Erin Napier is feeling thankful after a scary situation involving her family’s dog, Brinkley.
“Brinkley went missing for 4 days and just when we gave up, he turned up at a Laurel police officer’s house 7 miles from home,” Erin revealed in a Sunday, October 19, Instagram post. “Don’t know if he walked there or hitched a ride but these girls are so happy he’s back.”
Erin’s post featured a sweet photo of her and Ben Napier‘s two daughters — Helen, 7, and Mae, 4 — cuddling Brinkley while sitting outside.
Fans were just as happy as Erin that Brinkley was able to make a safe return home. “Sweet boy,” one person commented underneath the post, suggesting that Erin and Ben place an Air Tag on their dog’s collar. Another user wrote, “So wonderful to hear 🥹. What a sweet reunion!
“I don’t think I could love his name more! So happy here’s safe at home. ❤️,” someone else gushed. A different person commented, “My heart is so happy for your girls. I can’t imagine how much they missed him. 🐾💗🐾.”
Someone else recalled going through a similar experience with their own pet. “Our golden always found a way to break out if there were fireworks, gunshots, any scary noises,” the user posted. “So thankful for all the kind hearted people who picked up our sweet Lady girl and returned her safely to us and thankful yours was returned to you. They are family 💛.”
HGTV’s Jenny Marrs also hopped in the post’s comments, writing, “So glad he’s back!!”
Erin and Ben have been proud dog parents to several pups over the years. In July 2021, Erin announced via Instagram that the family lost their beloved dog Baker. “All dogs go to heaven ❤️ we (and especially she) will miss baker. thankful for the 12 years he lived,” she captioned a photo of Helen hugging their late pet. The couple also shared a dog named Chevy, who passed away some time before Baker.
In February 2022, Ben revealed the sweet name the family gave their new pup. “‘B’ for Baker too,” he captioned Instagram pics of himself and his new furry friend.
A pair of labs named Finn and Annie later joined the Napier household in October 2023. “Have you ever heard of the saying, ‘That dog won’t hunt?’ So, we have two dogs that wouldn’t hunt. They are hunting school dropouts,” Ben joked on a February 2024 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. Erin added, “They’re like champion bloodline dogs, but these dogs wouldn’t get in the water and they wouldn’t retrieve and [River Town Retrievers] were like, ‘You can just have them.’ So, we have adopted hunting school dropouts.”
When asked about Finn and Annie’s hobbies, Ben shared, “They are really into fetching, which the girls love. They’re really into snuggling with the girls.” Erin noted that the two pups also enjoy “tearing up their shoes,” to which Ben retorted, “That’s what dogs are supposed to do.”