Happy Holidays... and Thanks!

www.HappyDogDNA.com would like to send out a big thank you to all of our new customers this holiday season. Our Christmas gift sales have helped set new sales records as we continue to help our customers learn more about their mixed-breed mutts. We're hoping to receive many emails from our new customers who want to show off their dogs and share their usually incredible stories. Stay tuned.

Happy Holidays!
Happy Dog DNA

Ozzie

My husband and I first saw Ozzie on Halloween at a pet adoption open house. He was four and a half months old and looked like a German Shepherd puppy. The shelter that he and his litter were surrendered to stated he was a Norwegian Elkhound/German Shepherd mix, but the rescue group that took him from the shelter believed that he was a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!

We realized that it had been seven years since our 15 year-old Springer Spaniel went to Rainbow Bridge, and after a lot of careful thought and discussion we decided we were ready to become "dog people" again. We officially adopted Ozzie on November 22 and he is just the craziest, cutest most energetic little dog we've ever seen. From the beginning, he was very sweet with our cats, especially the elderly one who passed away a week after meeting his "puppy brother". Ozzie is pretty fearless, except for when it comes to the noise that the furnace makes and has the nickname "Sock Bandit" because if a sock is left on the floor, it is fair game!

Not knowing his ancestry has actually been kind of fun because everyone who meets him has an opinion on what they believe he is. We got the results yesterday and were really surprised with the findings. They are:

• Level 2 - Scottish Terrier
• Level 4 - Boston Terrier
• Level 4 - Miniature Pinscher
• Level 4 - Poodle
• Level 5 - Akita
• Level 5 - Dachshund

Needless to say, the only one on the list we expected to see was the Dachshund, but the more we read about the other breeds, we can certainly see some of the physical attributes and personality traits in Ozzie.

And for your viewing pleasure…a picture of Ozzie making himself comfortable on the couch on his first day home!

Lisa,
Alexandria, VA

Thank you Lisa! Happy Holidays - watch out for those stockings!

Dalton

DALTON’S STORY

We adopted Dalton from a Rescue Group here in the Heartland. We have always been Beagle owners and had always gotten our pets from a reputable breeder. On August 20th we lost our beloved Beagle Snoopy who was 13 ½ and Madison our 6 year old Beagle was missing her buddy.

We first met Dalton at our local Humane Society’s annual fund raising event. He was only about 11 weeks old at the time, and while he looked like a Beagle in his face, we knew he was not a purebred Beagle. The poor little guy had a rough start in life and we later learned that before he was rescued he had suffered for over 3 weeks with a broken back leg and no medical attention. Thanks to the animal rescue network and Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland he was getting a second chance at finding a new home where he would not be abused or ever have to be afraid.

We were not sure we were ready to get another pet having just gone through the devastating loss of Snoopy, but the more we learned about little Dalton and what he had been through, the more we realized that he needed a safe and loving forever home, and even though he was a “mutt” we decided his home should be with us.

We tried to guess what he was mixed with as he got a little bigger and while we knew he had Beagle in him we thought possibly some Rat Terrier and even suspected Dalmation because of his spots. We took him to our vet and he guessed German Short Hair Pointer due to all the “ticking” and spots. Our curiosity got the best of us and we finally decided to find out for sure what our new little guy was all about.

We got the DNA results back last Friday and while we were not at all surprised by the Beagle and German Shorthaired Pointer, we were totally blown away by the Poodle and Chinese Shar Pei. He has no curls and no wrinkles so we are thinking those breeds are way back in his ancestry somewhere.

• Level 3 – Beagle
• Level 3 – German Shorthaired Pointer
• Level 3 – Poodle
• Level 4 – Chinese Shar-Pei

In any event, we love him and so does Madison as she finally has a little live wire to play with. My husband and I are very happy that we decided to adopt a rescue dog, and encourage anyone who is thinking of getting a pet to consider a shelter or rescue dog. So many of them need homes and they make wonderful pets even though they may not have a pedigree.

Liz
Omaha, NE

Thanks so much for sharing Dalton's touching story and for promoting mixed-breed dogs and for stressing the incredible needs of shelters and rescue groups.

Jake

Jake's results are as follows:

• Level 2: Labrador Retriever
• Level 3: German Shepherd
• Level 4: Rhodesian Ridgeback
• Level 5: Australian Shepherd
• Level 5: Border Collie

We adopted Jake from a shelter when he was a puppy (he is now 12 ) and we were told that he was a mix of German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd and Rottweiler. He has long legs and now I realize that is from the Rhodesian Ridgeback, not Rottweiler! I was surprised at the Retriever as he hates water, but he will “herd” the kids when they are in the pool so that must be his Australian Shepherd and Border Collie.

He has many of the endearing characteristics of the breeds listed in his background. Jake is slower now that he is older, but still enjoys chasing tennis balls and going on walks.

Thanks so much for your service,
Gayle
El Cajon, CA

Thanks very much, Gayle. Jake's a beautiful guy!

HappyDogDNA.com has had exceptional holiday sales. To all our new customers, please send is your dog's photo and story and we'll post them here in our blog.

Happy Holidays!

Snickers

Our Snickers is now 12 years old, and we want to thank you so much for clearing up her background for us. Okay, having Cocker Spaniel in level 2 pretty much floored us (she weighs 60 pounds), but we were expecting the Australian Shepherd (although maybe in a higher percentage). We had been told she was part Rottweiler (which she isn't), probably because of her coloring, but she possibly got that from the Doberman. So, although she has those two breeds in Level 4, it looks like she got some of her attributes from them. It was really fun learning about Snickers, and we will be sending in the DNA sample of our other mixbreed soon!

• Level 2 - Cocker Spaniel
• Level 4 - Australian Shepherd
• Level 4 - Doberman Pinscher
• Level 4 - English Springer Spaniel
• Level 4 - Greyhound
• Level 4 - Mastiff

Sincerely,
Terri and Mark
San Diego, CA

Thanks so much for sending the photo of Snickers and her DNA test results. And thank you for ordering from Happy Dog DNA again. Repeat customers are our best advertising!

Nyah

Nyah's results were:

• Level 2: English Springer Spaniel
• Level 4: Akita & English Setter
• Level 5: German Shepherd, Siberian Husky & Pug!

Yet she resembles a Border Collie more than anything (not in the results!) I adopted her on 9/11/09 when I visited our local Briarcliff SPCA with a cat-food donation. My beloved pug had passed away in June & I had a miserable summer. I went there with no DEFINITE intentions, but I DID completely empty-out the back of my Tahoe (just in case!) She had come into the shelter just the night before, not even 24 hours, in a van driven by a blessed volunteer woman who brought up a bunch of adoptable adult mixed breeds from a high-kill South Carolina shelter. She had come in as a "stray", but it was explained to me that this often happens in the South due to lack of leash-laws.

Somebody had invested time in her. She knew sit, stay, come & we actually had to coax her to come join us on the couch (we're not that strict here!). We love each other like we've been together forever, I was blessed to find her -- we were both just in the right place at the right time!

She was a bit scrawny, we have built-her-up with lots of healthy food, LONG walks daily, brushing & love & affection; she's met all the neighbors & had play-dates with their dogs. We installed invisible fence for her & are working on that now. I'm considering registering us for obedience this winter, not that she needs it, but it's a pre-requisite to agility & I'd like to try that with her in the spring, to better channel her energies! So as of now, there couldn't have been a "happier ending" for Nyah's saga, but it's far from an ending as I'm considering adopting her a play-mate in the spring/summer as my boy will be heading off to college & it will be another tough time here!

Roberta
Katonah, NY

Nyah looks like she's a very close member of the family! Thanks for the photos and for sharing her story.

Remy

We received Remy's DNA results recently and were somewhat surprised to find he was exactly the breeds we were originally told he was. We were told his mother was a miniature Poodle and his father was a Pomeranian. Both supposedly weighed 7 pounds so when Remy grew into 18 pounds we were sure some other breeds must be at work; even our vet thought there was some Border Collie in there. So when we our family received the results we had to laugh to find he was EXACTLY what we had been told last year when he came to our home as a puppy. His results are:

• Level 1: Pomeranian
• Level 3: Poodle

People ask what breed of dog he is and are usually doubtful he is a Pomapoo, but now we have proof! Today Remy went to the groomer's and I told them about your website and the DNA test and they had no idea that testing could be done. I wrote down your web address for them so they can let other customers know as well.

Thanks!
Donna
Winnemucca, NV

Thank you, Donna, for sharing Remy's photos and for spreading the good word about www.HappyDogDNA.com!

Boo!

Our story....

We got Boo at the Greater Birmingham Humane Society in Homewood, AL in August 2009. He was sharing a run with his litter mate. They were the last of a litter and he was listed as a 7mo Border Collie mix. He obviously had the markings of a border collie but was a bit smaller and didn't have the same facial features. My husband, three daughters and I started guessing as to what other breeds he might be related to. We heard about the DNA test offered by HappyDogDNA and Biopet which led to "The Bet." So after careful, and most definitely, wasted time flipping through dog breed books, everyone took their guess. Everyone had to pick 5 breeds. My 11yr old daughter came up with the best guess. She picked Border Collie, English Springer Spaniel, Shetland Sheepdog, Lab, and Jack Russel Terrier. Considering he was related to 8 different breeds, guessing 3 was quite a good guess.

The final results BioPet found were:

• German Shorthair Pointer (level 3)
• Border Collie (level 4)
• Cocker Spaniel (level 4)
• Weimaraner (level 4)
• Collie (level 5)
• Dachshund (level 5)
• English Springer Spaniel (level 5)
• Shetland Sheepdog (level 5)

Thank you for the entertainment and family fun your service provided.

Devery
Birmingham, AL

Thanks so much for the photo of Boo and for sharing your family bet with us! It sounds like your daughter really knows her dogs. Perhaps she'll be the next generation Dog Whisperer!

Duncan

Thank you so much for telling me exactly what my dog is. When I adopted him last year the SPCA told me that he was a Silky X (which I completely disagreed with). Everyone always asks me what kind of a dog he is and I always respond promptly with Heinz 57, now I can tell people what kind of dog he is. Thank you again for providing such a great service!

• Level 2: Poodle
• Level 3: Chihuahua
• Level 4: Golden Retriever
• Level 4: Saluki
• Level 5: English Setter

Lindsay
Chino Hills, CA

Katie

Attached is a picture of my dog, Katie. We adopted her 6 years ago as a wildly energetic puppy. The foster agency thought she was a Basenji mix, but we knew that was wrong since she has a very loud bark. We thought she was closer to a Pitbull mix and she weighs over 50 pounds. We were very surprised at the results from the DNA test, since she doesn't seem to have anything in common with the breeds that came back. I think we can continue to call her a Heinz 57 mutt!

Here are the results of the DNA test:

• Level 3: Boston Terrier
• Level 3: Miniature Pinscher
• Level 4: Chihuahua
• Level 4: English Setter
• Level 4: Irish Setter
• Level 4: Italian Greyhound

Thank you, Julie, for sending in Katie's photo and for sharing her story. As we tell our customers whose dogs don't seem to look like any particular breed, with this many breeds at low levels, she's not likely to share too many visual indicators with the breeds present in her mix.

Contest Winner!

www.HappyDogDNA.com held a contest for all of our customers who sent in photos of their dogs and shared their stories. From all the entrants, we randomly selected Kiley from Washington, DC for sending in photos of her dog, Lucky, and for sharing his story.

For her effort, Kiley will be receiving a copy of Michael Schaffer's book, One Nation Under Dog. Thanks to all of our customers who sent in their photos and stories.

Congratulations, Kiley! Your book will be arriving soon.

See Lucky's original blog post.

Cooper

Hello. We adopted our lil guy from the MD SPCA on July 18th. We were told he was Lab/Terrier/Poodle mix.

The DNA results were astounding to us.

Cooper is :

• Level 2 Poodle
• Level 3 German Shepard
• Level 4 Schnauzer
• Level 4 English Setter

No Lab, or Terrie at all.

So, attached pleas find photos of our now 6 month old mixed puppy Cooper.

Thanks,
Carrie Frazier
Baltimore, MD

Thanks, Carrie! You'll be entered into our giveaway contest for Michael Schaffer's book, One Nation Under Dog: www.happydogdna.com/Blog.html

Kobe

Good morning! I was so excited when I saw the envelope from Bio-Med Vet Lab in my mailbox on Saturday! I so wanted it to be true! I had to chuckle at the results though.

I adopted my four-legged hairy kid when she a bit of nothing....she was found on a country road, dodging traffic. I thought she would be small--turns out she's now 60 lbs! Although she is a mix, I strongly believe her to be a lot of Bordie Collie (please see blonde border collie).

Looks just like my kid in full coat. I've attached a couple of photos of my kid as well.

The test results came back as:

• Level 3 Afghan Hound
• Level 4 Chinese Shar-Pei
• Level 4 Chow Chow
• Level 4 German Shepherd Dog
• Level 4 Schnauzer
• Level 5 Parson Russell Terrier
• Level 5 Poodle

Thanks....this was fun at least!

Bobbie

Thanks for sending the photos and the results for your beautiful blonde, Bobbie. When a mixed breed dog has as many breeds as Kobe, it's not likely that s/he will look much like any of the breeds present.

Lucky

I knew my mutt was part Dalmatian. That much was clear. The spots are a dead giveaway and his neurotic behavior sealed the deal on the Dalmatian front. When people see him on his walks they often say: "Ooohhh, he is so cute. What is he?" I usually say Dalmatian/Hound mix. After a year of wondering what he really was, I bought the kit and swabbed the little guy's cheek to find out. Anxiously awaiting the results, I began guessing what his other half could possibly be. My final guess: Beagle and Pointer. Wrong and wrong. My boyfriend's guess: Pit Bull. Wrong. People on the street said: Blue Heeler, Boxer, and Coonhound. Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Here are Lucky's results:

• Level 3: Dalmatian, Mastiff(!!!)
• Level 4: Collie
• Level 5: American Eskimo Dog, Boston Terrier, Papillion

Huh? Mastiff? He is only 35 pounds - and the vet told him he could stand to lose a few pounds. Collie? He has short black and white fur with spots! So now when people say "Ooohhh, he is so cute. What is he?" I get to respond: "Dalmatian/Mastiff mix!!" and wait for the reaction.

Thank you Happy Dog DNA!

Thank you, Kiley, for sharing Lucky's photos and his results. As we've noted before, the dominant characteristics of a particular breed are not always evident, particularly when they are present at Level 3 and lower. And since Dalmation is pretty clear, it's a safe bet that BioPet Vet Lab correctly identified the other breeds as well.

NPR's Fresh Air - Animals Week

This week on NPR's Fresh Air is Animals Week. Today, Terry Gross had Michael Schaffer on the program to discuss his book, One Nation Under Dog (this was a repeat from the April 1, 2009 airing).

Mr. Shaffer's book discusses how our nation's relationships with our pets (mostly dogs) have changed over the years and how the pet industry has become a multi-billion dollar business. Dogs have become a vibrant and important part of many people's lives and many are willing to go to just about any length to care for their pets. And a wonderful part of that is the growing popularity of adoption centers across the country.

Mr. Schaffer adopted his dog from an adoption center and his life would never be the same after that. You can listen to the interview by clicking this link.

CONTEST!! Happy Dog DNA will give away a copy of One Nation Under Dog to a randomly selected customer who sends us a photo of their dog, their DNA test results and a brief story about their mutt. Deadline for the contest is midnight, October 16, 2009. The winner will be announced Saturday, October 17, 2009.

Merlin

For the past 11 years I have been constantly asked what breed our lovely dog Merlin is. I could never give an answer, now I can. DNA results told us level 2 German Shepherd Dog and level 3 Irish Setter. That certainly explains his intelligence, gentleness and beauty.

Carol

Stellaaaaa!

Dear HappyDogDNA,

I wanted to write and let you know how excited we were to receive our results from the DNA kit we ordered from your website. We had been thinking about getting a dog for some time and talked about wanting a female that had short hair and was mid-sized. We looked at some specific breeds but decided to check out the local animal shelter to see if anything caught our eye. After seeing and meeting Stella, we knew she was the perfect fit for our family! Her breed didn't matter to us but, of course, we were very curious.

The first time we visited her at the shelter, her tag said that she was a "hound mix" but her adoption paperwork said "golden retriever mix" and the vet mentioned "lab, golden, Shepard and some terrier due to her size" (she is about 30 pounds and about knee high). With all of these breeds in the mix, we started to take bets on what Stella might be made up of! We swabbed her cheek, sent off the test and waited only about a week and a half for the results.

I will tell you that NONE of us guessed right on ANY of the breeds!!! Her highest level (level 2) was a Miniature Pinscher! My son googled that breed since I didn't have any idea what they even looked like. He found a picture that looked almost identical to Stella - except the dog in the picture was 12 inches tall and weighed about 10 pounds!! The rest of the mix included all Level 4's: Boxer, Springer Spaniel, Weimaraner and, her dirty little secret, Yorkshire Terrier!

It was SO interesting to find out that all those big dogs and a few little one's make up our beautiful Stella! It is great to know what breeds are in her for the obvious health and behavior reasons but also since almost everyone that meets her asks "what kind of a dog is she?". It is hilarious to say "she is mostly Miniature Pinscher" as she jumps up and licks their face (we are still working on that jumping thing...).

Thank you HappyDog.DNA for sending the test so quickly, for answering all of my questions (since I was nervous about the cheek swab but it was easy as can be) and for providing such a wonderful test! We were so very satisfied with our entire experience and look forward to a life with our new "Miniature Pinscher" mix!!

Sincerely,
Kathie

Fred

Fred's owner was so impressed and satisfied with his test results that she ordered three more!

I already did one test and there were some REAL surprises. Dog looks like a Dal/Pointer, but came out to be:

• Level 2: Dalmation
• Level 4: German Shepherd, English Setter
• Level 5: Saluki, Italian Greyhound, Chihuahua!

Pics attached. Fred is his name. I don't have a good pic that shows his back legs, but they are not straight like a Dal, but look like a shepherd. I just never thought about that. And he is the incredible watch dog. I guess the dal, shepherd, and chihuahua contribute to that.

PamG

Jay - My mutt story and results, thanks for your service!

I will be brief with my story. We had to say goodbye to our loyal lab/Dalmatian mix after 17 years of companionship. This was in April of 2006. Of course we were just very sad. We did not know if another dog would come into our lives. We figured when the time was right it would happen.

About 6 weeks later, I was working in Houston at a house. This little fella comes climbing out of the storm ditch and wags his tail at me. He was clearly a stray and needed a home. After a short stay at the vet, he came home. He is the most wonderful and grateful dog. Truly a blessing to us.

The vet said he was a lab mix. Come to find out....

• Level 2: Chow Chow
• Level 3: Lhasa Apso
• Level 4: Chinese Shar-Pei

I named him Jay after the street where he was found.

Thanks again,
Ryan
Houston, Texas

Chloe Elizabeth

Hi!

And thanks so much for your great service - we're delighted!

We adopted Chloe when a friend moved out of the country. He'd adopted Chloe a couple years earlier, and everyone, even the vets, thought she was a lab-akita mix. Since she has absolutely no interest in retrieving, we thought that couldn't be right... When she showed an aggressive streak against other dogs, we thought maybe something more aggressive? But - wow! Level 3: Newfoundland, and then Level 4's and 5's in 4 toy breeds, with a little Basset Hound and Siberian Husky for good measure. Amazing! I call her the Newfietoy now. We're all giggling at the thought of a mixed-toy breed Basset Hound falling for a Newfie-Husky mix. Maybe her aggression is from an over-confident little Westie in her heritage?

Chloe is 24 inches at the shoulder, and 45 inches from nose to the base of her 15 inch long tail. She weighs in at 62 lbs, and has had the ACLs repaired in both knees. She's a big girl, and an absolute sweetheart who has never met a human she didn't love on first sight, but is not known for playing well with other dogs. She is very territorial and protective, but would love to play with our cat.

Thanks again letting us learn a little more about our girl Chloe!

Molly and Chris

Elvis

Many thanks to the Dicksons. Elvis is one lucky pup!



We were curious when we first got Elvis in December as to what exactly he was mixed with. We knew he was primarily German Shepherd because of all the dominant appearance characteristics. When I came across happydogdna.com I was excited. I would finally get answers. I ordered it and it came in quickly with easy directions. I followed them then popped it in the mail. It seemed so quick when the results came in and I was actually quite surprised. I have attached a photo of our Elvis and here are his results. And as of around a month ago. He was 10 months old at just shy of 60 pounds.

• Level 2: German Shepherd
• Level 4: Akita
• Level 5: Afghan Hound
• Level 5: Chinese Shar-Pei.

Wow What a truly unique mix. I must say it is helpful to know a dog's breeds. Elvis is going to be 1 year old on the 4th of July 2009. Last month he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. It is very common in German Shepherds. We caught it extremely early, due to my motherly paranoia with my furbaby. He is being treated for it and seems to be doing great. Some people feel a free dog shouldn't cost much. I feel no matter how much they cost initially they are family and it doesn't matter what they cost. I rescued Elvis for free and he will be our four legged furry son until the day the good Lord takes him home. Thank you so much happydogdna.com we are extremely appreciative.

Elvis' MOM and DAD
The Dicksons

Marshall

The following letter is the first note we received from Marshall's owner after she received his test results:

We recently adopted Marshall from a Golden Retriever rescue group. He was a stray and there was no history on him. He has a wonderful temperment and is very gentle, playful, and intelligent. He loves his belly rubs and doesn't like to be too far away from us. We were sure he was at least 50% golden retriever and everyone he meets comments on what a beautiful golden he is and asks what else he is mixed with. After so many questions from others, and because we were curious as well, we got his DNA tested. We expected to see some type of herding breed since he does try to herd his human brother and sister (ages 9 and 6 ). We also suspected husky or shepherd since his tail is SO thick and fluffy. We were in no way prepared to find out that he has NO golden in him at all. Everyone who knows him was shocked. Here are his results:

• Level 2 : English Springer Spaniel
• Level 4: Bull Terrier, Italian Greyhound, Miniature Pinscher, Shetland Sheepdog, Siberian Husky

Often when a customer receives results that show their dog is made up of a half-dozen or more breeds, we explain to them that when there are that many breeds at such low levels, the dominant characteristics of the detected breeds are often not evident. However, when we received the photo of Marshall who looked so much like a Golden Retriever, we had to dig a little deeper. We asked the lab to re-run Marshall's DNA just to be certain that the test was performed properly and the results were accurate. The second analysis revealed the same results except that Italian Greyhound fell below the threshold of reportable levels.

We shared this with Marshall's owner who had the following reply:

Thanks for the info and thanks for asking them to rerun the test. I am satisfied.. I guess it's true you never know what a dog is going to look like when all the DNA combine from the different breeds. He must get his size from the Husky DNA because he is very big. We went through a golden rescue group for temperament because we have two young children. Thankfully, he is a great dog. I guess this is a good lesson for us and the rescue groups and it explains why we didn't see some of the golden personality traits we expected when we got him. You have a great service and we have shared your website info with many of our friends.

Sincerely,
Susan

Dexter

Hi,

I adopted my dog Dexter from the Humane Society in February and since the first day we have wondered what he was (so have the people at the dog parks). He is a beautiful red dog with bright gold eyes that make him stand out from most other dogs. So we decided to get his DNA tested. We were quite surprised to see that he was. Here are two pictures of him.

• Level 2: English Setter
• Level 3: English Springer Spaniel
• Level 4: Bull Terrier

Katie

Thanks for the great photos of such a handsome guy!

Letter From An Impressed Vet

Biopet Vet Lab received this letter from a veterinarian who used the DNA Breed Identification Test on one of her dogs that was of a known breed. She was mighty impressed with the results:

Dear Dr. Jones,

You gave me a free DNA kit to use on my dog when I spoke to you at your booth at NAVC in FL last Jan and I promised to report. (I am skeptical about the value of these tests because I have heard reports from people with mixed breeds getting results that seem completely wacky based on what the owner knows about the dog, or the dog's obvious physical characteristics, or the probability of certain rare-ish breeds running around loose to procreate). Anyway, I am glad to report that your test did correctly identify my dog Jif as purebred border collie. She has a 10 generation pedigree so I would have been QUITE skeptical if your analysis found an aberrant breed in her DNA, but it did not. It is also interesting to note that while I presume your border collie data bank is drawn from US border collies, her father and both maternal grandparents were imported (from Scotland and Australia, respectively) but that did not put off your analysis. Now if I had handy a dog of mixed but absolutely known parentage I would try the test out on that.

Doctor from Florida, PhD DVM

(we didn't include the good doctor's name for privacy reasons)

Zoe

We were so amazed when we received the results of the DNA test on my daughter’s dog, Zoe. She is a rescue dog that we got from a local shelter. They told us that they knew the mother was an Australian Shepherd. We had many people try to guess for a very long time as to what Zoe was. She is a very funny dog and had some interesting characteristics. We had a lot of laughs when we got the results back. It is also helped us and our vet to understand where some of her health problems came from. We are very glad that we had her tested!

• Level 3: Chinese Shar Pei, German Shepherd
• Level 4: Boxer, Mastiff
• Level 5: Labrador Retriever, Pekingese, Poodle

The Smith’s – Crystal, Barr and Abby

Ellie, Sara, Megan and Kylie

The busy owner of these dogs was kind enough to share their photos and their results. Thank you Janet!

Ellie

• Level 1: Beagle
• Level 5: English Setter
• Level 5: Parson (Jack) Russell Terrier

Sara

• Level 3: Chow Chow
• Level 3: Pomeranian
• Level 3: Yorkshire Terrier
• Level 4: Collie
• Level 4: Dalmatian

Megan

• Level 3: Keeshond
• Level 4: Basenji
• Level 4: Border Collie
• Level 4: Cocker Spaniel
• Level 4: German Shorthaired Pointer
• Level 4: Yorkshire Terrier

Kylie

• Level 3: Beagle
• Level 3: Chihuahua
• Level 3: Chinese Shar-Pei
• Level 4: Boxer

Hank

Everyone had there opinion of what Hank was but you have now answered that question. Quite the mix, he was adopted at the local shelter as a pup and listed as a shar-pei mix? He is a great dog and I recommend your product often at the dog park.

• Level 3: English Springer Spaniel, German Shorthair Pointer
• Level 4: English Setter, Keeshound, Papillon, Chihuahua

Thanks again, Eric

Eric, thanks for the photo of Hank and for the recommending the BioPet Vet Lab DNA Breed Identification Test!

Mia

We at Happy Dog DNA are always so touched by our customers' stories and impressed by the love and care that they give to their adopted dogs. Here is another touching story of a dog that was in dire need of some giving and compassionate new owners.

Hi,

You sent us out DNA test kit - results:

• Level 2: Doberman Pinscher
• Level 4: Afghan Hound
• Level 5: Great Dane
• Level 5: Miniature Pinscher

We were so surprised! She has just turned 4 yrs (our vet can't be certain) and is small for a Dobe. But she was chained in yard first 2 yrs and never exercised - collar grew into her neck - took 2 vets 4 hrs to remove it - had reconstructive surgery a few months later. Here she is! (with us).

Mary

Apollo

I have to say, anticipating the results of Apollo's DNA test was the most fun I've had in a long time! My husband and I adopted Apollo when he was seven weeks old from the county animal shelter. We were told that he was a Shar Pei and Labrador mix and would likely be a medium-sized dog. We preferred bigger dogs, but weren't influenced by his possible smaller size. But as he grew, we realized that he would likely exceed medium-sized...and he did. Eighty-plus pounds later, we have our beautiful, loyal, protective and sweet boy. So, as we waited for the results, my husband held true to his belief of a Golden Chow Chow. I wasn't as sure. Here are the results:

• Level 3: Dalmatian, Mastiff
• Level 4: St. Bernard, Siberian Husky
• Level 5: Parson Russell Terrier (still laughing about that one!)

Apollo now has new nicknames, like Spot, St. Apollo, and Hooch. Actually, due to his drooling, we've always called him Hooch.

Thanks again for the fun.

Jim, Pat and Apollo

Thank you Jim and Pat! It appears this is a great recipe for a handsome dog with a beautiful coat!

Meeko

Meeko, another great rescue story...

Meeko was obtained from a rescue group - family that he was living with was splitting up and did not want to take the dog (he was listed by the rescue group as a Sheppard/lab mix). He is great with our kids (ages 11 & 8), is a good watch dog. We got Meeko after the death of our Greyhound in January 2009.

• Level 3: Boxer
• Level 4: Bichon Frise, Borzoi, Chinese Shar Pei, Saluki
• Level 5: Golden Retriever, Poodle

Thank you for the quick response.

Kara

Balto

We recently adopted Balto from a rescue society. We told them we wanted a medium-sized poodle mix. They recommended Balto, saying he wasn't a poodle, but a schnauzer-terrier mix that would fit our family well. We adopted him and he did fit us perfectly, but we were still curious to see exactly what kind of mutt he was. He had been a stray, so he had no known family history at all. We were sure he was about 50% schnauzer, but couldn't figure out the rest. Imagine our surprise when we got his results!

• Poodle: Level 2
  
• Boston Terrier: Level 4
  
• Papillon: Level 4
  
• Shih Tzu: Level 4
  

So we got our poodle mutt after all! And what a surprising mix for a medium-sized 26-pound dog! This will start many interesting conversations.

--Leigh

Thank you, Leigh!

BioPet Vet Lab DNA Test

Happy Dog DNA occasionally gets asked if the dog DNA breed test really works. We try to give concrete examples whenever possible so here's a great story from a satisfied BioPet customer. One dog was exactly what the customer guessed and the other was a control test using a dog with known heritage. Yes, it really, really does work!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/dnacaninebreedidentifcation.htm

Jewel

Jewel is quite the fighter!


Hi guys!

We adopted Jewel from a local shelter and they had her labeled as a Lab mix. Our vet felt she was a lab mix who was going to max out at 50lbs. Before I get to her results, let me tell you about Jewel. Three days after we brought her home she was diagnosed with Parvo. After an exhausting week of Subq fluids, antibiotics, and nausea meds, Jewel started getting better. A week later she was diagnosed with Pneumonia and possibly Distemper. She is our baby and we refused to give up on her and I am happy to report that she isn't giving up either. She is once again acting like a puppy, eating, and drinking well. So, let that be a lesson to not give up on your furkids!

OK, so on to the stuff you really want to know. Jewel has no Lab in her whatsoever!

• Boston Terrier: Level 2
• Saluki: Level 3
• Italian Greyhound: Level 5

I am attaching two different pictures [only one image shown - Ed]. The first one is the day we adopted her [shown] and the second is today. She has lost a bit of weight but we are on the right track and looking forward to spoiling her rotten for the rest of her life.

Thank you for your product! We are thrilled to know where she came from, even if we were quite surprised!

Lillian, Tammy, Carrie, Connor, & Niklas

Thank you Carrie and Family!

Sammi

Wow! Look at those eyes!

Hi,

Just wanted to let you know how our DNA test turned out. We were very surprised at our results. Our dog was determined to be the following:

• Golden Retriever: Level 3
• Border Collie: Level 4
• German Shorthair Pointer: Level 4
• Poodle: Level 4
• American Eskimo Dog: Level 5
• Belgian Tervuren: Level 5
• Brittany: Level 5
• Papillon: Level 5

Here is what she looks like (she weighs 17 lbs):

We got a good laugh that she could look so different from her parentage. We expected to find terrier, chihuahua or even dachshund.....but never would have guessed Golden Retriever!!!

Thanks again for a fun experience. I once had another mixed breed dog that I would have loved to have known what she was (she's been gone 4 years now). This is a cool product.

Thanks!
Cindy

Thank you, Cindy! Sammi's DNA test detected the most breeds I believe we've seen at Happy Dog DNA (althought BioPet Vet Lab has reported more). As we've noted before, when there are more than two or three breeds present in the mix, the dominant characteristics of the breeds are not always evident. And when you've got eight, you're not likely to recognize any of the breeds. Sammi is one unique girl!

RJ

Here is a photo of RJ with his original family and a photo with his stuffed bear. What a cutie!

RJ's owners purchased their DNA test from www.HappyDogDNA.com.

Hi,

We just received the DNA results for our puppy, RJ. We adopted him from a rescue shelter where the mother had come in pregnant and delivered at the shelter. The shelter staff thought they were probably black lab/Australian shepherd mix puppies and even mentioned possibly Rotweiller based on their coloring. We thought our puppy was blue heeler/Australian cattle dog and so did our vet. We were sure surprised when we got the result. He isn't any of the things people thought. He is level 2 Boston terrier, level 3 Border collie and level 4 Italian greyhound. Check out his picture. Who would have guessed!

RJ's Family

RJ's DNA Test Results:

• Boston Terrier: Level 2
• Border Collie: Level 3
• Italian Greyhound: Level 4

Lizzy

As you can see, Lizzy's owner put some serious effort into her results (click on the pie chart for more detail)! Thanks to Kristin for doing all that work and sharing her story with www.HappyDogDNA.com.

We received the results in the mail today!! I can't say we were surprised to find out Lizzy wasn't all border collie - but wow - to find out she was NO border collie and with so much variety/little tiny dogs was VERY surprising. We got Lizzy a month ago from a Border Collie Rescue agency. But, she is VERY laid back with little/ no behaviors that I would pin to that breed. So, many nights the dog breed book would come out and we would try to match up her looks with her behavior. She seems so big for 5 months -- but she is long/not tall -- with a curly tail. I was guessing some border collie, some chow (curly tail), maybe some sheltie, maybe some poodle (curly hair), maybe some Bernese Mtn dog. We love knowing. I am attaching a 'chart' I made - fudging the levels to their approximates and her baby picture collage.

Thanks,
Kristin

Lizzy's DNA test results:

• Chinese Shar-Pei: Level 3
• Lhasa Apso: Level 4
• Pekingese: Level 4
• Shetland Sheepdog: Level 4
• Golden Retriever: Level 5
• Poodle: Level 5
• Shih Tzu: Level 5