An adorable stray dog who kept breaking into the nursing home across the street from his animal shelter has become a permanent fixture after residents fell so in love with him they decided to adopt him.

Stray brown mutt Scout, who’s thought to be aged 10 to 12, was rescued by Antrim County Animal Shelter in Michigan and arrived with pellets in his jaw and a fear of strangers.

Heather Belknap, the shelter’s director, told The Washington Post: ‘Somebody obviously abused him. When he ended up in the shelter, he ended up in the right place’.

However, Scout had other ideas and in 2017, the stray dog escaped the Antrim County Animal Shelter three times, at around midnight on every occasion, to sleep in Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility for seniors.

After repeatedly running off to the nursing home, staff there adopted him and he’s been a firm favorite with residents ever since.

Scout escaped his animal shelter in Michigan and took up residence at the  Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility for seniors across the road

Retiree, Butch Craig, has crafted a special bond with the once-neglected stray mutt – and established himself as one of Scout’s favorites after generously supplying him with treats

The adorable dog, who escaped his animal rescue shelter to sleep in a nursing home and spend time with elderly residents

As soon as the shelter noticed him going missing, they retrieved their stray mutt and investigated how Scout had managed to leave and enter so easily.

Belknap discovered that to leave the animal shelter Scout would have had to cross multiple fences and a highway to get across the street.

She then discovered that once he’d reached the other side of the road, he used the nursing home’s automatic revolving doors to enter the lobby.

Once he’d strolled into this lobby, he’d parked himself onto a brown couch – where he was found asleep on all three occasions.

When a nurse noticed him on the lobby’s couch, she was so alarmed that she alerted the county sheriff – and he was swiftly returned to the animal shelter.

But it was after Scout’s third and final uninvited visit that he was on the way to winning Meadow Brook’s affection – with a staff member taking the adorable dog home with her.

However, she had other dogs at home and they didn’t all gel with Scout, so she had to think about the next steps for the stray.

Along with her coworkers, she decided that their workplace would be a good place to house him – given that he was so drawn to the nursing home in the first place.

Scout strolled into Meadow Brook’s lobby, entering through an automatic revolving door,  before parking himself onto a brown couch

Staff at Meadow Brook started to welcome Scout with open arms, with one member even taking him home with her, before residents approved them adopting the dog

Scout has undoubtedly brought joy to the Meadow Brook nursing home who took the adorable dog into their nursing home after being at nearby Antrim County Animal Shelter

After getting approval from residents, the home agreed to adopt the dog, who has called Meadow Brook his home since 2017.

And it isn’t just the staff’s hearts he melted – Scout has established himself as a firm favorite with elderly residents at the medical facility.

One resident, 82-year-old Shirley Sawyer, who’s been at the home for a year describes the canine as a ‘perfect dog’ you can ‘pet and talk to’.

Another retiree, Butch Craig, has crafted a special bond with the once-neglected stray mutt – and established himself as one of Scout’s favorites after generously supplying him with treats.

And Meadow Brook staff have noticed a lovely pattern in Scout’s behavior – whenever he senses that a resident is about to pass, he’ll go into their rooms for a cuddle.

Pictured here is 82-year-old Shirley Sawyer, who’s been at the home for a year has taken a special liking to the carnivore, who she describes as a ‘perfect dog’ you can ‘pet and talk to’

In February, Scout was crowned Resident of the Month thanks to his sudden rise to fame

While Scout provides support to his fellow residents, they reciprocate this in times of danger – when there’s a thunderstorm he’ll gravitate towards a resident he feels will protect him, clutching onto them for a cuddle.

Earlier this year, Meadow Brook staff set up a fundraiser for their beloved dog – to support Antrim County Animal Shelter – the very animal shelter that rescued Scout off the streets after years of abuse.

While the team were confident that the fundraiser, Scout’s House Paws for the Pantry, would raise tons of money internally, they weren’t expecting global donations.

In February, Scout was crowned Resident of the Month.

There’s no doubt that Scout has brought infinite joy to Meadow Brook Medical Care Facility who took him in after three unexpected visits.