Family Surprised To Find Out That Adopted Dog Is Their Pet’s Sister

A family who was looking for a dog companion for their visually-impaired pet dog got the surprise of their lives. Their rescue dog Diego didn’t just get a friend, but a sibling, when his owners adopted Dixie.

Jane Salazar and her husband adopted Diego last year.

Curious about what breeds made up Diego, Jane decided to get an Embark dog DNA test for him.

“The test showed that he is mostly pitbull and Australian cattle dog,” Jane told PEOPLE.

However, the test also revealed that Diego he had two copies of premature retinal atrophy. That would mean he would go blind.

A dog ophthalmologist confirmed Diego’s premature retinal atrophy — a genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss. The vet also noted that Diego’s vision had already started diminishing.

The ophthalmologist then suggested getting another dog that could be a supportive and familiar friend to Diego as the one-year-old dog lost his vision.

Jane immediately revisited the rescue websites and found a dog who looked extraordinarily similar to Diego. Not long after, they adopted Dixie.

Jane did the same DNA test for Dixie and it came back with a surprise. The DNA results revealed that Dixie and Diego are related. Embark’s Relative Finder was able to determine that Diego and Dixie are siblings. They were not from the same litter but it’s likely that t he two dogs have the same mother and father.

“Immediately, they played well together. She holds her own, and they play beautifully together,” Jane said.

Though, aside from their appearance, their DNA, and their love for sibling playtime, the two dogs couldn’t be more different, according to their owner.

Jane describes Dixie as energetic and curious while Diego is more aloof and timid. She adds that Dixie is doing a “really good” job being a sister to Diego and has already improved her brother’s life.

After learning so much about her pets from DNA tests, Jane says she hopes her experience encourages other pet owners to get DNA tests for their furry pets.

“It allows up to prepare health-wise,” Jane says of dog DNA testing. “For Diego, who knows how long it would’ve taken us to find out about his vision loss. Without the test, we might’ve just thought he was a weird dog that likes to sit and stare.”

Source: People