diff --git a/src/__tests__/element-queries.js b/src/__tests__/element-queries.js
index d49d62c8..6f1a1f92 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/element-queries.js
+++ b/src/__tests__/element-queries.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import 'jest-dom/extend-expect'
-import {render} from './helpers/test-utils'
+import {render, renderIntoDocument} from './helpers/test-utils'
 import document from './helpers/document'
 
 beforeEach(() => {
@@ -486,19 +486,19 @@ test('test the debug helper prints the dom state here', () => {
         })}
     </div>`
 
-  const {getByText} = render(Large) // render large DOM which exceeds 7000 limit
+  const {getByText} = renderIntoDocument(Large) // render large DOM which exceeds 7000 limit
   expect(() => expect(getByText('not present')).toBeTruthy()).toThrowError()
 
   const Hello = `<div data-testid="debugging" data-otherid="debugging">
         Hello World!
     </div>`
-  const {getByTestId} = render(Hello)
+  const {getByTestId} = renderIntoDocument(Hello)
   process.env.DEBUG_PRINT_LIMIT = 5 // user should see `...`
   expect(() => expect(getByTestId('not present')).toBeTruthy()).toThrowError(
-    /\.\.\./,
+    /\.\.\.$/,
   )
 
-  const {getByLabelText} = render(Hello)
+  const {getByLabelText} = renderIntoDocument(Hello)
   process.env.DEBUG_PRINT_LIMIT = 10000 // user shouldn't see `...`
   expect(() =>
     expect(getByLabelText('not present')).toBeTruthy(/^((?!\.\.\.).)*$/),
diff --git a/src/__tests__/helpers/test-utils.js b/src/__tests__/helpers/test-utils.js
index 46d270d9..9a31e232 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/helpers/test-utils.js
+++ b/src/__tests__/helpers/test-utils.js
@@ -8,4 +8,10 @@ function render(html) {
   return {container, ...containerQueries}
 }
 
-export {render}
+function renderIntoDocument(html) {
+  document.body.innerHTML = html
+  const containerQueries = getQueriesForElement(document)
+  return {container: document, ...containerQueries}
+}
+
+export {render, renderIntoDocument}
diff --git a/src/query-helpers.js b/src/query-helpers.js
index 3f3e7e56..20adc0c4 100644
--- a/src/query-helpers.js
+++ b/src/query-helpers.js
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ function debugDOM(htmlElement) {
     typeof process !== 'undefined' &&
     process.versions !== undefined &&
     process.versions.node !== undefined
-  const window = htmlElement.ownerDocument.defaultView
+  const window =
+    (htmlElement.ownerDocument && htmlElement.ownerDocument.defaultView) ||
+    undefined
   const inCypress = typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.Cypress
   /* istanbul ignore else */
   if (inCypress) {