Couple wakes up with stranger's dog snuggling up to them in bed: 'This is not our dog'

Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 12, 2022. It has since been updated.

Have you ever woken up to find your dog cuddled up next to you in bed? For a dog lover, it's undoubtedly one of the most amazing feelings ever. One couple was in for a surprise when they saw the puppy cuddled up in bed with them was not theirs! The Tennessee couple shared on Facebook the hilarious story and said the puppy had made itself at home and was comfortably tucked in their bed, showing no signs of wanting to leave. Julie Johnson of Benton and her husband, Jimmy, were used to their three dogs sleeping with them in bed and they didn't really notice when the unknown dog crept into their bed and made itself comfortable. Julie shared images of the dog sprawled on her bed, looking like it was right at home, reported PEOPLE.  

"It is absolutely normal to wake up in our house with one of OUR dogs in the bed with us," wrote Julie. "One small problem, THIS IS NOT OUR DOG, nor do we know how she got in our house." Julie Johnson explained that she thought it was one of her dogs as it jumped into their bed in the middle of the night. "At first, we thought it was one of ours, but they rarely lay on the pillows! In pitch darkness, I just assumed it was. Wouldn't we all? As daylight began to creep in through our curtains, we realized we were snuggling with someone else's dog," she wrote before asking her followers and friends if they could help the dog with its rightful owner. "This is the weirdest post I have ever had to make. Is this your dog? Please share," she concluded.

Cris Hawkins and Felicia Johnson, who live in the Johnsons' neighborhood, reacted to the post and said they were the owners of the dog, named Nala. They joked that the strange developments were second nature to Nala. "Our overly friendly pup, Nala, has hit an all-time record for ignoring personal space and added yet another trick to her long list of Houdini acts," wrote Hawkins. "She slipped her collar yesterday while being walked, ran down the street to a neighbor's house, somehow managed to get IN their house and climbed into bed with them in the middle of the night."

"The woman and her husband have 3 dogs of their own that all sleep in bed with them. None of their dogs reacted to a random dog climbing into bed with them and the couple didn't even realize that it wasn't their dog in bed with them until the sun started to come up," added Hawkins. Julie contacted them and provided an update on Facebook as well. "Her name is Nala and her mom is on the way to get her. Good luck getting her out of my bed ma'am," she wrote.

Julie Johnson later posted that they were now close friends. "Nala and her moms are no longer strangers to us! Yesterday, our puppy play date was a lot of fun and the pups loved the attention and the ice cream. We also had a long talk with the four of them about asking permission before spending the night parties commence! We all have extra room in our hearts to spread love, light, and joy. We’ve gone to the dogs!" she wrote. Julie joked, "I don’t recommend waking up with a stranger, but if you do, I hope it’s someone like Nala.”