PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A Pennsylvania family has a new dog after it wandered into their house in the middle of the night, malnourished and desperately looking for shelter.
The moment was caught on video.
“She’s probably been through a lot based on the shape she’s in," said Jack Jokinen, who found the dog in his home.
Security video from Fishtown showed a dog walking with a limp, wandering around in the cold when it cautiously walked up some steps before sneaking inside this home around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday.
Jokinen was alarmed after waking up and finding her.
“There was just a puppy in the first floor of our house with all the windows closed and locked, so it may be a magician puppy. Very freaky," said Jokinen.
No Houdini dog here.
A look at Jokinen’s security camera system showed that about 20 minutes after the furry friend walked inside, a neighbor noticed the front door was open.
So just like that, in the middle of the night, the stranger turns into a really good neighbor who we tracked down.
“I yelled inside to see if somebody was there. The dog didn’t even respond, so the dog was probably just looking for some place warm," said Steve Griendling, neighbor.
So Griendling closed the door, locking the dog inside.
Jokinen says the door probably blew open from the wind after he must have not have closed it all the way earlier in the night.
And even though, the Jokinens have another dog, George, and a one-month-old baby too, the family is now taking in the second dog, calling her Suzy, who seems to play well with George.
“She’s in a warm house. She’s getting a good meal, she’s getting water. She’s getting cuddles and a soft bed and a loving environment," said Jokinen. "At a minimum, that’s what we can give her.”
They immediately took Suzy to the vet and she has several ailments, already costing about $1,000.