You may have had some unexpected guests stampede through your home from time to time. But you've likely never had to put up with the bull that one family in Germany was forced to face this weekend.

And no, that's not a euphemism for a common swear word.

The homeowners were in their residence in the city of Aachen, when a bull literally broke down the back door and came rampaging through the house. The animal was part of a herd of 15 that somehow got away from their pens and went on a stroll though a nearby town before handlers could reach them.

The male behaved like the proverbial bull in a china shop, steamrolling through the house and destroying just about anything in its way. "The animal basically did a tour of the hall, the kitchen and the living room before leaving the building," notes police spokesman Paul Kemen.

By the time its short visit was over, it left behind Cdn$15,400 worth of damage and a lot of frayed nerves. Fortunately, those inside weren't hurt as the real life version of Wild Kingdom made an unexpected cameo in their living room.

So how do you get a raging bull out of your home once he comes in? The owner simply ran to the front door and swung it open, and the bull headed for daylight and charged out of the house and back into the street.

This tale does not have a happy ending. Officials were unable to corral the beast and it was eventually shot and killed by a hunter.

There's no word yet on whether the family had insurance or exactly how they'll try to explain all this to what's sure to be a skeptical and wide-eyed adjuster.

File photo