The brother and sister dog reunion is only a leash tug away
February 14, 2018 1:04 PM Subscribe
Last week, two almost-identical dogs crossed each other's paths at Pike Place Market in Seattle and were overjoyed. The dog's owners soon discovered, to their amazement, that the dogs were littermates and had come over to Seattle together ... from Russia! (original Facebook video of reunion)
I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist here, but I do wonder why they were brought over from Russia when there are far too many dogs at shelters here waiting to be adopted...
posted by Melismata at 1:11 PM on February 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 1:11 PM on February 14, 2018 [12 favorites]
Melismata, Seattle is a weird place to adopt a dog. We have almost 100% compliance in terms of spaying and neutering, so most adoptable dogs here are actually shipped in from elsewhere. Mostly eastern Washington and the US South (Georgia is common), but international adoptees are not uncommon. My dog happens to be from Mexico (he kinda fell in my lap) and one day I was at the dog park with dogs from Pakistan, Korea, and Florida.
posted by lunasol at 1:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by lunasol at 1:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [38 favorites]
Also, my dog and I are really lucky that he was brought from Mexico with his sister, and they get to play together all the time. They really know each other, and love each other like family. It's a special thing.
posted by lunasol at 1:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by lunasol at 1:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [5 favorites]
I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist here, but I do wonder why they were brought over from Russia
Они хорошие собаки, Брент.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:27 PM on February 14, 2018 [49 favorites]
Они хорошие собаки, Брент.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:27 PM on February 14, 2018 [49 favorites]
(No, but seriously I agree. Breeding dogs in general is kind of fucked up, but to import breeder dogs across international borders, at least when it's not like some unique regional breed is ???)
posted by tobascodagama at 1:30 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by tobascodagama at 1:30 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
(There is apparently this thing where Turkey has a surfeit of golden retrievers after there was a big craze for them; wonder if something similar has happened in Russia? Or is Russia just breeding more of them and you can get them faster/cheaper than in the U.S.?)
posted by little cow make small moo at 1:33 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by little cow make small moo at 1:33 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
OMG who cares why they came over on a plane? It's pure sibling doggy joy on display! Fewer beans, more dog joy!!
posted by mudpuppie at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
posted by mudpuppie at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2018 [45 favorites]
I volunteer myself as tribute for the kind of hardheaded investigative reporting that only be done by finding these good dogs and petting them..
posted by corb at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by corb at 1:34 PM on February 14, 2018 [37 favorites]
(There is apparently this thing where Turkey has a surfeit of golden retrievers after there was a big craze for them; wonder if something similar has happened in Russia? Or is Russia just breeding more of them and you can get them faster/cheaper than in the U.S.?)
It's even possible these goldens are actually from Turkey and part of this program, it's just that the last flight to bring them to the US was from Russia, a fact which got lost somewhere along the way.
posted by Four Ds at 1:39 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's even possible these goldens are actually from Turkey and part of this program, it's just that the last flight to bring them to the US was from Russia, a fact which got lost somewhere along the way.
posted by Four Ds at 1:39 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
22/10.
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:40 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 1:40 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
I don't mean to be a conspiracy theorist here, but I do wonder why they were brought over from Russia when there are far too many dogs at shelters here waiting to be adopted...
posted by Melismata at 4:11 PM on February 14
They're good dogs, Molismoto.
posted by ZaphodB at 1:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 4:11 PM on February 14
They're good dogs, Molismoto.
posted by ZaphodB at 1:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [29 favorites]
They’re good adoptees, Brent.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
Memejinx!
I totally counted to 10 so you owe me a coke.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:50 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
I totally counted to 10 so you owe me a coke.
posted by Celsius1414 at 1:50 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Punchmeme no punch back!
posted by ZaphodB at 2:02 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by ZaphodB at 2:02 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
We have almost 100% compliance in terms of spaying and neutering, so most adoptable dogs here are actually shipped in from elsewhere.
The same is true for cats in Seattle, evidently. We were trying to adopt a cat from a shelter about a year ago and heard from multiple facilities that we would have to wait until their next shipment from out of state came in. Something else we found out -- there's such a thing as a kitten season, and we were definitely not in it at the time. Who knew it would be so hard to adopt a cat?
posted by ga$money at 2:14 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
The same is true for cats in Seattle, evidently. We were trying to adopt a cat from a shelter about a year ago and heard from multiple facilities that we would have to wait until their next shipment from out of state came in. Something else we found out -- there's such a thing as a kitten season, and we were definitely not in it at the time. Who knew it would be so hard to adopt a cat?
posted by ga$money at 2:14 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
heard from multiple facilities that we would have to wait until their next shipment from out of state came in.
You’ve got to go down to the docks and pick one fresh off the boat. There’s nothing worse than having to pick through a bunch of bruised kittens at Trader Joe’s.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [42 favorites]
You’ve got to go down to the docks and pick one fresh off the boat. There’s nothing worse than having to pick through a bunch of bruised kittens at Trader Joe’s.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [42 favorites]
Wow, that's just great. One has to wonder: If they were cats, would they even acknowledge one another?
posted by DrAstroZoom at 2:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by DrAstroZoom at 2:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Having reunited my cat with her littermate, they would slink around the house after one another, hissing constantly.
posted by maryr at 2:26 PM on February 14, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by maryr at 2:26 PM on February 14, 2018 [35 favorites]
I’ve had several roommates over the years just like that.
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:31 PM on February 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:31 PM on February 14, 2018 [13 favorites]
There’s nothing worse than having to pick through a bunch of bruised kittens at Trader Joe’s
dude
posted by wires at 2:36 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
dude
posted by wires at 2:36 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is sweet. My dog has a brother who looks just like him. We almost didn't look at him because we thought we would have to take both. Turned out they didn't get along and had to be adopted separately. The brother was a "diamond dog" — one that had personality problems and needed special training. We worried that he might not have made it.
A year after we got my dog, the Humane Society posted a picture of him (he lost half his body weight, as he was very overweight when we got him) and his brother's owner popped on. He had also lost weight, was doing well, and had owners who loved him.
We did not keep in touch, though. They were as heavy as they were from a sort of benign neglect, where food was just left out, and as a result they had an enormously competitive, jealous relationship. My dog used to take toys and run into the other room, certain they would be stolen from him. He gobbles food in a frenzy, terrified somebody will take it, and used to get quite hostile if anyone got close.
He's missing an eye and has scars on his head, and we think it might be from fights with his brother. He used to be very frightened and defensive around other dogs, which he is still growing out of.
So they won't meet again, out of fear that they would just fight each other. I guess some siblings get along and others don't, but I feel bad about it.
posted by maxsparber at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
A year after we got my dog, the Humane Society posted a picture of him (he lost half his body weight, as he was very overweight when we got him) and his brother's owner popped on. He had also lost weight, was doing well, and had owners who loved him.
We did not keep in touch, though. They were as heavy as they were from a sort of benign neglect, where food was just left out, and as a result they had an enormously competitive, jealous relationship. My dog used to take toys and run into the other room, certain they would be stolen from him. He gobbles food in a frenzy, terrified somebody will take it, and used to get quite hostile if anyone got close.
He's missing an eye and has scars on his head, and we think it might be from fights with his brother. He used to be very frightened and defensive around other dogs, which he is still growing out of.
So they won't meet again, out of fear that they would just fight each other. I guess some siblings get along and others don't, but I feel bad about it.
posted by maxsparber at 2:41 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
Very often a stray population is dominated by breeds that not everyone can adopt. Here in NYC, it's mostly pits and a few chis at the ACC. I love pitties to death, but a lot of landlords and insurance companies won't permit them, and they're not the right match for every owner anyway. So "importing" rescue dogs only minimally displaces local dogs.
posted by praemunire at 2:47 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 2:47 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
The same is true for cats in Seattle, evidently. We were trying to adopt a cat from a shelter about a year ago and heard from multiple facilities that we would have to wait until their next shipment from out of state came in. Something else we found out -- there's such a thing as a kitten season, and we were definitely not in it at the time. Who knew it would be so hard to adopt a cat?
We had trouble adopting a cat as well. First time we went to the shelter they were clean out of cats! And when we went back the day they got a new "shipment" in from southern California, half of them gone by the time we got there. It felt very weird.
My friend had a really hard time adopting a dog. She wanted one that she could run with (which she does at least daily), but who wasn't on the long list of breeds her apartment building banned, and was from a shelter that would adopt a non-tiny dog to someone without a yard (lots of them wouldn't).
In conclusion, adopting animals around here is weird.
posted by quaking fajita at 3:03 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
We had trouble adopting a cat as well. First time we went to the shelter they were clean out of cats! And when we went back the day they got a new "shipment" in from southern California, half of them gone by the time we got there. It felt very weird.
My friend had a really hard time adopting a dog. She wanted one that she could run with (which she does at least daily), but who wasn't on the long list of breeds her apartment building banned, and was from a shelter that would adopt a non-tiny dog to someone without a yard (lots of them wouldn't).
In conclusion, adopting animals around here is weird.
posted by quaking fajita at 3:03 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
If Seattle area people ever need to adopt some cats, let me know, I've got the hookups with a lady who runs a small rescue that I recently fostered some cats for. For instance, right now she's trying to find homes/fosters for a set of four adult cats whose owner just died in hospice.
posted by foxfirefey at 3:14 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by foxfirefey at 3:14 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
Getting a dog in Seattle is bananas.
I wanted a young, medium sized dog.
I was on multiple rescue waitlists for 4 months before I got a call to have a phone interview, then filled out a 10 page form (with three dog-owning references!), then had a meeting with the dog and a representative from the shelter, then had a home visit to confirm I did have a fenced yard. This process took about three weeks and I think I ended up paying $500 (which is totally reasonable considering the costs of shots and neutering and a chip)
During my waitlisting time, I would go to the pound by my work twice a week. Never found a non-aggressive, non-ill dog, young dog.
tl;dr: people here fucking love dogs and we don't have enough of them.
posted by lattiboy at 3:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
I wanted a young, medium sized dog.
I was on multiple rescue waitlists for 4 months before I got a call to have a phone interview, then filled out a 10 page form (with three dog-owning references!), then had a meeting with the dog and a representative from the shelter, then had a home visit to confirm I did have a fenced yard. This process took about three weeks and I think I ended up paying $500 (which is totally reasonable considering the costs of shots and neutering and a chip)
During my waitlisting time, I would go to the pound by my work twice a week. Never found a non-aggressive, non-ill dog, young dog.
tl;dr: people here fucking love dogs and we don't have enough of them.
posted by lattiboy at 3:21 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
So, what you're saying is, this was a meeting that actually turned out to be about Russian adoption.
posted by The Bellman at 3:23 PM on February 14, 2018 [72 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 3:23 PM on February 14, 2018 [72 favorites]
Ex-Soviet block countries are a go-to place for certain breeds. At our lab, we work with Belgian Malinois (they are trained to sniff out tree diseases) and they're all from Eastern Europe. They are good work dogs, but they would be terrible pets, because they aren't very socialized and are thin and anxious. I would hate to see the kennel they come from.
We give them a lot of love, though.
posted by acrasis at 4:04 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
We give them a lot of love, though.
posted by acrasis at 4:04 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
> Very often a stray population is dominated by breeds that not everyone can adopt. Here in NYC, it's mostly pits
Same in the Seattle area. Right now there are eight dogs on the King County shelter's page, and seven of them are pit bulls. PAWS is a bit more diverse.
And then there's Barry Willis, a Catahoula Leopard. What?
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:37 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Same in the Seattle area. Right now there are eight dogs on the King County shelter's page, and seven of them are pit bulls. PAWS is a bit more diverse.
And then there's Barry Willis, a Catahoula Leopard. What?
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:37 PM on February 14, 2018 [1 favorite]
Breed bans make me so sad.
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 4:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by I'm Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today! at 4:49 PM on February 14, 2018 [3 favorites]
There’s nothing worse than having to pick through a bunch of bruised kittens at Trader Joe’s
Wtf bro that is a shit thing to make a joke out of
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:07 PM on February 14, 2018
Wtf bro that is a shit thing to make a joke out of
posted by Hermione Granger at 5:07 PM on February 14, 2018
While I don't have the science to prove it, my personal experience tells me that all animals have deep emotional connections. To other animals, to humans, and sometimes to inanimate objects. Maybe love is really universal.
posted by mumimor at 5:18 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 5:18 PM on February 14, 2018 [9 favorites]
I saw something online recently about a mama dog who re-found one of her pups, and she was so excited to see him. That and this just make me sad thinking about all these dog families that we humans have broken up over the years. Who are we to split up these pack animals from their pack. :(
posted by hydra77 at 5:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by hydra77 at 5:22 PM on February 14, 2018 [10 favorites]
And then there's Barry Willis, a Catahoula Leopard. What?
I love his expression.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:16 PM on February 14, 2018
I love his expression.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:16 PM on February 14, 2018
Barry Willis is adorable!
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 6:34 PM on February 14, 2018
posted by SpaceWarp13 at 6:34 PM on February 14, 2018
Similar thing happened to me. I'm in Toronto and adopted a dog from Montreal who was coming here because she had heartworm and needed treatment. She'd had at least one litter of pups who remained in Montreal. One woman adopted two of her litter and 5 years later moved to Toronto and the dogs reunited by accident in the local park where they all now walk every morning.
posted by dobbs at 6:58 PM on February 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 6:58 PM on February 14, 2018 [7 favorites]
We picked up our current feline overlords from PAWS about a year and a half ago. One was from Texas, and the other from Bremerton, just across the water.
Mrs. Calamari volunteered for them many moons ago. There's a great network now where they get the animals to where there are people who want to love them.
posted by calamari kid at 7:04 PM on February 14, 2018
Mrs. Calamari volunteered for them many moons ago. There's a great network now where they get the animals to where there are people who want to love them.
posted by calamari kid at 7:04 PM on February 14, 2018
We adopted a pit mix this summer, and a couple months later we found out our dog's brother was adopted by a family that lived a few blocks away from us. We got the dogs together, but because they were ridiculous 16-week-old pups who were enthusiastic about meeting an empty soda can or an interesting pile of leaves, it was impossible to judge if there was any recognition.
posted by chaoticgood at 7:12 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by chaoticgood at 7:12 PM on February 14, 2018 [6 favorites]
Seconding lattiboy's comment about the wild process of adopting a dog around Seattle...when we adopted our dog we looked through several shelters and rescue groups and some of them practically demanded to meet your whole extended family. Most of them did require a home visit and like, an essay about why you wanted a dog. Seattle, man.
Our dog ended up being one of a litter of 13(!) that her mom had had after she was rescued. Every time I see a dog that looks like her on the street I think Surely, a relative? but so far she has not shown great enthusiasm about meeting any of these dogs so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by clavier at 7:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Our dog ended up being one of a litter of 13(!) that her mom had had after she was rescued. Every time I see a dog that looks like her on the street I think Surely, a relative? but so far she has not shown great enthusiasm about meeting any of these dogs so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by clavier at 7:16 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you have small children it is next to impossible to adopt a dog in Seattle.
posted by Sprocket at 8:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Sprocket at 8:17 PM on February 14, 2018 [2 favorites]
Wtf bro that is a shit thing to make a joke out of
“Bruised” like bananas and avocados. Trader Joe’s stock people do a terrible job of stacking the kittens in their display case. Not bruised like — oh, never mind...
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:07 PM on February 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
“Bruised” like bananas and avocados. Trader Joe’s stock people do a terrible job of stacking the kittens in their display case. Not bruised like — oh, never mind...
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:07 PM on February 14, 2018 [19 favorites]
The bestest dog I ever knew was a greyhound/pit bull cross; the most sensitive, intelligent, and gentlest creature you could hope to meet. RIP Ginger, you were the finest, the greatest, the world's best dog. And now I will cry a little. And see if my cat wants some scritching...
posted by jokeefe at 9:38 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by jokeefe at 9:38 PM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
I needed a heartwarming dog story today, and just in time for the Year of the Dog! 🐕
posted by honey badger at 7:27 AM on February 15, 2018
posted by honey badger at 7:27 AM on February 15, 2018
This is my little street dog, Remy, graduating from obedience class. This is another dog, graduating from the same school's obedience class a few weeks later. I was really struck by the resemblance and have wondered if Remy has a sibling out there.
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:09 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Squeak Attack at 9:09 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
> If you have small children it is next to impossible to adopt a dog in Seattle
Cats, too. My cats were from a terrible shelter in Seattle, and the woman working there quizzed and quizzed Mr Corpse when he went to pick them up -- as if it were better for the cats to be living in cramped cages with insufficient medical care (they needed over $1,000 of treatment within their first few weeks of living with us).
(We didn't plan on getting them from a terrible shelter. Mr Corpse happened to stop in there during a time we'd decided we were in need of a new cat and this happened and so it was clear she was coming home with him.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:27 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Cats, too. My cats were from a terrible shelter in Seattle, and the woman working there quizzed and quizzed Mr Corpse when he went to pick them up -- as if it were better for the cats to be living in cramped cages with insufficient medical care (they needed over $1,000 of treatment within their first few weeks of living with us).
(We didn't plan on getting them from a terrible shelter. Mr Corpse happened to stop in there during a time we'd decided we were in need of a new cat and this happened and so it was clear she was coming home with him.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:27 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think this is the only good thing I've seen on the internet today. So, thanks for the little lift.
posted by alleycat01 at 12:27 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by alleycat01 at 12:27 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
When I was younger and used to do casual work as a PA / B-roll camera guy, the best thing I ever got to cover was a "puppy reunion". Some notable lady had a Golden which had a litter of puppies, all of which had been adopted out to various people at the usual 10-12 weeks or whatever. About six months later they got all of them together at somebody's house with a big fenced yard, and just let them spaz out for the afternoon. They formed one giant pack and went around the yard at high speed, gradually transforming everything into mud and then covering themselves in it and generally doing Dog Things.
It was absolutely as great as you think it might be.
For the record, I am against the breeding of dogs as an industry or even a hobby, and I don't doubt most of those dogs came to a sad and premature end, because that's what happens to purebreds. But... it was a hell of a nice day.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:54 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
It was absolutely as great as you think it might be.
For the record, I am against the breeding of dogs as an industry or even a hobby, and I don't doubt most of those dogs came to a sad and premature end, because that's what happens to purebreds. But... it was a hell of a nice day.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:54 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
A friend up in the Seattle area owns a fairly large ranch and their ranch dogs are getting very old. They had to go to the shelter and wait in line at 4:30 a.m. to get two new puppies that were shipped in from somewhere in the South. Let me tell you, from the videos, those puppies are giving new life to the older doggos and they are freaking adorable. Go Seattle on your responsible dog having!
posted by Sophie1 at 7:27 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by Sophie1 at 7:27 AM on February 16, 2018
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