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.