When Danielle Geffel received a TikTok message from a follower about a dog at the Maryland SPCA, she didn’t hesitate.
The shelter pup looked exactly like her 13-year-old dog, Barkley — a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen (PBGV) she adopted over a decade ago.
Without wasting a moment, Geffel jumped in her car and headed straight to the shelter.
“There’s a dog there that looks like Barkley,” she said in a TikTok video. “I mean, looks just like Barkley. Like, could be his brother.”
With the shelter over capacity and time ticking, Geffel quickly filled out adoption paperwork and texted her partner, Mike, to prepare for the possibility of bringing home a second dog that very day.
Her excitement was palpable: “What if we had two Barkleys? That’s my dream!”
Just a few hours later, the dream came true. The new dog — named Charlie — was on his way home, where he would soon meet his look-alike big brother after a gentle introduction involving a neighborhood walk and a baby gate.
Charlie’s journey hadn’t been easy. After his previous owners divorced, he was surrendered to the shelter. He arrived emotionally shaken, suffering from severe ear infections, scabs on his skin, and reportedly spent up to 16 hours a day confined to a crate.
“He needs a lot of work and attention,” Geffel shared, “but he has so much love to give, and we’re so excited we get to do this for him.”
This wasn’t Geffel’s first time giving a dog a second chance. Barkley himself was once a stray found by a police officer in Atlanta. He had no microchip, wasn’t neutered, didn’t know any commands, and wasn’t house-trained — but he was full of joy.
“With a lot of patience and training, Barkley became the best thing to happen to us,” Geffel said. “He’s the reason we were ready to rescue again.”
As fate would have it, the second rescue looked like Barkley’s mirror image.
Both pups are the same weight, with lemon-and-white shaggy coats, long bodies, turned-out front paws, and tail-wagging grins. Charlie is slightly taller and has smaller ears, but otherwise, they’re almost impossible to tell apart from behind.
Though Charlie was labeled a wirehaired terrier mix at the shelter, even the vet suspected otherwise: “The first thing out of our veterinarian’s mouth was, ‘He looks like he has PBGV in him,’” Geffel said.
Now about 2 to 3 years old, Charlie may share more than just looks with Barkley — the family plans to run a DNA test to find out if the two are actually related.
In the meantime, the two dogs have become inseparable. Geffel initially worried that energetic Charlie might be too much for arthritic Barkley, but her senior pup surprised her.
“Barkley has come alive again. He wants to run, wrestle, and roughhouse with Charlie,” she said. “They’ve become best friends.”
The bond is already strong — whether they’re chasing birds in the yard, sharing a toy, cuddling, or joining their corgi friend Frankie for playdates. They even have a road trip planned for next week.
Geffel hopes others are inspired to adopt, too.
“To anyone looking to adopt,” she said, “be patient, give yourself and your dog grace — and you will be rewarded.”
To follow Barkley and Charlie’s adventures, check out Danielle Geffel on TikTok.
