fur markings

Question
Hi Patti
i have run into a situation.
i relinquished a dog to the SPCA in jan '02.  at the time, my dog was only 9 mos old.
today at work, on the bulletin, someone was posting that they were adopting out a dog, same age, same name, same breed.
i looked at some old pics of my dog that were taken when she was roughly 6-7mos old and checked against the one pic i have of the 6-7 yr old that i believe is the same dog.
my boyfriend believes the fur markings are too different...
my question is - how much can a dog's markings change from the puppy stage to the mid-age adult stage?  an inch long marking on the eyebrow, shrinking to .5 inch, or similar slight changes under the eye...  is that too much or is it POSSIBLE that that is my dog?
Thanks for your consideration!
J

Answer

Hi Jeni,

It's totally possible that the dog you gave up for adoption in 2002 is the same dog your co-worker is not adopting. Especially if you live in an area that only has one animal shelter.

Because the picture you have of the dog was taken when she was around 6 months old, she would have already gotten her adult coat, so she wouldn't have changed too much. Because she still was growing, it's also possible that her markings would look smaller than in your old picture of her.

Though you may be tempted to meet your old dog, keep in mind that she's had at least the one other owner who adopted her after you gave her up. If she's able to bond with her current owner you should let her, and not risk stirring up memories she may have of you. She deserves a wonderful home, and they deserve her love.

Best of luck,

Patti