WATCH: Malnourished Stray Dog Finds Forever Home In Fishtown Simply By Walking Inside Open Door
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A holiday miracle was caught on camera when a stray dog, malnourished and desperately looking for shelter, suddenly found a door to a home in Fishtown wide open and walked right in -- all while the family inside was asleep. The family says without the security video showing a strange series of events unfolding, they'd have a lot more questions.
But now, they're taking in the dog and calling her Suzy.
"She's probably been through a lot based on the shape she's in," Jack Jokinen said.
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 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 and the front door closed and locked, back door closed and locked," Jokinen said. "So it may be a magician puppy. Very freaky."
No Houdini here.
A look at Jokinen's security camera system showed that about 20 minutes after the furry friend walked in, a neighbor noticed the front door was open.
So just like that, in the middle of the night, the unknown neighbor turned into a really good neighbor.
"I yelled inside to see if somebody was there. The dog didn't even respond," neighbor Steve Griendling said. "So the dog was probably just looking for some place warm."
So Griendling closed the door, locking the dog inside.
Jokinen says the door probably blew open from the wind after he must not have closed it all the way earlier in the night.
Even though, the Jokinens have another dog, George, and a one-month-old baby too. The family is now taking in the dog, calling her Suzy, who seems to play well with George.
"She's just happy that someone's giving her attention. She's in a warm house," Jokinen said. "She's getting a good meal, she's getting water. She's getting cuddles and a soft bed and a loving environment. At a minimum, that's what we can give her."
Suzy appeared malnourished when she walked into her new family's home.
They immediately took her to the vet and she has several ailments, already costing about $1,000.
But the family is accepting donations to help with treatments. You can donate via Jokinen's Venmo account and PayPal account.
