'I thought neighbour was stealing my parcels then I uncovered unlikely thief'

Many people order purchases online as it's an easy and convenient way to shop; however, no matter how handy it is, it can be really annoying when parcels go missing. One man recently had such an experience as for weeks parcels were "disappearing" from his porch, and it became such a problem that he started to blame his neighbour.

All too often we hear of neighbours from hell, but this story comes with a bit of a twist as, even though he was sure his neighbour was a little light fingered, it turns out the thief was a pretty unlikely candidate. He recently took to Reddit to tell the story, and it's left people pretty stunned.

Even though he was quick to blame his neighbour, he admitted his assumptions turned out to be "completely wrong." It's not the first time someone has accused a neighbour of stealing their parcels either.

• 'I uninvited sister-in-law from wedding after she leaked intimate detail'
• American living in the UK lists things that Brits give her the side-eye for

The anonymous man wrote: "For weeks, I noticed packages disappearing from my porch. Small stuff at first. A book, then some kitchen items. I was convinced it was my neighbour. He’s always hanging around outside and, honestly, I never trusted him.

"One day, I decided to set up my camera to catch him in the act but, when I checked the recording, I couldn’t believe what I saw. It wasn’t my neighbour at all. It was a stray dog that had figured out how to pull packages off the porch.

"And here’s the craziest part. When animal control finally caught him, they discovered he had dragged ALL my missing packages into a little corner behind the building, as if he was 'collecting' them. Every single item was still there.

"I felt so guilty for suspecting my neighbour. The next day, I baked him cookies and explained everything. He laughed so hard he nearly cried. Now, he brings the dog food whenever he sees it around."

As you'd expect, the story has gone down a storm online, with dozens of people having commented on the post. Some were left in utter disbelief as to what happened.

One person replied, joking: "Plot twist, the neighbour has been teaching stray dogs how to steal packages all over the neighborhood." Another added: "My cat steals my packages from wherever they get placed in the house and drags them under my bed."

A third noted: "You should adopt the dog and get it some toys and enjoy its company." Meanwhile, others didn't believe the story, as they thought it was a little too good to be true.

One person questioned how the pooch is still around if he was picked up by animal control, and the man who told the initial story offered a response. To this, he replied: "Good question.

"Animal control didn’t keep him, they just checked him out, made sure he wasn’t injured or aggressive and then released him since he didn’t have an owner. He still roams the neighbourhood sometimes, but now everyone looks out for him and keeps their packages way higher up."

When someone asked why anyone, or the neighbour, didn't notice the dog before, an explanation was also given as to why he may have been missed.

It's alleged the dog was "super sneaky", and would often visit when no one was paying attention. Sometimes, people simply don't know what's going on around them.

Whatever your take is on the adorable tale, it's put a smile on people's faces either way. Now and then, you just need a good dog story to cheer you up.