an hour later, he looked flustered and left again to help his mom with a car problem. Meanwhile, our dog Max started barking nonstop at the turkey sitting on the kitchen counter. At first, I thought he just wanted a treat, but Max’s unusual behavior made me take a closer look. When I unwrapped the turkey, I found something shocking—a hidden bag of cash stuffed inside!

Confused and a bit scared, I called the police to report the strange discovery. When the officers arrived, Kyle and his mom walked in, surprised to see the cops in our kitchen. Under pressure, Kyle confessed that the money was his savings for a surprise Hawaii trip he planned for us. He had hidden the cash in the turkey so I wouldn’t find out before Thanksgiving, but hadn’t considered the risk of cooking it with the money inside.

The officers couldn’t stop laughing at the unusual smuggling method, and we all breathed a sigh of relief knowing it was an innocent surprise gone wrong. Kyle’s attempt to keep the trip a secret almost turned into a Thanksgiving disaster, but thanks to Max’s persistent barking, the mystery was uncovered before anything worse could happen.

That night, we laughed about the whole ordeal over dinner, giving Max extra turkey scraps for his detective work. Kyle’s goofy surprise turned into a memorable story we’ll tell for years—especially since that Hawaii trip later became the place where we conceived our baby. It just goes to show, sometimes your dog’s behavior is worth paying attention to!