Recently an American woman named Julie Thornton Johnson was having a quiet evening at home when she suddenly noticed an unexpected guest. It was a dog that had apparently snuck in through an unlocked door. The dog turned out to be very affectionate and kind – he even climbed into Julie and her husband’s bed unashamedly.

“My husband said, ‘Julie. Whose dog is this?’ I rolled over, and for the first 10 seconds, we were just staring at each other. I said, ‘That’s not our dog,’” Johnson told The Dodo.

It was obvious that the dog was used to people and just wanted affection and attention. It was getting late, so Julie and her husband decided to keep her overnight, and in the morning to figure out where she had come from. The guest slept quietly next to them all night.

“She was just laying on our pillows, completely content,” Johnson said. “She was just trying to snuggle.”

The next day the family began the search for the doggie’s owners. She was very affectionate, so she was probably living in the house before that. They took some pictures and posted them in groups with lost animals. A few hours later, Julie received a message.

It turns out that this dog named Nala was lost, and her owners were going crazy trying to find her. She ran away during a walk. Apparently scared, she decided to spend the night at Julie’s. That same day, the worried owners arrived to meet the doggie. Nala was reunited with her owners, and she was incredibly happy about it as were her owners. The doggy was very lucky to run into this very house, because there she met Julie, who cared for her. That’s the sweetest story ever!

“They thought that we’d be mad that their dog snuck into our house, but our feelings couldn’t be more opposite,” Johnson said. “Everyone was safe. Nobody was stuck out in the storm. It was a roundabout way to open our hearts to someone else.”

“We were a safe place, and she knew it,” Johnson said, adding: “Nala’s moms came right over and picked her up. It was a really happy reunion.”

The Johnsons recently met back up with Nala — this time intentionally. They arranged a playdate with their dogs and the random pup who snuck her way into their hearts.