Admit it, if you saw a person who looked exactly like you, you’d at least walk up to them to say ‘hi.’ So when Bethany Coleman took her dog, Rogue, for a walk and they noticed a pup that looked identical to the one she had on a ʟᴇᴀsʜ, naturally, they introduced themselves.
Bethany Coleman had no intention of adopting another dog. Already caring for a young ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ dog named Rogue and two senior cats at home, she and her boyfriend Tyson had their hands full. Coleman said: “Tyson had mentioned getting another dog and I was like, ‘no way.’ We were renting an apartment in Beacon Hill and already had two cats and one dog. If we moved, I kept saying no one in their right mind would rent a place to two humans, two cats and two dogs.”
ntervened in October 2016, when Coleman took Rogue on a walk to the local farmers’ market. It wasn’t the produce that caught Coleman and Rogue’s eye that day — but another dog, seemingly the mirror image of Rogue. Coleman said: “Beast was a total oops baby! Another local shelter had a bunch of dogs there for adoption and one just happened to look just like Rogue. I remember calling Tyson saying, ‘I found a dog I wanna ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇ.’”
At the time, Bethany wasn’t really thinking about getting another pet. But she couldn’t help it. She added: “I just instantly fell in love with him! He was Rogue’s twin! They also got along and immediately started playing with one another. So right then and there I started filling out the paperwork. I even have the first picture ever of him when he was at the market.” Coleman decided right then and there that the 8-month-old puppy, now named Beast, belonged with them. And Rogue seemed pretty convinced that the two were twins separated at ʙɪʀᴛʜ. Coleman explained: “Rogue and I had love at first sight with him. He looked just like Rogue, same size (at that time), same coat … they are both cairn [terrier] mixes. We get asked all the time if they’re brother and sister.”
But once Beast officially joined the family, Rogue began to miss her days as an only child. Coleman said: “We’d get Beast and Rogue the same exact toys at first but she would only want whatever Beast had and would always take it from him.” The two had their share of sibling spats, but quickly grew to be the best of friends and true partners in ᴄʀɪᴍᴇ.
And though Beast is now double Rogue’s size, he still thinks they’re twins. Coleman said: “He thinks he’s tiny like Rogue is, but he’s not and he can’t understand why he can’t do the things that she does. He’s just a big lovable goober and definitely a mama’s boy. He’ll step on Tyson and on the cats just to get to me if I’m on the couch or bed.”
Rogue’s ʙʀᴀɪɴs and energy are perfectly complimented by Beast’s lovable, lumbering nature. Coleman added: “Beast is the big baby and my cuddlebug who competes with the cats for lap space. Rogue was super hyper when she was an only dog but has definitely mellowed out now that she’s got a boyfriend.”
Now living in Hawaii, the little family has become even more close-knit, and the transition has been trouble-free. The dogs had to go into ᴍᴀɴᴅᴀᴛᴏʀʏ ǫᴜᴀʀᴀɴᴛɪɴᴇ when they arrived in the state, and Coleman feared they would forget all about her, but when they were finally reunited it was like no time had passed. Coleman said: “Our adventure across the country together proved this little family will always be together. [We] will always appreciate each day for the unconditional love they give us and we can’t wait for the next adventure. I jokingly say we’re starting our [own] little Noah’s ark. Two humans, two cats and two dogs.”
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