Jane Salazar and her husband are great examples of excellent dog owners. They did not care about the breed they were getting. All these kind people cared about was giving a dog in need a loving home.
The decision to bring Diego, their crossbreed pooch, back home, was almost instant. From the moment they laid eyes on Diego, they felt he was such a special dog in so many ways.
However, the excitement around the new pup in the house was brief. Certain problems emerged and Diego had to be seen by a dog ophthalmologist. Yes, that’s a thing.
What happened to Diego, how did his family figure out a way to help him around the house, and who came as a huge surprise?
You’ll find out down below.
DNA Tests That Do Wonders
When Jane and her husband first brought Diego home, everyone asked them what breed he was. But, the thing was, they had no idea. He was a boy; all pretty, fluffy, and sweet, and that was enough for this couple.
However, they decided to do an Embark DNA test just for fun to see which breeds fell in love to create Diego.
When the results came back, they found out that Diego was half Pitbull and half Australian Cattle Dog. What a surprise!
Still, that wasn’t the only surprise that came. The test revealed that Diego had some health problems that might become huge in the near future.
It turned out that Diego was carrying two copies of premature retinal atrophy, meaning he would go blind sometime in the future. The dog ophthalmologist only confirmed these test results and found that Diego’s vision was getting worse.
And, he was only one year old!
Unfortunately, there was no cure for Diego’s condition. To help him around the house and get used to the fact that he was losing his vision, the doctor suggested that Jane should get him a companion dog; someone to stay by his side whenever his humans couldn’t.
Jane immediately took the task seriously and started finding a companion for Diego.
The search did not last for long. Jane quickly found a dog that turned out to be ideal for Diego. Her name was Dixie, and she came from the same shelter, in Red Bank, Tennessee, where they found Diego.
What blew Jane’s mind was the fact that Dixie looked like a smaller version of Diego. All the puzzle pieces came together.
“Immediately, they played well together. She holds her own, and they play beautifully together,” Jane said.
Since the DNA test undercovered health issues with Diego, the Salazar couple decided to do the same test for Dixie.
The result that came in shocked everyone.
Dixie was Diego’s long-lost sister!
They don’t come from the same litter, but they share the same parents. What are the odds?
Jane thought she was getting her dog a companion, but she was actually reuniting him with his family member. Diego got more than just a friend or his own seeing-eye dog.
Diego got his sister; the best gift he could ever wish for.
Today, Dixie and Diego are still with the Salazars in Tennessee, living their best lives. Although Diego is destined to spend the rest of his life as a visually impaired dog, he will endure it all, thanks to a little help from his accidentally adopted sister.
