Hello dear @itsostylish💐,
Thank you for that generous critique. Every now and then I have to write something...call it catharsis... and that's what happened here. I really appreciate that you see the connection between the beginning and the end. It was always about the end, and then creating a logical path to that conclusion (kind of like the beggar's breadcrumbs, as you note).
People love happy endings, but they may not always get one in my stories. There was plenty of kindness there, but not enough to save the beggar and the dog.
I deliberately did not name these characters, because they represented more than themselves. I'm really happy this worked for you, as a reader. Thanks so much for reading through and commenting.