Rufus and Ziggy

The year is 2025.

The story actually starts with a rescue dog called Rufus. He was adopted from the San Francisco SPCA nine years previously in 2016.

He was a constant presence in the Reiff family. He was there for the engagement of Jillian and her husband. He was in the photos of their wedding day. He was a comforting presence to their children, Benjamin and Raya, as they progressed from being babies to youngsters; in fact, he was present at every important event that occurred. He had a very distinctive howl, but above all, the entire family was devoted to their pet dog.

Out of curiosity, they took advantage of the wonders of modern science and had a DNA test to establish his heritage and health. It revealed he was a Chihuahua / Rat Terrier cross.

A modern curiosity

This DNA testing appears to be a bit of a craze that throws up some unexpected results. Knowing that an acquaintance of mine had tried the DNA test on herself, I inquired if the results were illuminating and if she had learned anything. Her reply was brief.

“French aristocracy vastly outweighed by drunken Scots and Russian peasants.”

Well, you could argue that the result was certainly illuminating!!

Sad loss

Sadly in April 2025 Rufus passed away suddenly leaving the family bereft, it was estimated that he was approximately 15 years old.

Distraught at losing their beloved pet, the family were not ready for adopting another dog; however, fate would intervene.

Going on social media without intending to look for another dog to adopt, they came across photographs of dogs awaiting adoption at the local Mutville senior dog shelter, and were astonished to see a dog almost identical to their recently departed companion. It was like Rufus reincarnated; it was all there, the markings, the ears. It was uncanny.

Unable to resist their curiosity, they went to the shelter, and in real life, the dog was just as it appeared in the photos, with almost identical markings, ears, and the same pathetic bark. Despite their earlier misgivings about having another pet so soon after losing Rufus, they couldn’t resist taking him home and named him Ziggy.

So the next few weeks were very odd, apart from the physical appearance Ziggy and his predecessor Rufus had almost identical behaviour patterns. This included making the same sounds, greeting the children and pulling their blankets over their heads at bedtime. The whole scene was eerie.

Incredible coincidence

Jillian Reiff decided to do the same for Ziggy as she had done with Rufus and sent off a DNA test. By this stage, Ziggy was reckoned to be 16 or 17 years old

The results were astounding. Imagine this, first of all, the tests showed that the two dogs were related. What odds would you give for that? Two dogs are adopted from different shelters nine years apart, and it is discovered that they are related. If a movie script writer had written this story, it would have been dismissed as just another story of fiction, a fantasy created by an over-imaginative mind; however, it gets even more bizarre.

It transpires that their newly acquired pet, Ziggy, is none other than the biological father of Rufus!!

This particular story became rather special for me when I discovered the dog’s names. Coincidentally, my first dog was named Rufus, and my current companion is called Ziggy.