KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Two dogs were recently reunited after spending at least two years apart. Their owner, Sarah Troyer, who now lives in Knoxville, said the dogs are related.
Troyer adopted her dog, Arya, from an animal shelter in Memphis two years ago. Arya wasn't usually friendly with other dogs, so Troyer didn't expect to get another. She found Arya in the shelter, where the dog was thin and had patches of missing fur. Despite that, Troyer felt a connection from Arya's picture.
After fostering Arya, she eventually adopted her and moved back to Knoxville. Two years later, while browsing the same shelter's website, she came across Sansa, a dog that looked very similar to Arya.
“I was shocked. I thought, ‘That looks literally just like her,’” Troyer said. After a few days of contemplation, she decided to visit Sansa, bringing Arya along to see if they would get along.
When they met, Troyer noticed a special connection. “I could tell that they knew each other already because they immediately just went right up to each other. There was no growling,” she recalled.
After this heartwarming encounter, Troyer decided to adopt Sansa. From day one, the two dogs cuddled, leading Troyer to conduct a DNA test. The results revealed that they are siblings, sharing 56% of their DNA.
“I still can't believe it. I stumbled upon Arya's sister,” Troyer said, expressing her joy. She feels that Arya will be much happier with Sansa around, providing companionship that she had missed.
Troyer plans to do a dog age test soon to see if they are from the same litter.