There's a dog in my house

[Freezby]

There's a Labrador in my house and I don't know where it's come from. DH appears to of left the back door unlocked by mistake, but it was shut? He's at work and knows nothing about it, I've just got home from work and I have acquired a dog. Collar but no ID tag. What is going on?! How did it get in?! Can labradors open and close doors? My little King Charles cavalier spaniel seems to think he's his new best friend so has obviously enjoyed this unplanned play date (thank god a friendly dog decided to break into my house and not an aggressive one) no idea how long this lab has been here but house has been empty besides our dog since 11am. Someone please tell me how this is possible. I'm baffled. Waiting for DH to get back with the car so I can get him to a vets before they all shut and see if he's chipped.

101 is a good idea - sometimes an illness, like a UTI or other infection, can make someone with less advanced dementia seem very confused. If they have NOK details then someone who knows her better should know if this is her normal presentation or if there has been a sudden change.

@Freezby if her dementia is bad she may have let him out & forgotten she has him.
She may also be scared ,especially as it's dark & I'm assuming he doesn't know your DH?

With every post it sounds more like she's not coping & I'm glad a pp recommend you ringing for a welfare check.
Even if she's got care in place no one would mind getting a call to check in her ,it sounds like she needs it .

Also wondering if that's why the handsome lab got out & has turned up at your door ? They know when something's wrong !

@WatcherOfTheNight .. are they all your dogs ? They are beautiful !!😍😍

DH phoned 101 they're going to get someone to come out, they've taken our number and address and said they'll keep us updated. DH has only met her once before when she was wandering around in the dark saying she couldn't find her mum, obviously with her being in her 80s I assume her mum isn't around so she can't of been lucid, so doubt she remembers DH. After she turned off lights and closed curtains he's stayed away anyway as we didn't want to scare her. They wouldn't give much advice regarding dog so we'll hang on to him for now. He appears to be very hungry, either that or he's just never had someone instantly refill his bowl after he finishes and he thinks he's hit jackpot!! Not sure if he's starving or greedy. I love him though my boy doesn't seem to care about my pregnant belly but lab keeps putting his paw on it. Might be a coincidence but it's making me emotional

Awww he has chosen you 😉 keep him !

Aww op this is so sweet!

Oh my goodness, what an evening! So sad for the owner, I hope she is getting support. You're doing a lovely thing looking out for her.
I suspect that unless she has family around that you might have a new dog though!

Oh and labs are notoriously greedy so don't be too fooled by the hunger if he looks well fed. 😀

@GnothiSeafton it's on here but I'm on the app not sure if that makes a difference x

Do you know if the dog is definitely hers ?

He appears to be very hungry, either that or he's just never had someone instantly refill his bowl after he finishes and he thinks he's hit jackpot!!

A lab, you said...

It's a sad situation with the old lady, but it sounds as though he's fallen on his paws for now.

Are you positive the dog is hers?

Omg keep him!!

Perfectly possible that she has clean forgotten that she’s got a dog. When my gran’s dementia was that bad (at the stage of going wandering at night and forgetting where she was), she used to leave bowls out for her ddog (a lab funnily enough). Her dog had died about 15 years earlier though

So I guess it’s quite possible that it could happen the other way around too, she has a dog but can’t remember she has one.

@Mix56 No! It's looking highly likely he's hers as multiple people on the local Facebook page have said that's he's definitely hers and DH saw dog bowl etc in her house, but she wasn't making much sense when he tried to ask questions and was sort of saying yes then no then saying random things that didn't make sense or have any relevance to the question. He went outside and called me then as he said she seemed to want him out the house and he was a bit scared being alone in the house with her if she's vulnerable as he doesn't want to end up in trouble or accused of something. I tried to get him just to knock again and ask for the dogs name so we could see if he answers but that's when she closed curtains/turned off lights Feel guilty now that I sent him down alone she might have found it more intimidating having a man in her house. Atleast help is on the way!

Thank you @hendricksy yes they are .
This is my other boy that's hiding in the background ,we've 2 rescue cats too.
I'd be lost without them !

Blimey, I've heard of cat burglars, but dogs that can open doors???

OP, he won't be never-ending hungry. I've got a golden retriever and like labs, they just love their food. Mine would keep eating until she's sick. When I put her dinner down you'd think she'd never been fed, and even using one of those bowls that's supposed to slow them down, her food is gone in seconds.

OP this is my dream situation. My dog (when he was about 4 months old) ran in to my neighbours house but I followed and was awkwardly stood at the threshold of their front door.

Just to check I've caught up right...fb comments suggest he belongs to the woman down the road with dementia but she won't answer any questions? Did you take pup to the vet in the end?

I want a friendly dog to come to our house for a play date!!

Aw you are being very kind OP and I hope if for some reason the lady can't keep him you will adopt him.

Sorry I've just read your post that I missed while I was typing.

Will 101 get back to you so you can work out what to do with the dog?

I have to add, I'm not sure a bouncy lab is a suitable dog for an elderly lady with possible dementia. How on earth does she exercise him?

Please update us when the police update you! Thank goodness he is a friendly boy. If you say he is well trained and looks well then I wouldn’t too much about how he is being looked after. Either she or someone else is looking after him. I would be more concerned about her.

I'm so sorry to read the updates op, what a sad situation.
Poor lady I hope the police check and she has family or friends locally who can help out.
My great aunt who had dementia used to panic around men as well, I think it was their general size etc. You sound lovely and caring and have definitely done the right thing hopefully getting help for both her and the dog.

Yes if dog looked unkept or thin I'd be very concerned but he does look healthy, well groomed etc. Are labs often service dogs? Nothing to say he is no tag or special collar but could be a possibility, he does seem very well trained

Can someone save me ten mins and tell me if the op posted a pic of the dog? Thanks.

Yes labs are often used as service dogs. Although you can normally tell a service dog from a pet dog in their behaviour, normally very calm. I would be surprised if a service dog went off in to somebody else's house unless they were locked out with no choice.