Rudy (left) who was abandoned by his owner outside a shelter, snuck into the building and into the kennel of new best friend, Duke (right).

An abandoned 8-week-old Labrador Retriever mix snuck into an animal shelter at night when the shelter was closed and was discovered in the morning snuggled next to an 85-pound Great Pyrenees.

Employees of the Humane Society of North Texas found the puppy curled up asleep with the big dog.

The puppy, now named Rudy, was dumped and left tied up outside the shelter. Shelter workers think he escaped his leash, squeezed his way into the shelter and then squeezed again into the large dog's kennel.

Jerry Cook, a board member at the Fort Worth-based shelter told the Star Telegram long time employees had never seen or heard of a dog breaking in to the humane society before.

The pup has been named Rudy, and part of his break-in was caught on their surveillance camera the night he was left. "People don't want to wait till the office opens so they just leave them," said Peggy Brown, an employee at the shelter. "He chewed out of his leash."

When he broke free, it appears Rudy caught sight of the other dogs and decided to get inside. Rudy's new friend is Duke, a 13-month-old Great Pyrenees. Peggy said it looks like the 5-pound-puppy was particular about who he selected to bunk with. Duke was housed in the middle of the building so Rudy had to walk quite a way from the entrance to get to Rudy's kennel.

Their friendship was brief, but only because of wonderful news. Rudy was adopted a week later, as was Duke.

• Great Pyrenees
• Labrador Retriever
• Fort Worth
• Texas
• Humane Society of North Texas