‘Mysterious’ dog sneaked into her yard daily just to nap — when she left a message in his collar, the owners’ response melted her heart

The dog seemed tired and older, yet it was clear he was kind, well-fed, and in good shape.

PUBLISHED 4 HOURS AGO

(L ) A dog resting at the backyard ; (R) A woman reading a note (Representative Cover Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Carol Yepes ; (R) Mark Edward Atkinson)

What would you do if a dog started visiting your house every day, strolling into your yard, taking a long, peaceful nap, and then heading back home as if nothing had happened? That’s exactly what happened to one woman, who soon realized that this gentle visitor wasn’t a stray but clearly someone’s cherished pet. She decided to leave a polite note for the pup’s owners. The reply she received was even more heartwarming than she could have imagined, revealing the reason behind the little daily adventure he had chosen for himself.

Dog sitting outdoors with its eyes closed. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Mary Swift)

According to iHeartDogs, a woman once found an "older, tired-looking" dog wandering into her backyard. The woman noticed that the dog was well-fed, kind, and in good shape, but he still followed her into her house and proceeded to curl up and sleep in one of the corners of the floor. "He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner, and fell asleep," she said.

Representative Image Source: Pexels| Christian Domingues — Dog taking a nap. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Christian Domingues)

After a good nap session, the dog would wake up and leave, only to return the next day. "The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside, and resumed his spot in the hall, and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks," she noted. As the visits continued, the woman grew curious to know who the dog belonged to. One day, she decided to write a note and attach it to the dog's collar, hoping that the owner would read it and respond. Her note read, "I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful, sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap."

A woman writing a note. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Jupiter Images)

When the dog returned the next day, she noticed a new note on his collar, revealing the truth she had been hoping to learn. The new note from the dog's owner read, "He lives in a home with six children, two under the age of three. He's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?" The adorable note had the woman in splits as she continued having the four-legged visitor into her home. According to Cornell University Library, a 2023 study explored how free-ranging dogs choose their resting sites. Researchers found that dogs preferred places offering shade, visibility, and low human disturbance, and that these preferences varied depending on the time of day and the dogs’ reproductive status (such as during mating or pup-rearing). The findings highlight that rest is a vital, behaviorally regulated part of their daily lives and that dogs make deliberate choices to ensure safe and undisturbed rest.