By Adam Ghassemi
GALLATIN, Tenn. – Richard Boyles loves everything about his laid back, 3 year old beagle "Shelby", expect one very bad habit.
"I have been at my wits end about her digging since the day we got her," he said Friday.
Shelby has dug holes all over Boyles' backyard and doesn't stop digging even when their neighbor Emily Cantrell comes over to play.
A few weeks ago Shelby unearthed something unique: a 1964 class ring with the initials "RDD" engraved inside.
"You would have never saw it if the blue stone wasn't there," said Cantrell. "It was stolen, they lost it, it didn't matter. They would want it returned and have those memories passed down," she said.
The 18-year-old with the help of her mom found the answer they were looking for in the pages of a 1964 Gallatin High School yearbook. RDD stands for Rose Dee Duffer.
That's how they tracked down Charles Anderson who says he broke up with Rose for another girl at a party in the very same yard in the 1963.
"It was gone," he said. "I gave Rose back her ring and she was very, very upset."
Anderson believes Rose threw it in a rage.
Charles and Rose got back together, were married 34 years and had three daughters. He lost Rose in a traffic accident in 1999, but he never thought something so forgotten, yet so special would come back 49 years later.
"It will be a cherished piece for my girls for the rest of their lives and I'm so thankful and grateful," Anderson said.
It's all because of people who did the right thing after a dog dug up the unthinkable.
"I'm glad that she was able to do something positive with her digging, but I'm still going to be frustrated with her digging," Boyles said.
Cantrell is a 2012 Gallatin High graduate. When Anderson found out he sent her a thank you note with a $100 bill and a message thanking her for returning the ring and being a moral young woman.
Anderson plans to give the ring to one of his daughters so they'll be able to keep it in the family.
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