Jack Set to Reunite with His Brother Ross

In major, breaking news, it turns out my dog Jack has a twin brother! My 2 year-old Clifford the Big Red Dog look-alike with the spotted face, small ears, and black tongue is set to reunite with his long lost twin brother, Ross. Last weekend Jack and I attended the Encinitas Health Pet Expo where we were stopped by two incredibly sweet women, Mary McCarthy and Elaine Godzak who are very devoted volunteers at the San Diego animal rescue group SPOT – Saving Pets One at a Time. For Elaine Godack, when she is not devoting her time to the Oceanside based pet rescue group, she and her husband enjoy their time with their dog Ross, a canine who she has me convinced is Jack’s long lost brother.

Now normally I am not one to make a big deal about look alike dogs as members of many breeds can distinctly resemble one another; however, Jack has always been one of a kind. People are constantly telling me what a handsome dog he is and what an interesting appearance he has, and asking about his breed. You can imagine how exciting it was for me to meet someone with a dog who looks just like him to a T! 🙂

Ever since I first adopted Jack back in 2011 people everywhere always communicate one of two statements to me:

1) “What kind of dog is he because I want one?” or 2) “He is so handsome.”

While I can always respond to the second statement with a gracious “thank you”, I never know how to respond to the first statement.When I rescued him from the Escondido Humane Society back in 2011 even the staff could not tell me his breed. For two years my response to that question has been, “I don’t know what do you think?”. The majority of the responses are either a lab mix because of how he acts very goofy and baby-like behavior and his love of swimming, Rhodesian Ridgeback because his coloring, and of course Chow because of his spotted black tongue.

Well, last week all my questions about Jack were answered! Unfortunately, her Ross was not at the expo that day, but it was through photographs in her phone that she convinced me Jack had a twin brother. Other than the white patch of fur on Ross’ chest, he is a spitting image of Jack. Here are the results from Ross’ DNA test that have me convinced Ross is Jack’s brother and they are in fact the same breed:

That being said I have an answer to all the questions I get about Jack. Jack is Dachshund and Rottweiler cross-mixed with a Jindo. Take a look at the pictures below and try to tell me they are not brothers. Jack is pictured on the left side and Ross on the right. You be the judge:

DO YOU NOT SEE THE RESEMBLANCE? Yes they ARE brothers RIGHT???! 😉

So later today, Jack and his long lost brother are set to reunite for the first time at Ann D. L’Heureux Dog Park. We wonder if Jack and Ross will be able to recognize each other’s scent from the past. Will they have an idea that they are similar in a way not just based on physical appearance? We do not know and can’t wait to find out!!!

Elaine also mentioned that she rescued Ross around the same time Jack was rescued two years ago and that he, like Jack, also had knee surgery. Jack had his TPLO Bilateral knee surgery last year.

It was a pleasure meeting Elaine and talking about her admirable rescue organization, SPOT. What makes SPOT so special is their dedication to saving the lives of homeless dogs and cats at high risk of being euthanized here in San Diego. Big kudos to this non-profit rescue, heaven has a nice La-Z-Boy waiting for each of their volunteers! Bless you, SPOT : ) A SPOT fundraiser is set to be held in July and all San Diego animal advocates are highly encouraged to attend and help raise money for this incredibly amazing San Diego rescue. Be sure to support SPOT’s work with a LIKE on the SPOT Organization Facebook page 😉

UPDATE:

The meeting took place Monday, July 10th at Ann D. L’Heureux Dog Park in Carlsbad. Both Jack and Ross were instantly drawn to each other and took a few minutes to sniff each other out, then away they went to play! Below are the unforgettable memories taken from that day: