'I realized the universe wanted me to have this dog': A flea-covered street rescue in Texas turned out to be a purebred and the perfect forever companion for this furmily

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Sarah Brown • Writer and Editor
Jan 28, 2026 3:00 PM EST

Everyone thought he was just another scruffy stray, until the DNA test said otherwise.

Bingo was found wandering the streets in July 2025, in rough shape. Dirty, matted, shaved down to deal with fleas, no microchip, no one looking for him. He didn't look like a "fancy" dog then, just a dog who clearly hadn't been cared for in a while. When the chance came to foster him, it was supposed to be temporary. That idea didn't last long. After years without a dog, it was obvious this one wasn't going anywhere.

No one could quite place his breed. The guesses were all over the map, mostly small terrier mixes, and it didn't really matter. He fit. Still, curiosity lingered, especially once he cleaned up and that polished little personality started to show. So a DNA test happened over the holidays, mostly for fun.

The results were not what anyone expected. Bingo turned out to be over 92% Biewer Terrier, with a bit of Shih Tzu mixed in. A nearly purebred dog, from a breed his family had never even heard of, had somehow ended up living on the street in Texas. According to the test, his closest relatives were in Canada and Ukraine, which only deepened the mystery.

There may never be answers about where Bingo came from or how he got lost. What's clear is that he didn't end up where he did by accident. He landed exactly where he was supposed to, and now he's home.

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  • 01
    Bingo came to us in July 2025 from a friend who found him wandering the streets-dirty, matted, ungroomed and covered head to toe in fleas. She scooped him up and unsuccessfully
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    Cheezburger Image 10600988672
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    Cheezburger Image 10600991232
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    searched around for his owner. No chip. I happened to meeting her that same evening and she asked if I'd like to meet the dog she found. I said sure! It was love
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    Cheezburger Image 10600989184
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    Cheezburger Image 10600989696
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    at first sight She couldn't keep him bc she already has 3 dogs in a small condo, so I agreed to "foster" him to see if he would be a good match for our family. Who was I kidding?! After 7 years
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    Cheezburger Image 10600989952
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    without a dog, I realized the universe wanted me to have THIS dog. We had no idea what breed he was, and the vet told us some kind Yorkie mix, or some kind of jack Russell mix (at the time he
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    was shaved down to help rid him of the fleas) I finally did the DNA test over Christmas bc I was so curious. He seemed like such a fancy dog!
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    Lo and behold he was 92.7% Biewer Terrier, and 7.3% Shih Tzu. Wow! Not what I expected at all. I hadn't even heard of this breed before.
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    Now I'm even more curious about his backstory. I wonder if someone paid good money for him and he got lost? I searched the internet for posts. Put his
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    picture into ChatGPT, but came up with nothing. According to Embark, his closest relatives live in Canada and the Ukraine. I live in TEXAS!
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    It's wild that such a beautiful and sweet animal was living on the streets, for what seemed like quite a while! I feel so lucky because he really is the perfect companion and feels like he was meant to be part of the family
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    I will include photos of when he was found, after a bath, (amateur) haircut, and currently.
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    One exceptional dog 100% Bingo I'm Embarked! 92.7% Biewer Terrier 7.3% Shih Tzu
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    PongACong wow i was totally expecting havanese but a biewer! how unexpected. love all of his haircuts lol
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  • Every haircut somehow turns him into a completely different dog. One trim and he’s a scruffy little street pup, the next he looks like a fancy show dog. It’s wild how much his look changes depending on the cut. He’s basically a tiny shapeshifter, keeping everyone guessing which version of him is going to show up next.

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    blamemeldidntdoit He's so pretty, so glad you found him! Similar thing happened to me. My dog. was found matted, stuck to some underbrush by a very rural highway. He had heartworm, lime disease and
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    ear infections. The rescue listed him as an Irish Water Spaniel, but I was sure he was a cocker spaniel mix. He turned out to be 95.5% American Cocker Spaniel, and 4.5% English Cocker Spaniel.
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    Fireflyinsummer Gorgeous fellow
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    MtnGirl672 What a happy and cute dog! He hit the jackpot with your friend and you! What a little love.
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  • Looks like the Dog Distribution System was doing its job perfectly here. Out of all the places he could’ve ended up, he landed exactly where he belonged. The timing, the connection, and the way he fits right in make it feel meant to be. Sometimes the system just knows who needs who, and this is a perfect example of that.

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    Klutche What a beautiful dog
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    Marychocolatefairy What a handsome boy! My parents adopted a dog from a rescue- he'd been caught while hiding under a car in a parking lot. He was obviously at least mostly yorkie, and it turned out from his DNA test that he was 100%. We did look online to see if anyone was missing him, but I just found pics from earlier in his stray career.
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    LuckyPepper22 He's precious! has soulful eyes ♥. He
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    Cuteme87 I can honestly say I have never heard of a Biewer Terrier until now! So cute!!
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    Both-Mountain-5... What a cutie and fantastic story! Congratulations on having such amazing luck finding that lovie!
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    Irma_Gard Fascinating to see how different this cutie looks with a short haircut. I wouldn't have guessed it was the same dog. Also very curious about his backstory.
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    Kratzschutz Amazing story, makes me wonder how he got to Texas just to find you
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  • However long his journey was, it clearly led him exactly where he needed to be. It’s hard not to think it all worked out the way it was supposed to, even if the path there was messy and confusing. Somehow he made it all the way to Texas just to find the home he was meant for, the people who would love him, care for him, and never let him wander again. Sometimes the longest journeys have the happiest endings.

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    janesmith111199 Adorable!! Thank you for rescuing! People would be shocked at how frequently purebred (or close to) are available at shelters/rescues
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    justjokay Wow what a glow up!! Love his shaggy coat and its coloration!
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