A 12-year-old dog got a second chance at love after she was adopted by the family who adopted her late littermate. Kathy Vara reports for the NBC4 News at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026.
A senior dog that was surrendered to Pasadena Humane got a second chance at love from the family that adopted her littermate more than 10 years ago.
Fate connected Ginger, a 13-year-old border collie/German shepherd mix, to Vickie Showalter via a Facebook post published by Pasadena Humane. On Aug. 21, 2025, the shelter posted pictures of Ginger taken by a foster parent along with pictures of her as a puppy. The aww-inducing puppy photos included a snapshot of one of Ginger’s siblings, which was none other than Showalter’s late dog, Dakota.
Stream Los Angeles News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.
WATCH HERE“Once I saw the picture of the two puppies together, we went right over,” Showalter said.
The fortuitous post made its way to Showalter’s daughter’s feed, resulting in the family’s immediate recognition of Dakota, who had passed away from cancer the previous year. Almost immediately, Showalter and her daughter raced to Pasadena Humane to adopt Dakota’s sister.
“I have no doubt that when we saw that picture, we knew that that was our Dakota and that this one was that Ginger in the picture,” Showalter said. “We have no doubts; we could even compare the markings.”
Ginger, Dakota, their third sibling and their mother arrived at Pasadena Humane in 2013 and went their separate ways once adopted. Dakota spent 12 loving years with Showalter and her family. Meanwhile, Ginger went to another family before they made the difficult decision to surrender her due to her owner’s ongoing medical complications that made them unable to continue caring for her.
Despite Ginger and Dakota being born in the same litter, they were very different individuals. Dakota was strong-willed and spunky while Ginger has a calmer demeanor.
“Her sister loved playing ball and Ginger doesn’t care at all about balls or toys or anything,” Showalter said. “And her sister was not as accepting of other people; you had to be cautious around her sister. They look alike, but their personalities are very different.”
Losing Dakota to her illness was a heartbreaking loss for the Showalters, but Ginger’s addition to the family has helped them navigate their grief.
“I think my love for Dakota just kind of transferred over and I loved her from the moment I saw her picture,” Showalter said of Ginger. “I’ve always loved border collies and I think she did help. At times, I almost feel like Dakota is coming through her because of the way she’ll look. She just looks up and they have that same look.”
Miraculously coming across her sister and being able to adopt her has been a serendipitous experience for the Showalters.
“I am just thankful that it popped up on my daughter’s computer,” Showalter said. “She’s not sure how come the picture popped up, but somebody wanted her to find us. That’s how I feel, and I feel that she was led to us.”
