Tennessee couple wakes up to find random dog in bed with them

Julie and Jimmy Johnson had the shock of their lives recently when they woke up to a stranger in their house.

But the intruder wasn't a burglar - it was a dog... and it was in the couple's bed.

The Tennessee couple told their wild tale to CBS News explaining that at first, they didn't even realize the random animal was in the bed with them.

Julie recalled seeing a dog in her bed when she got up in the night to use the bathroom - but assumed at the time that it was just one of their three pets.

"Our dogs are always in the bed, so I didn't panic about that, or think anything about it. I just went back to bed," she told the outlet.

It wasn't until the sun rose the following morning that Jimmy and Julie clocked the pooch cuddled up next to them wasn't one of their usual companions.

"I roll over and me and my husband I lock eyes — and sure enough, it is not our dog," said Julie.

On Facebook, Julie wrote to her friends:

"It is absolutely normal to wake up in our house with one of OUR dogs in the bed with us. One small problem, THIS IS NOT OUR DOG, nor do we know how she got in our house.

"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. This is the weirdest post I have ever had to make."

Once they'd gotten over the initial shock, the Johnsons came to the conclusion that the mystery pooch was a local pet who had gone missing. After snapping some pics with the friendly dog, they posted their bizarre predicament on Facebook and waited to see if anyone would claim her.

Sure enough, it wasn't long until Julie received a message from someone saying that the dog - whose name was Nala - was their beloved pet.

"I wanted to make sure Nala went back to the right moms. So I asked her if she could prove she was her mom and she sent me Christmas pictures and Easter pictures and just lots of photos with Nala," Julie said. "And she hopped in the car and came to my house."

Nala's owners Felicia and Chris explained that she had gone missing on their walk the day before, and must have snuck into the Johnson's house to shelter from the bad weather.

"She had been missing since mid-afternoon on Saturday. And then, I guess, she made her way about two miles towards our house. And then when the storms rolled in and the thunder started, Nala just came to us as a refuge," Julie explained.

As for creeping into the Johnson's bed with them, this came as no surprise to Nala's owners. "They were absolutely not surprised. They were like, 'She's a bed hog. She snores like an old man. We're sorry, we're on our way to get her,'" Julie laughed.

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