After 8 Years, Dog Brothers from SPCA Reunite in WNY

The SPCA Serving Erie County help animals find "furever" love every day, but it’s never happened quite like this.

Back in November of 2013, a former shelter in Tonawanda placed two brother Australian Shepherd puppies up for adoption on the same day after arriving via transport, but the dogs were adopted at different times.

Randy was adopted at 12:38 pm, and his brother Travis was adopted less than a half hour later.

The two dogs have been separated for eight years, but that changed with one unexpected reunion at Mischler’s Florist and Greenhouses in Williamsville. 

Mark Yadon, the vice president of Mischler’s, usually brings his dog, Foster, to work with him each day. Foster acts as a greeter for customers who come by to do their shopping, but he normally returns to Yadon’s side rather quickly.

However, Foster did not quickly return to Yadon’s side after greeting one customer, Patrick Baird of Tonawanda. According to the SPCA, “Foster simply would not leave the man’s side and kept sniffing his ankle and leg.”

Yadon walked towards Baird to apologize for Foster. Baird said that Foster was a lot like his dog, and maybe Yadon’s dog could smell Baird’s dog on him.

It turns out -- Foster did smell another dog on the customer, but the two pet owners had no idea that Baird’s dog was actually Foster’s brother whom he had not seen in eight years.

Yadon and Baird finally figured out that their dogs were related when the two of them shared each other’s adoption story. Baird and his wife, Cheryl, adopted their Australian Shepherd pup, Luke, from the SPCA Serving Erie County approximately eight years prior. Their dog, Luke, was just a puppy on the day of the adoption, having only been transported to the shelter earlier that day. 

Baird’s adoption story was surprisingly similar to Yadon’s. Like Baird, Yadon had adopted his Australian Shepherd mix, Foster, from the SPCA Serving Erie County around the same time, and Foster had also been transported to the shelter the same day as he was adopted.

According to SPCA, Foster’s original name was “Randy,” and Luke’s original name was “Travis.”

Since Foster could smell his brother Luke on him, Baird thought the two dogs deserved an in-person (or, “in-dog”?) reunion. He returned to Mischler’s the following week with Luke, and the two dogs were able to enjoy a happy family reunion, all thanks to Foster’s amazing nose!