The bond between a family and their beloved dog often goes beyond words. For Jillian Reiff, that bond was embodied in Rufus — a tiny Chihuahua–rat terrier mix she and her then-partner adopted nearly a decade ago from the San Francisco SPCA. From the very beginning, Rufus wasn’t just a pet; he was family.

He was there through it all — the sparkling moment of the proposal, the joyous wedding where he even wore a miniature tuxedo, the life-changing discovery of expecting their first child, and the tender years of raising two little kids. “He wasn’t just around; he was part of every memory,” Jillian said. “He was the first ‘person’ to meet my children, and he never left their side. When my husband built the crib for our daughter, Rufus would curl up under it day after day, waiting patiently as if protecting her before she was even born. Once the children arrived, they became his whole world.”

For sixteen wonderful years, Rufus filled their home with loyalty, warmth, and unconditional love. That’s why, when he suddenly passed in April due to gallbladder failure, the loss was shattering. Jillian couldn’t imagine another dog ever stepping into his place. The absence was so deep it felt impossible to heal.

But then came Ziggy.

The very night after Rufus passed, Jillian’s grieving daughter couldn’t sleep. She slipped into her parents’ bed, and together they scrolled through animal rescue pages online — a soothing habit they had often shared. That’s when her daughter whispered, “Mom, look at this dog.”

Jillian froze. The picture on the screen wasn’t just familiar — it was uncanny. “I honestly thought she was flipping through my own camera roll,” Jillian recalled. “The dog looked exactly like Rufus. The tilt of his head, the markings, even his ears sitting at the same angle — it was like staring at him again.”

The dog’s name was Ziggy, and he was being featured by Muttville, a local senior dog rescue. Jillian tried to push the thought aside — the grief was still raw, too soon. But she couldn’t get Ziggy’s photo out of her mind. “I agonized over it for 24 hours. That picture haunted me. Something inside me just knew.”

Within days, Jillian and her children scheduled a meet-and-greet. The moment Ziggy trotted into the room, it was as if Rufus himself had returned. “The adoption coordinator walked in, and it felt like the air sparkled,” Jillian said. “I know it sounds cliché, but it was magical — like a reunion with an old friend who’d been gone too long.”

Ziggy climbed onto Jillian’s daughter’s lap as if he had known her his whole life, and the decision was clear. They adopted him. From the very first moment at their house, Ziggy acted as though he had always belonged there. “He jumped out of the car, ran up the stairs, and settled right in,” Jillian said with wonder. “It wasn’t like bringing home a new dog — it was like welcoming back family.”

Over the next few months, the resemblance between Rufus and Ziggy only grew more undeniable. Their mannerisms mirrored each other so perfectly that Jillian began to wonder if they shared more than just a similar look. She became convinced they might be the same mix of breeds — or perhaps even distant relatives.

Finally, in June, she decided to take the guesswork out of it. She ordered an Embark DNA test, hoping it would reveal whether fate had brought not just a look-alike, but possibly a piece of Rufus himself back into their lives.

Before he wound up in Muttville at the age of approximately 17 years old, Ziggy had originally come from the San Francisco SPCA. He’d been adopted around the same time as Rufus — but dumped a decade later. It was possible he and Rufus had even lived together at one point all those years ago.

“This is this is why I’m such an advocate of rescues and fostering, because if those things didn’t exist, we would not have been given this moment,” Reiff said. “Ziggy would not have made it. He’s an old dog — he’s lumpy and he’s bumpy, and he came to [the rescue] with injuries. He’s not the type of dog that people go for.”
But for the Reiff family, there was never a more perfect dog to help heal the hole in their hearts left by Ziggy’s son. And they’re treasuring every moment they have with him.