Family adopts new dog only to find out its the father of their old one

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A family from San Francisco, mourning the loss of their cherished pet dog, were taken aback when they discovered that their recently acquired puppy wasn’t merely a physical replica; instead, he was a kin.

In the month of April, Jillian Reiff and her spouse welcomed home a new family member named Ziggy, following closely behind the loss of their beloved pet, Rufus, who had been with them for quite some time. This warm embrace happened through Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

Since 2016, Rufus had been part of the family, featuring in their wedding pictures and nestling by Reiff’s abdomen during her pregnancy. The unexpected passing of Rufus at just 16 years old left a void that the family didn’t anticipate would be filled any time quickly.

Couple accidentally adopts their late-pups father

However, upon finding Ziggy on a rescue’s Facebook page, Reiff and her daughter were taken aback by the striking resemblance between him and Rufus. They immediately decided to adopt him, and shortly discovered that Ziggy exhibited the same peculiarities, including sleeping on his back and making “warbling” sounds.

As a passionate enthusiast, I took the plunge to resolve a long-standing argument about Ziggy’s lineage by conducting a DNA test. The moment the findings arrived, I let out a shout that echoed through the room! Embark, the lab handling the test, categorized Rufus as a “genetic match,” indicating a whopping 68% shared DNA.

It came as quite a surprise when a DNA test showed that the two dogs, who were adopted by the same family nine years apart, turned out to be father and son.

— TopMob (@TopMob) July 22, 2025

A few short weeks prior, Ziggy found himself at Muttville as a stray. Interestingly enough, although he and another dog had been adopted nine years apart from different shelters, it was discovered they were actually closely related – a revelation that left Reiff, her family, and the Muttville staff utterly astonished.

Reiff stated that in just three months, it seemed as though he had been with us and our dog Rufus all along. This wasn’t just a satisfying conclusion; it was an utterly unbelievable, mind-blowing twist, like something straight out of a screenplay.

Muttville deemed this reunion as one of the most remarkable ones they’ve ever witnessed. Embark characterized it as “an unlikely DNA discovery that surpassed all expectations.

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2025-07-22 17:18