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Dogs separated at adoption randomly find each other at crowded market

SEATTLE — A couple strolled through downtown Seattle's iconic, bustling Pike Place Market food stands on a clear winter Saturday when their dog started running through the booths.

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"We noticed a puppy who looked very similar in age and appearance to [our dog] Maui, and once they saw each other they got really excited and started playing together," owner Kaitlyn Hawkins told KIRO 7. "After chatting with the other owners we realized that the dogs are siblings."

The 11-month-old dogs rolled around, embracing each other in their coincidental reunion.

Maui and her sister Juniper were adopted from Russia. They were flow to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last May as puppies.

The two dogs recognizing each other nearly a year later has made them an internet sensation. With more than 15 million visitors exploring the historic district annually, people find the encounter quite remarkable.

A worker at the Pike Place Market captured the moment in a video, and nearly 3 million people have watched it on Facebook.

O.M.G.!!!! I witnessed the coolest thing today! I was at my booth at Pike Place Market and two couples (who didn't know each other) were walking towards each other with identical dogs. Suddenly, the dogs ran towards each other and went totally crazy. I went over to watch because it was so adorable, and as I stood there soaking up the love, the couples figured out that the dogs are siblings and came over on the same plane to be adopted from Russia a year ago! The dogs recognized each other! They even had identifying tattoos that confirmed it. This joyful reunion went on for over a half an hour, in fact they were still at it when I left the market.(I heard the couples exchanging phone numbers, so now they can have play dates, which made me very happy) (p.s. The response to this video has been incredible! Thank you to everyone who has reached out, including reporters, tv stations, blogs, rescues, websites, etc. I was approached by a couple of licensing companies and just signed the licensing rights to the video over to one of them. (I tell ya, this has been crazy!) So for licensing inquiries please contact: licensing@defymedia.com. I love how this story has touched so many people!)

Posted by Pam Corwin on Saturday, February 10, 2018

"I witnessed the coolest thing," the Facebook post said. "They even had identifying tattoos that confirmed it. This joyful reunion went on for over a half an hour, in fact they were still at it when I left the market."

After the two families chatted, they realized they briefly met while picking the dogs up at the airport. They've exchanged phone numbers and plan to meet again soon for a play date at a dog park.