Couple checked their pet cam 10 minutes after leaving for dinner — and the unexpected guests their dogs let inside sent them racing home

His dogs nudged the sliding door open and wandered outside, setting off an unexpected chain of events.

PUBLISHED 13 HOURS AGO

(L) A couple shocked looking at their phone. (R) Two doors at the door. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) Dean Drobot, (R) Natasha Sioss)

For an Australian couple, an evening out took a sudden turn soon after they left home. They had only just settled into dinner when a quick check of their pet cam showed something unusual moving across the screen. The surprising footage they later shared online on Sunday, December 7, 2025, revealed only hints at first. Their dogs lingered near the sliding door, a bit too active, before an unexpected shape edged into the frame. With little time to question it, the couple left the dinner within ten minutes of their arrival, unsure of what they would find once they got home.

A couple shocked looking at phone. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Vadym Pastukh)

As reported by CBS News on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the home belonged to Northern Territory lawmaker Andrew Mackay, who posted the now-viral clip on his Facebook page. The incident began when Mackay’s two dogs, including a mutt named Thunder, managed to nuzzle open the sliding door and step out into the yard. In the video, Thunder pushes the glass door just enough to create an opening. Moments later, a steer named Sue wanders into view, poking his head toward the doorway with surprising curiosity.

A golden retriever looking out the main door. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Barbara Brady Smith)

Mackay said he first noticed “a cow's head moving into the frame,” which immediately told him something was wrong back home. "And then we've discovered that about 10 minutes after we'd left to go to dinner, the dogs had decided to nuzzle open the glass door and let themselves out," he shared with AFP. The steer, while scratching its neck against the door, managed to slide it open wider, giving itself access to the living room.

A white horse in a stable. (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | Alexas_Fotos)

Not long after Sue made himself comfortable, the couple’s pet horse, Cricket, decided to follow. The footage shows Cricket stepping cautiously over the door frame and immediately inspecting the couch and nearby shelves. Mackay explained that over the next hour and a half, the steer and horse “took turns playing inside,” knocking items down as they explored every corner of the room. Cricket came across a bowl of leftover vegetables that had been set out for the chickens and began tossing the pieces around. At another point, the horse drank from the fish tank, lowering the water level so much that Mackay later joked he wasn’t entirely sure “how many fish I had before,” though he assumed "they're all still alive." Even though the animals caused a bit of chaos and worry for the couple, Mackay assured, "all of the pets were fine."

By the time Mackay and his fiancée arrived home, the scene waiting for them looked more like a comedy setup than a real situation they would ever expect. The video ends with Mackay entering the doorway, stopping in shock as one of the dogs nudges his leg as if proud of the unexpected company they had brought inside. In the caption of his Facebook post, Mackay wrote that the dogs clearly “can’t be trusted with door security” and joked that now the outside animals “know what aircon feels like and will no doubt try again.”