POLK COUNTY, Tenn. — Imagine waking up in your bed in the morning to find out the dog you've been snuggling with isn't yours!
That's what happened to a Tennessee couple.
Jimmy Johnson opened his eyes and didn't recognize the dog sleeping in their bed.
"I rolled over on my side of the bed and said, 'No, no, no. That's not our dog," he told WGCL.
A strange canine quietly came into their house uninvited - and unnoticed.
"One, how did the dog get in my house?" asked Julie Johnson. "Two, we have three dogs - Jupiter, Hollis, and Zeplin - and they bark at anything. A squirrel in the yard, a rabbit, they bark. And there was no noise."
But as the Johnsons checked out the strange dog in their room, it seemed harmless. They think they left their back door open by mistake, giving their four-legged guest a way inside.
They turned to social media to try to find the dog's owner. A Facebook post went viral and, sure enough, someone recognized the intruder, whose name is Nala.
"We got a Facebook message saying, 'Hey, that's my dog, I'll be there in a few minutes. What's your address?'" Julie said.
She verified Nala was actually the woman's dog, asking for photos as proof.
"She sent me Christmas pictures and all sorts of photos with her dogs," Julie said.
The Johnsons found out Nala had traveled almost two miles, finally ending her adventure when she wanted some company.
"As a matter of fact, I was still laying in bed and snuggling with Nala when her mom walked into the room," Jimmy said.
If it wasn't for the Facebook post, the Johnsons said they would have had another dog as part of their family.
The adventure may have just been the beginning of a new friendship, however. On Wednesday, Julie Johnson posted to Facebook that Nala came over for a playdate with the couple's three dogs.