Grieving Family Adopts New Dog—Then Learns He is Their Late Dog’s Father
Rufus had been a beloved fixture in Gillian Reiff’s family ever since she adopted him from the SPCA in 2016. The rat terrier mix was there for her engagement, her marriage, and the birth of her two children. But when he passed away unexpectedly this past April, he left a huge hole in their lives.
The family wasn’t ready to adopt another dog—until just four days later, when they came across a post on Muttville Senior Dog Rescue’s social media page. The featured dog named Ziggy, looked strikingly similar to Rufus.
Gillian rushed to the shelter to meet him. As she sat with Ziggy, she felt something she couldn’t explain. There was a connection and she adopted him on the spot.
Over the next few days, she began to notice even more similarities between Ziggy and Rufus—their mannerisms, their looks, even the way they approached her children. Curious, she sent in Ziggy’s DNA for testing on a whim and the results left her speechless: Ziggy was Rufus’s biological father.
“I screamed,” Gillian said, still stunned. She believes it was fate. “There is no science I can find to explain this,” Jillian said, “only kismet.” Ziggy seemed destined to find his way to their family all along.