Dog Waiting to Be Adopted for Over a Year Has Exciting Reunion with Sister Pup Thanks to DNA Test

Courtesy of Jessica Jones

Vardis the rescue dog discovered a surprise during his ongoing search for a forever home.

According to Embark, Vardis arrived at Chicago animal rescue One Tail at a Time (OTAT) in September 2021 with a nasty case of pneumonia. The organization and his foster parent helped the pooch recover from his health issues.

While waiting to find an adopter for Vardis, the dog's foster parents decided to get an Embark DNA test for the pooch. The results revealed some interesting information about the canine.

"When Vardis first came to OTAT, his original foster family was curious about his big head, strong muscular body, and friendly personality and decided it would be fun to see what his DNA could tell us," Vardis' current foster mom, Jessica Jones, tells PEOPLE.

"He is 50% golden retriever," Jones says about the DNA test's first surprise. "A lot of people are surprised to learn that because Vardis is anything but golden in color! Although, if the sun hits him just right, I see golden highlights in his fur. In addition to golden retriever, Vardis is 45% American bully, so I like to call him a Golden Bully!"

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The second surprise from the DNA test emerged months later, in September 2022. By this time, Vardis had moved into Jones' foster home.

Thanks to Embark's Relative Finder feature, when an adopted dog named Brunch took to an Embark DNA test months after Vardis, she and her family learned that the female dog was Vardis' sister and littermate.

Courtesy of Jessica Jones

"We were planning his 'Vardiversary Party' to celebrate his one year of being at OTAT. The original foster family received an email from Brunch's adoptive family, who also live in Chicago and were looking to connect and find out more about the relationship. We quickly decided it would be great to get the two together for a play date!" Jones says of how she learned about Vardis' sister.

Jones worked with Brunch's family to arrange a meeting between the canine siblings, eventually scheduling a reunion at her home.

"We decided to start slow, on leashes in the front yard, because both Vardis and Brunch have had varied experiences when meeting other dogs. The initial meeting went very well. Vardis greeted Brunch like he greets his dog friends we see on walks all the time! He was very excited to see her and give her some sniffs!" Jones says.

After the Brunch and Vardis started acting like old friends, their owners removed the pets' leashes and allowed them to "play more freely."

"It was really fun to watch them play. Both Vardis and Brunch have similar play styles," Jones says of the meet-up.

"Vardis was his usually happy self during the meeting. He was super excited, which showed in his happy, wiggly body and wagging tail!" she adds.

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The sibling playdate was an excellent pick-me-up for Vardis, who is still searching for his forever home, despite all his wonderful qualities.

"Vardis is the best boy!" Jones says of the pooch's personality.

"Once he's met you, you are a friend for life, and he will greet you the next time he sees you with a wagging tail and a polite request for belly rubs! Vardis is also incredibly smart and thrives with daily enrichment activities that keep his mind busy and engaged. And best of all, at the end of the day, Vardis enjoys nothing more than snuggling up on the couch with his people; if you let him, he makes the world's best weighted blanket," she adds.

Courtesy of Jessica Jones

Based on her time with Vardis, Jones thinks the dog could "thrive in a lot of different homes."

"What he needs most is someone who will give him time to adjust to his new life and a little structure to his day to keep his busy brain engaged. Vardis has done well meeting older children (12+) and would thrive with the opportunity to interact with many people. Vardis is dog friendly but would probably be happiest as the only dog in the house with a lot of outside dog friends to visit and play with," Jones says.

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Those interested in adopting Vardis can submit an application at One Tail at a Time's website. The dog's fans can keep track of Vardis' adventures on Jones' pet fostering Instagram.

Jones plans to share Brunch's contact info with Vardis' future adopters so the dog siblings can continue their play dates.