Happy Dog DNA

Mars Wisdom Panel DNA Tests Now Available

2011-08-11T09:00:00.004-04:00

We're excited to now be partnering with Mars Veterinary to supply their Wisdom Panel suite of dog DNA tests which include the Mixed Breed test, the Purebred test, and the Designer test. Check out our revised website to learn more.

Another Happy Dog - Itty

2011-06-01T11:22:00.003-04:00

Itty was rescued from the side of the road when she was about six months old. For the 2.5 years she's been in my life, everyone asked, "What kind of the dog is that?" And I always would answer, "A black and brown one." But I must admit I was curious too.

She turned out:

Level 3: Miniature Pinscher
Level 4: Border Collie
Level 4: Irish Setter
Level 4: West Highland White Terrier
Level 5: Beagle
Level 5: Dachshund
Level 5: Yorkshire Terrier

Of course like most people I was surprised at some of the breeds that showed up in her, and like most proud owners I think it makes a perfect dog.

Thank you
Itty's Owner Lori
St. Clair, MO

Smokey

2011-05-09T14:19:00.004-04:00

Hi,

We enjoyed the DNA results. We've been wondering for three years what
breeds made up our wonderful dog, Smokey. My husband got me the kit for my
birthday, what fun! Attached are two pictures and below are the results.
Thanks!

The DNA turned up 9 breeds.

Level 4: American Eskimo Dog
Level 4: Lab
Level 4: Husky
Level 4: Weimaraner
Level 4: Miniature Pinscher

Level 5: Brittany Spaniel
Level 5: Maltese
Level 5: Boston Terrier
Level 5: Poodle

Smokey's Family

Gunnar and Addison

2011-05-04T10:27:00.002-04:00

I'm pleased to introduce you to Gunnar (on the left) and Addison (on the right).

We adopted Gunnar about two years ago and he was billed as a "Shepherd Mix".
According to our DNA results he is:

Level 2: Chow Chow
Level 3: Weimaraner and
Level 4: Great Dane

We adopted Addison in October of 2010 and we were told she was a Boxer/Lab mix.
As she got older we knew she had something else in the mix and boy were we
right! Addison's DNA results were:

Level 3: German Shorthaired Pointer
Level 3: Labrador Retriever
Level 3: Rottweiler
Level 4: Boxer, and
Level 4: Golden Retriever

We have so much fun at the dog park when we are asked what kind of dogs we have;
thanks to Happy Dog DNA we can tell them exactly what they are :)

Thanks a bunch!
Stephanie

Ayvery

2011-04-28T16:39:00.004-04:00

Ayvery has a good story...

A lady at my local vet found Ayvery and his sister on the street. They were both stricken with mange and nearly starved. After him being nursed back to health, I adopted Ayvery when he was about 4 months old. He's a true mutt.

He is:

German Shepard
Chinese Shar Pei
Greyhound
Keeshond
Pomeranian
Poodle
Parson Russell Terrier
Siberian Husky

It was fate that brought Ayvery and I together and I couldn't have asked for a better dog!

-Ashley

Gimme some Sugar

2011-03-30T12:06:00.002-04:00

We adopted Sugar last May and assumed she was a "Chiweenie". We'd had our dog, Jade, tested through your site and were very surprised but the results. We were shocked by Sugar's!

She is:

Level 3 Boxer
Level 3 Pekingese
Level 4 Chihuahua
Level 4 Dachshund
Level 4 Shih Tzu

We had to laugh at the Boxer part because she's tiny! But after reviewing the traits all these breeds describe our feisty, funny, loving little Sugar.

Like a Boxer she is highly intelligent, playful, stubborn and sneaky.

Like a Pekingese she is is very affectionate and is a picky eater.

Like a Chihuahua she is attached to me to the point of jealousy and is aggressive toward other breeds (which is funny to watch).

Like a Dachshund she is clever, tenacious and can be manipulative and can be quick to growl (but never bite).

Like a Shih Tzu she is spunky, happy, very affectionate and needs to be around people.

She's is also the most vocal dog I've ever known...not barking but all sorts of sounds, sighing, moaning, little happy sounds...oh and she snores!

Thanks!
Barbara,
Mission Viejo, CA

Bailey, Sula and Rocco

2011-03-09T11:49:00.006-05:00

We were pleased and surprised by the results on our three shelter rescue dogs.

Bailey, to our great surprise, is a total designer dog.

Level 2: Lhasa Apso
Level 2: Yorkshire Terrier
Level 3: Shih Tzu

How he ended up in the shelter, we don't know.

Sula, who we thought was a lab/pit mix turns out to be:

Level 2: Rottweiler
Level 3: Pekingese (!)
Level 4: Collie

She's an angel in the house, but alarmingly dog-aggressive.

Rocco, guestimated as a lab/german shepherd cross, is actually:

Level 2: Basset Hound (!)
Level 3: American Staffordshire Terrier
Level 3: Beagle
Level 4: Mastiff

He's a tall, rangy, athletic dog--which doesn't really follow from this genetic profile...

So, our two "lab mixes" are not labs at all!

This was fun. Thanks.

Brett
Cornwall, Vermont

Kojak. Who loves ya, baby?

2011-03-03T16:55:00.002-05:00

Hi,

Wow! We were shocked! We got Kojak from the pound and we were told he was a lab/boxer mix. Our vet said he was more “bully”/ lab /hound mix, but who would have guessed this? It was fun to find out his breeds! Most importantly, we love our mixed up mixed breed dog!

level 3- Newfoundland
level3- Pomeranian
level4- Border Collie
level4- Chihuahua
level4- Mastiff

Ken
Raleigh, NC

Thor!

2011-02-21T17:20:00.004-05:00

Dear Happy Dog,

I have owned 2 German Shepherds that were both adopted as young adults from our local shelter. (Tucker lived to be 16 and Freya died at 3 from a brain tumor.) It took awhile to want to get another dog and as a family we decided that we wanted to experience raising a puppy. I feel like a fool now, but here is my story.

I searched Craigslist for a puppy. I didn't want a purebred, but I did want a German Shepherd mix. I found the most adorable puppy and was told by the owner that Momma was a PURE BRED shepherd and Dad was a Lab/Shep mix. She charged me $100.00 and I was responsible for the vet and shots, etc.

At 8 weeks old, we picked up our precious "Thorito" (Little Thor) and brought him home. He looked just as I imagined a GSD pup to look like, but after about 2 months I began to wonder. I thought, he looks like a Golden Retriever....and then a few weeks later....a Chow and slowly when his ears weren't standing up and his color changed and he stopped growing, I knew....very sadly, that I had been completely lied to. So we wondered, what is Thor?.

I found your web-site and ordered your test. As the weeks clicked by, waiting for the results, I posted pictures of Little Thor on Facebook telling my friends this story and playfully asking everybody "What breed is Thorito?" - Well I could not have been more shocked when they came! And everybody got a kick out of learning the DNA results of Thor. He was:

Level 2: Chow Chow
Level 4: German Shorthaired Pointer, Dalmation, Cocker Spaniel

The joke was: "He is everything but a Shepherd....but shhhhh, don't tell him, he thinks he is." We love our dog very much and will love him forever, but I had wanted the German Shepherd because I knew the breed and I wanted a dog that looked like a watch dog also. Thor is 17 inches tall and 35 lbs. He may be small, but he is mighty. I hope others learn from my story....People will bold-face lie to you, to get a few bucks. I am very trust worthy and it bums me out, but I did end up with an adorable little dog.

Good luck with your test - I think it was worth it!

Sincerely,
Kristen,
Huntington Beach, CA

Lily

2011-01-24T10:00:00.003-05:00

Hi,

It's Mike and Gemma and this is our rescue dog Lily. She was found at around 4 weeks old in a field with bite marks infected with, we'll say, "insects"! I get a text from Gemma with a picture of her and there wasn't any way i could say no, right? Needless to say, she is fully healed and raring to go! So then it was time to figure out exactly what she is; and here are the results:

Level 3: Parson Russel Terrier
Level 4: American Staffordshire Terrier
Level 4: Bichon Frise
Level 4: Boston Terrier
Level 4: Cocker Spaniel
Level 5: Yorkshire Terrier

Amazingly enough, she has taken all the positive characteristics of these dogs, and NONE of the negative! OK, she was a little strong-willed (bichon) at housebreaking (Spaniel) but it happens i guess! Thanks so much for such quick info, replies, and material!

Oh yea, check out her facebook page.

Mike, Gemma, and Lily
San Antonio, TX

Elliott

2011-01-18T15:04:00.004-05:00

Dear Happy Dog,

We just received the results for our 2 year old Dog, Elliott. Thought we would share them.

Level 2: Bulldog
Level 4: Airedale Terrier
Level 4: Papillon
Level 4: Rottweiler
Level 4: Scottish Terrier

We expected lab and rhodesian ridgeback, so we are quite surprised.

Luke
Lakewood, CO

Nikki

2011-01-10T12:07:00.003-05:00

Hi!

My husband got me a DNA kit for Christmas a year ago. We had always wondered what Nikki was. We were told she was Boxer and Basenji. After we adopted her we met her mother who coincidentally had been adopted by friends of ours. They had also been told she was Boxer and Basenji.

We always wondered where they got the curly tails and a few years ago I started joking that Nikki was part pug. It was the funniest thing I could picture since she is 65 pounds. We thought she might be part Rottweiler because of her markings.

When my DNA results arrived I started laughing when I discovered her highest results are pug! Other than the tail we don’t see it, but taking a new look at her mom we could see the Pug in her. Unfortunately, her mom, Edie, died a few weeks ago at the estimated age of 15. Nikki turned 13 in November and is still doing well, although definitely slowing down.

The black dog in the pictures is Nikki. The gold one is her mom, Edie.

Thanks for the results! It has been a very fun experience.

Nikki’s DNA:

Level 2: Pug
Level 3: Rottweiler
Level 4: Labrador Retriever
Level 5: German Shorthaired Pointer

Jennine and Nikki
Paso Robles, CA

Zuki

2010-12-08T10:33:00.003-05:00

Hi there!

I wanted to share our DNA results for our dog Zuki. We got her from a rescue when she was 9 weeks old; she is now 8 months. The rescue's best guess of her breed was Australian Shepherd/Shih Tzu. Her sisters looked more like a Shih Tzu, while she had more of an appearance of an Aussie. As she grew, we continued to think of various breeds she could consist of, not sure what to tell people when asked what kind of dog she was (a VERY common question). We began wondering if she had some corgi in her due to her short legs and long body. Friends had also mentioned husky, but with her mostly solid coloring, semi-floppy ears, and small stature, we didn't think it was likely.

She is currently about 23 pounds, loves people and children, but does suffer from some "Small Dog Syndrome".

Results showed her to be:

Level 1: Siberian Husky
Level 3: Lhasa Apso

I guess that explains her love for the 8 inches of snow that just fell, vibrant blue eyes, thick water-repelling coat, and big furry "snowshoe" paws!

Thanks for finally determining what our little mix is!

Maeta and Tyler
Red Wing, MN

Happy Dog DNA In The News!

2010-11-20T10:43:00.003-05:00

WSAV News in Savannah, GA interviewed Brett Burdick with Happy Dog DNA for their story on Dog DNA Tests which aired this week. While the vast majority of our customers test their dogs to determine the breeds that make them unique simply because they are curious and it's good entertainment, we have heard from several of our customers who were excited to learn that their dogs' medical conditions can be better explained after they learned what breeds make up their mutts.

Check out the video:

WSAV reporter Holly Bounds is testing her little mutt with a Happy Dog DNA test and another test and will report the results once they are in. We'll keep you posted!

Roxie

2010-11-20T10:37:00.003-05:00

I was so excited to learn the heritage of my rescue dog Roxie-- she is a very interesting dog. She had been abused and neglected and was a traumatized little six-eight month old dog when I got her from half way across the country. She would not eat out of my hand or lay on the couch with me for about nine months. I got another dog to be her friend and teach her how to be around humans. She is now a very loving and loyal dog. Even when she would not come near me voluntarily, she attacked any other dog who came near me uninvited. She also, surprisingly after her initial fear, loves to be the center of attention and will lay down in the middle of a large group of people and look up with a smile. I would love to know why she is so attracted to water-- she seeks it out and will go into a puddle or stream or lake and immediately lay in it! Shar Peis and Afghans, I thought, do not much like water… She is an adult now and almost 30 pounds-- up from 22.

Level 2: Chinese Shar-Pei
Level 3: Afghan Hound

Faith
Bangor, ME

Gus

2010-11-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

Gus is a wonderful, lovey dog who came to me from a rescue organization in September 2006. I believed from appearances he was Border Colllie-Corgi, but found out through your DNA testing that he is a Sheltie! Also a bit of Belgian Tervuren and Short-Haired German Pointer. Hence the over-size paws and thick short legs that are a bit bowed from the weight, I think. He is 35 pounds and struggling to lose at least 5! He is a very loving and loyal, submissive dog. I have had him trimmed very short due to the heat and ticks in the summer in Maine. He has a great nose, but unfortunately will not back down from a skunk!

Results were:

Sheltland Sheepdog: Level 1
Belgian Tervuren: Level 5
German Short-Haired Pointer: Level 5

Faith
Bangor, ME

Gunny

2010-11-10T07:20:00.004-05:00

Gunny has silver fur, grey eyes, and webbed feet

Extremely long-limbed

.... and ready to run at any opportunity!

Hi There!

Just want to share our results with everyone.

Gunny is our shelter dog. We adopted him at 8 weeks old, and were told that he was a Lab/Chow mix. After 6 months of friends and well-wishers offering their opinion of what Gunny's lineage is (lab, Pit Bull, German Shepherd) we decided to get your DNA test.

And boy are we surprised!

Here it is:

Level 3: Borzoi
Level 3: Bassett Hound (!!)
Level 4: Yorkshire Terrier (!!)
Level 4: New Foundland
Level 4: Chow Chow

Go Figure!

Thanks for everything.

Lyn and Bird
Rembert, SC

Sierra Vista Animal Control - Shelter Program Partner

2010-11-04T14:42:00.003-04:00

Happy Dog DNA offers a Shelter Program to shelters and adoption centers across the country to help promote our products and services while supporting their dog adoption programs. For every DNA test that is sent in through their shelter, Happy Dog DNA makes a cash donation back to the shelter. They help customers determine the breeds in their mixed-breed mutts, we sell a DNA test and they receive a donation. It's win-win-win!

Sierra Vista Animal Control, located in Sierra Vista, AZ, is one of our most active Shelter Program participants. As you can see from the photos, they have done a great job to promote the program and it's been a huge success. Many thanks to Sierra Vista Animal Control for their participation and for all the work they do to adopt out their shelter dogs!

Kido

2010-11-04T09:41:00.002-04:00

Hi,

I am sending you some pictures of our 16 year old, Kido. We have been asked countless times, "What is he?" Many comment that he looks like he has some wolf or coyote in him. Our response has always been we think he's a shepherd/husky mix. Looks like we weren't too far off.

Level 2: Siberian Husky
Level 4: Basset Hound
Level 5: Poodle
Level 5: West Highland White Terrier

Kido's name is related to his older brother (he's been gone about 3 years). My son brought home a Lhasa/Poodle mix on his 18th birthday. He was a gift from his karate coach. So we named him Kenpo for the type of karate he was studying. Kido had been abandoned in a park when he weighed 8 pounds. We named him Aikido, as my two youngest daughters were studying that form of martial art. It was shortened to Kido over time.

We still can't believe he's made it to 16. He's a little shaky at times and needs to wear a doggy diaper at night, but he still smiles and loves to sleep in the sun.

Thanks,
Nancy
Darby, MT

Shasta

2010-11-02T14:31:00.003-04:00

Hi, Happy Dog DNA!

I just very happy for the results that I received in regards to my dog, Shasta. I would love it if you could post the following message on you blog.

About seven year's ago, I was hounding my parents to adopt a dog. After about a year and a half of searching, my dad finally found Shasta at an SPCA. She was a stray dog, but based on her loving demeanor you could not tell it one bit. We were originally drawn to her for her gentle nature and her affectionate personality. Her markings are what stood out to us as well. The SPCA that we adopted Shasta at, claimed that she was a Labrador Retriever/ Border Collie Mix.

From the beginning we always wondered what breeds Shasta was. We talked with some of our closest friends and relatives, who were dog fanatics about what breeds Shasta could possibly be. These were the main breeds that we thought Shasta was made up of: Labrador Retriever, Border Collie, Dalmatian (she has spotted ears), and Australians Shepard.

I finally decided that enough was enough with these guessing games. I wanted to find out for sure what Shasta was! I ordered the DNA test and waited for the results.

My whole family and I are quite shocked with how the results came out.

Shasta's ancestry is made up of:

Level 3-Schnauzer
Level 4-Border Collie
Level 4-Rhodesian Ridgeback
Level 4-Scottish Terrier
Level 4-Shetland Sheepdog
Level 4- Yorkshire Terrier
Level 5- Siberian Husky

Now that I have found out her results, some of her weird behaviors are making sense. Her coloring also makes a great deal of sense as well. We are very pleased that this mystery is finally solved!

Thank You,
Andrea
San Francisco, CA

Jenni

2010-10-30T21:36:00.003-04:00

In November 2009 I rescued Jenni from a retriever rescue. She had come to them a week earlier from an animal shelter that was going to put her to sleep. Sadly, in May 2010 the retriever rescue was closed down do to neglect, and all of their dogs sent back to that same shelter. I feel like I rescued Jenni twice. I was very pleased to see that she is a Level 1 Labrador Retriever. She has all of the Labrador traits and is a wonderful dog. Jenni loves to swim and play catch.

The black lab in the picture is Toby that I already had. I got Jenni as a playmate for him, and they are great buddies :)

Thank you for confirming what I already suspected. Labs are great dogs!

Cheryl Hurley
Plant City, Fl

Pixie

2010-10-09T12:03:00.005-04:00

I recently adopted Pixie and was curious about what breeds made up my new little pup. I purchased a DNA kit for my other dog Charlie and could see characteristics of the breeds in him. After receiving Pixie's results, I can definitely see some of the breeds, but am still looking for characteristics of the most dominant one, her results were:

Level 2 - Afghan Hound
Level 3 - Labrador Retriever
Level 4 - Basenji
Level 4 - Collie

I have attached pictures of Pixie and a picture with both dogs.

Julie
Troy, Michigan

Remy

2010-10-04T09:48:00.005-04:00

I have been passionate about Brittanys since I first owned my 5 year old Brittany named Freckles. Freckles was a purebred puppy that was sold to someone who later realized that they could not properly care for her. Long story short: I adopted her just before she became desperately ill with Parvo and intestinal parasites. I paid for her treatments, vaccines, spay, etc and she was able to find a "forever home" in my heart. Freckles is such a wonderful dog with such an amazing personality and she reminds me everyday how special Brittanys are.

This past summer I moved into my first place and thought that it would be nice for Freckles to have some company at home while I was working or at school during the day, It was just a simple thought- I hadn't been actively searching for another dog, but out of the blue this wonderful, handsome, and very sweet doggie ended up at the vet clinic where I worked. His name was Remy and he was an owner surrender to be examined so that he could be sent to a rescue. I immediately fell in love and planned to take him home the next day. He tested positive for heartworms, had a heavy intestinal parasite load, and needed to be neutered. I took him home got his treatments underway and he has become a wonderful part of my family.

Knowing how much I love Brittanys and their personalities I knew that I wanted to have Remy tested. He showed many physical traits of a Brittany or a Springer but something wasn't quite all there. His personality and protective tendencies made me question whether he was even mixed with a Brittany at all.

I was very happy and enlightened to find that his results were:

Level 2: Brittany
Level 4: Springer
Level 4: Doberman

His results definitely made alot of sense and I was so thrilled to find out that he was mostly Brittany.You can see alot of the Springer physical characteristics, but the Doberman in the mix definitely helps explain his high prey drive and extreme protectiveness over me. The funny thing is that after-the-fact I can actually see some of the slight Doberman markings above his eyebrows and on his cheeks.

Brittany
Pikeville, NC

Happy Dog DNA's Website Is Back Up!

2010-10-01T13:46:00.003-04:00

We apologize but our website was temporarily down due to technical problems our web hosting company, Yahoo, was having.

For our customers who have been inconvenienced, we will be offering a discount coupon code when you check out using your credit card. This coupon code will be valid through Oct. 7, 2010.

Simply enter HAPPYDOG6 at checkout to receive 6% off your total order. Shipping is always FREE! Thanks for your patience!

Myla

2010-09-14T10:46:00.003-04:00

When my fiance and I adopted Myla from the shelter at 10 weeks old, the description read "Boxer mix". We could definitely tell she had Boxer in her, but we weren't sure to what extent and what else she could be mixed with. Some people had guessed Lab or Mastiff because of her hair and huge paws. Attached is a picture of Myla as a puppy and Myla now (at 1 year old).

Here are Myla's results:

Level 1: Boxer
Level 4: Chow Chow

We are very pleased with Myla's results and surprised by the Chow Chow. We definitely plan on sending our 2nd pup's DNA results away to you very soon.

Thank you!
Lauren
Dundalk, MD

Gus

2010-09-11T10:40:00.003-04:00

This is Gus who is now a 1 year old rescue. Boy were we shocked with part of his results. We easily saw the German Shepherd but the Poodle was a stunner, however now we see it in his height, and long face. He is a great dog, full of energy, loves to be active. Thanks for solving our guessing game and the good service. His results were,

Level 3: German Shepherd Dog
Level 3: Poodle
Level 4: Siberian Husky
Level 5: Chihuahua
Level 5: Pug

Quite the interesting mix.

Thanks again,
John & Denise
North Montpelier, VT

Barley

2010-09-02T15:53:00.003-04:00

Thanks for letting us know what our mixed breed dog had in him. I have attached a photo of Barley, who we found out is mostly Border Collie/German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd. WE love his mix and he is such a great dog. We get compliments on him wherever he goes.

Thanks for the quick and easy DNA test.

Brie
Steamboat Springs, CO

Candy's Results!

2010-08-30T21:14:00.002-04:00

I just received my dog’s DNA results in the mail and I cannot believe the results. I have worked at a veterinarians office for several years and I was certain I had guessed at least half of what she was…but I was way off.

I adopted Candy last year in August 2009 through a rescue organization called HAPPE. She was being treated for heartworms at the vet’s office I work at. She is approx. 4 years old. Everyone always asks me what breed she is and my best answer was “half golden retriever, half cat”. She looks just like a golden retriever, just miniature! (her full grown weight is 36 pounds).

Everybody at my work guessed what she was mixed with. We had answers that included: golden retriever, collie, sheltie, papillon, shiba inu (not on the list!), and chow! (NONE OF THOSE WERE RIGHT)

Her results were:

Level 2: Doberman Pinscher
Level 3: Labrador Retriever
Level 4: American Eskimo Dog
Level 5: Boxer
Level 5: Chinese Shar-Pei

She looks NOTHING like a Doberman; however, she does have a head shaking condition which doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her; maybe now they know she is a Doberman we can look into the “Idiopathic head bobbing syndrome” that’s common for Dobermans. Labrador retrievers look kind of like golden retrievers so I can definitely see that. American Eskimo dog is where she gets her small size from and her “fluff” she has small fluffy ears, fluffy butt, and fluffy feet (which I trim every 2 weeks cause she slips and falls). AND she sheds like CRAZY! Just like the Eskimo. Boxer I don’t see so much (but it is less than 10%). Chinese Shar-Pei, she may have picked up the bad skin problems because she itches and scratches constantly and she has a partial purple tongue!

Thank you Happy Dog DNA!
Melanie
Chesterfield, VA

Griffen

2010-08-20T16:45:00.006-04:00

I adopted Griffen when he was between 8-10 weeks old from Guam Animals in Need (G.A.I.N.) while I was stationed at Andersen AFB, Guam in 2007. He was a tiny puppy, weighing it at only 7 lbs. Now full grown, Griffen weighs around 50 lbs. We stayed in Guam until March of 2008 and then flew back to the states. He traveled with me to my next base in Florida and then back to my home state of Pennsylvania when my enlistment was finished. So he is definitely well-traveled! He always adjusted very well to his new surroundings. I used to tell people he was a Guamanian Shepherd, because I had no idea what he was.

Griffen is a very gentle and calm dog who loves to snuggle. He can be very shy at times though. He gets along well with other dogs and his feline roomate, Bella. He enjoys going to visit his playmates: Ruger, a German Shorthair Pointer, at my boyfriend's house; Harley, a German Shepherd, at my dad's house; and Lexie, Savanna, and Mikie, all Boston Terriers, at my mom's house.
Griffen definitely has a personality and he's pretty smart too. I've had so many people ask me what kind of dog he is and I have often wondered myself, so when I heard of DNA testing for dogs, I got right online and found Happy Dog DNA. Everyone tried to guess what breeds he had in him as I waited for the results to get here, and honestly, no one even guessed any, not even myself!

Level 3: Akita
Level 3: Boston Terrier
Level 4: Newfoundland
Level 4: Pomeranian
Level 4: Shih Tzu

Quite an interesting mix, huh? I was thrilled about the Boston Terrier in him, because they are my favorite breed. But regardless of what makes up my little buddy's genetics, I love him like family and he will always be my spoiled Guam dog!

Thanks Happy Dog DNA!
Krista
Lock Haven, PA

Meet Molly, Gabby, and Cooper

2010-08-12T13:05:00.012-04:00

Gabby is a loving, affectionate puppy that will eat anything in site; whether it is a bag of peach o’s, a bug from outside or her Blue Buffalo dog food. Despite her eating habits she only weighs 40 lbs and is very stout. She has a little brother named Cooper who is a 3 year-old Chihuahua and weighs approximately 8.5 lbs. He does not like other people in his territory and is very protective of me and Gabby. They love to run and play tug-a-war together; surprisingly Cooper typically wins the battle but I think it is because Gabby is so careful with him. They have become best buds and cannot stand to be apart.

Gabby (left, chocolate), Molly (right, black)

Molly is Gabby’s newest friend who came to stay with us while her mom was out of town. Gabby and Molly were friends at first sight and immediately began chasing each other around the yard and acting silly. Molly is very affectionate and enjoys being around people and other animals. After months of research the vet determined that Molly was allergic to everything including grass, cats, etc. Despite her allergies Molly has a cat named Shelby that she loves to play with. Molly loves to swim and tends to point at birds, bugs, and squirrels.

Molly & Shelby

At first glance we thought Gabby and Molly might be similar breeds seeing as they are the same size, have the same hair growth and have similar temperaments. Both dogs came from animal shelter so we never really knew what they were. A co-worker mentioned that he had his dog tested to determine his dogs breed so we thought it would be interesting to find out if Gabby and Molly were of similar breeds.

Here are the results:

Molly - 5 Years Old

Molly:

Level 2: Golden Retriever
Level 4: Basenji
Level 4: Chow Chow
Level 4: Shih Tzu

Gabby - 1 Year Old
Gabby:

Level 2: Labrador Retriever
Level 3: Irish Setter
Level 4: Australian Shepard

Cooper - 3 Years Old

Cooper:

Level 1: Chihuahua
Level 4: Golden Retriever
Level 5: Belgian Tervuren

The results for Cooper and Molly surprised us. We thought Molly might be a Border Collie mix of some sort but we never expected Golden Retriever or Shih Tzu. Her looks closely resemble that of a Basenji and we can also see the Chow Chow. As for Cooper, the Golden Retriever and the Belgian Tervuren were a complete shocker seeing as those are large breeds and he weighs 8.5 lbs. Gabby’s results were not surprising at all. She has the personality of a lab, the coloring and ears of the Irish Setter, and the body size of an Australian Shepard.

Thank you!
Lauren
Dallas, TX

[Note from Happy Dog DNA: Please note that at Level 1 Chihuahua, Cooper's results mean that he is at least 75% Chihuhua and the Level 4 and 5 breeds are less than 20% of the other breeds which means they were likely present in past generations. He sure looks like a Chihuahua! Thanks for sharing their stories and the results!]

Meet Phoebe

2010-07-24T15:16:00.004-04:00

Meet Phoebe: 8 months old.

Level 2: American Staffordshire Terrier
Level 3: Boxer
Level 4: Chow Chow

Miss Phoebe's a happy little puppy who lives right near the water. She absolutely loves the beach and going swimming. Very social and incredibly loving... with both dogs and humans. She is very intelligent, and picks up tricks on the second of third try, she can even read her name when presented two different words!

Her results were not a surprise at all, except for the chow chow. The 2 odd things about her results are they don't explain her very small size, considering all 3 of those breeds are fairly large. She's about 8 months old, but most people still think she is about 3 months old. Also, she absolutely loves the beach, swimming, and anything to do with the water. Her feet are webbed, yet none of these breeds explain her love for the water, and her great ability to swim. If anyone has any insight on this please feel free to comment!

Thanks Happy Dog DNA!

Austin
Charleston, SC

P.S. Phoebe was a rescue from our local shelter. Only the best dogs come from the shelters!

Meet Emma

2010-06-15T10:03:00.002-04:00

We recently adopted a "Yellow Lab mix" from a rescue in Cincinnati. Emma is 7 months old and ready for action... any time! Being a Lab Mom in the past, I was curious about Emma... she looked a little "Lab-like" but didn't act it so much. We sent in the swabs and lo and behold... NO LABRADOR IN HER! Results showed:

Level 2: German Shepherd Dog
Level 2: Golden Retriever

Well, that explained a lot - and will make a big difference in how we train her! Though part of me wished the paper read "Labrador Retriever", we are lucky to have found a loving girl that will become a loyal part of our family!

Thanks!!
Missy
Columbus, OH

Petey

2010-06-13T08:13:00.004-04:00

This is Petey… He is a wonderful dog and everything his profile said on the DNA test is right on. He is protective of me and always wants the most attention he can have. I, as well as all my co-workers, were amazed that he has golden retriever and ridgeback!

Level 2 – American Staffordshire Terrier
Level 2- Bulldog
Level 4- Golden Retriever
Level 5- Rhodesian Ridgeback

This has truly been an exciting experience to do the DNA test and get the results… I will highly recommend this, as well as your wonderful company, to anyone! Plus, the doing the test is SO EASY! It’s definitely worth the money! Thank you again!

Jessica
Huachuca City, AZ

Dog DNA on NPR - Dovekie, aka Sasquatch

2010-06-07T20:59:00.003-04:00

NPR's All Things Considered ran a cute story today about a dog of mystery, a dog that has grown up to be something very different from what the owners originally thought they were getting. Dovekie, named for a seabird with similar colorations, looked quite a bit different from his puppy siblings which means there might have been more than one sire for that litter. In other words, even when you "know" what breed the father is, perhaps you don't.

You can read or listen to the story here. NPR will reveal the DNA test results tomorrow. What do you think?

Mason

2010-06-05T17:04:00.004-04:00

We adopted Mason from an SPCA in Virginia, having no clue what he could be mixed with. As he grew, it became obvious he had lots of Boxer in him, but we were always curious where the long (and shed crazy) hair came from. He loves to rough house, chase balls and snuggle as close as possible. Mason rarely barks and joyfully welcomes visitors. He's been a joy and we are happy to know his ancestry!

Our results revealed:

Level 2: Boxer
Level 4: Borzoi
Level 4: Chow Chow
Level 4: Golden Retriever
Level 4: Basset Hound

Mason's just an awesome dog!!!

Traci
Schwenksville, PA

Hawkins

2010-06-04T13:11:00.004-04:00

We adopted Hawkins 3 years ago from the animal shelter. We constantly get asked if he and his sister, Corey [see below], are related but after testing both dogs we can positively say there is no relation whatsoever. Hawkins is 65 pounds and has 1 blue eye and 1 brown eye so we always presumed he was part Siberian Husky, but the other results were a big surprise, since they are all long haired breeds.

This was a wonderful experience and I am recommending your services to everyone I know with mixed breed dogs. Thank you so much. This was a lot of fun.

level 2: Siberian Husky
level 4: Afghan Hound
level 4: Shetland Sheepdog
level 5: Border Collie

Yours truly,
Anita
Charleston, West Virginia

Corey

2010-06-03T15:41:00.004-04:00

We found our little girl, Corey, at the animal shelter with her litter of sisters 4 years ago. Her sisters were totally black and looked like mini Rottweilers so we always presumed that was her dominant breed. What we couldn't figure out was the curly hair on her back, the curly tail, and the color markings on her face and body. After receiving the results we were very surprised that her highest level of DNA was Italian Greyhound. That must be from several generations back. What's interesting is I can see a Rottweiler forehead and a terrier snout.

Thank you for the results and wonderful customer care. The results were very informative for both Corey and her brother, Hawkins, who we also tested.

level 2 Italian Greyhound
level 4 Chow Chow
level 4 German Shepherd Dog
level 4 Parson Russell Terrier
level 4 Rottweiler

Yours truly,
Anita
Charleston, West Virginia

Barkley

2010-05-26T09:58:00.005-04:00

We adopted Barkley in Oct of 2006 from Labs4rescue. We wanted a second Lab. But soon we suspected there was something different about Barkley. For one, he had a longer snout then our other lab, and this strangely curly tail that we could not figure out. More so in our yard, he was not at all interested in retrieving anything, but would rather scout the perimeter and patrol in case, well, any unsuspecting tiny furry creature dare to walk onto his turf. He is especially alert since our son was born. So we figured German Shepherd/lab, maybe hound mix. He loves to "track". I must say i was shocked when I got the results, he is surely a lab mix I thought, after all he looks mostly like one.

Barkley's results :

Level 3: German Shepherd Dog
Level 4: Boston Terrier
Level 4: Chinese Shar Pei
Level 4: Dalmatian
Level 5: English Springer Spaniel
Level 5: Parson Russell Terrier

No Lab at all!

He is such a gentle, loving protective soul. He has a place with our family forever.

Thanks for the quick delivery too! This has been alot of fun!

Sincerely,
Mike and Jill
Southbury, CT

Marlee

2010-05-20T10:35:00.003-04:00

Dear Happy Dog,

This is our second dog tested by Happy Dog DNA. Our mixed breed, Apollo, was tested last May and our results are posted on your site. We recently adopted another puppy--we now have three. Marlee joined us after a visit to a local animal rescue. When we saw her striped face, we couldn't resist. The only information offered about her was that her Mom appeared to be a black lab mix. We made a lot of guesses about her parentage, and most were wrong. As we watch her grow (and change), we can see bits and pieces of each breed emerging. Here are her results:

Level 3: Labrador
Level 3: Shar Pei
Level 4: Boston Terrier
Level 4: German Shepherd
Level 4: Maltese
Level 4: Poodle

Here are pictures for your viewing pleasure and amusement! She really is a clown!

Jim, Pat, and Marlee

Payton

2010-05-15T15:03:00.004-04:00

Hi Happy Dog DNA,

I just wanted to say that I am so happy I ordered your Canine DNA test kit, my curiosity over the last 1-1/2 years was driving my husband mad and know I know!

We adopted Payton at 8 weeks old from a Rescue Shelter and knew he was a Labrador Retriever Mix. As Payton grew I would tell my husband he's a Lab/Pit mix or a Lab/Bulldog mix, or a Lab/something mix. Each time I came home from the dog park, I was convinced Payton was a different breed from the previous visit.

I came across your website when researching Canine DNA test on the web and let me tell you my husband said "DNA tests are such a scam!" But I ordered your DNA swab kit anyway. The kit is very easy to use and Payton's results arrived in four weeks.

Both my husband and I were SURPRISED at the results...

Level 2: Labrador Retriever
Level 2: Rhodesian Ridgeback

WOW! The Lab we knew. But what is a Rhodesian Ridgeback? After doing some research on the RR breed, we were able to see the breed physical and personality characteristics.

Thank you Happy Dog DNA. I know have fulfilled my curiosity and my husband has peace again (and a believer of Canine DNA tests).

Check out pictures of Payton as he has grown and you will see both the Lab & RR in him.

Thanks again!

Diane & Tom
Orland Park, IL

American Staffordshire Terrier - new!

2010-05-12T15:34:00.002-04:00

Good news for all of our customers asking about AmStaff mutts: American Staffordshire Terrier was recently added to the dog DNA breed list bringing the number of certified breeds to 64 which makes up over 92% of the USA dog population.

Check out the new breed list here.

Happy Dog DNA, helping you get to know your pet a little better.

Sophie

2010-05-01T10:17:00.008-04:00

Happy and shocked about our DNA results!!

We recently had a DNA test done on our super-mutt Sophie! We were sure she was a Siberian Husky/Greyhound Mix. Our results were:

Level 1: Labrador Retriever
Level 4: Yorkshire Terrier
Level 5: Dachshund!!

We were shocked but now it makes perfect sense! She loves water; but has no idea she is 85 pounds! She loves to cuddle and is velcro on me anytime I am sitting down! We could not be more pleased!

Thanks Happy Dog DNA!! Please feel free to post this on your blog. She would love the publicity : )

Kristen M.,
Little Rock, AR

Zion

2010-04-28T10:04:00.007-04:00

Ever since we got Zion from the NV animal shelter, we have always wondered about her true heritage. The shelter listed her as a 4 month old Rottweiler mix. We thought the coloring looked correct for the breed, so we went with it for 7 months. Fortunately, I found your product and was ecstatic that it would be so affordable to solve her mystery. Zion's results were:

Level 1: Boxer
Level 4: Bernese Mountain Dog
Level 5: Greyhound

We were blown away by the results, yet they were RIGHT on! All of her habits, nuances, and body type now make sense, and her hair color explained. She even has a perfect inverted cross on her chest like the Bernese Mtn Dog should, which we thought was just a cute marking up until then. Never would we have guessed that we got an almost purebred dog from the pound! Zion is an amazing dog and constantly uses her paws to play (like a boxer), yet can be a bit timid at times. Now whether that is the Greyhound in her, or its the side effect of being a pound puppy is still a mystery, but now we are confident when people ask what breed she is due to your test. We have told everyone we know about your test kits and will be ordering more for our other pound puppy Tahoe (tan German Shepherd mix), and our Husky, Hudson. Thank you for the entertainment and we will be back for more!

Ellen - Las Vegas, NV

Bear

2010-04-25T13:30:00.003-04:00

Bear came to us as a foster puppy from a local rescue group. She was found abandoned at a dump so there was no history on her. All we knew about her was that she had blue eyes and was labeled a husky mix. We recently lost both of our purebred huskies to old age and illness, so we jumped at the chance to foster her. But from the moment we picked her up we started to doubt that she was part husky. Aside from the blue eyes, none of her personality traits matched our other dogs. However, her characteristics were so new to us and so uniquely charming that we eagerly adopted her within days.

As we did research we became increasingly convinced that she was predominately a Border Collie. That theory was buoyed when we received her vet records from the rescue group and she was labeled a collie mix. But when I took her out for her daily run, the consensus among random strangers was that she was a husky. In fact, they generally declared that she was a husky without even asking. On her first trip to our local vet they asked her breed for their records and I proudly declared, "Border Collie." They laughed and disagreed saying maybe she was a Malamute, but certainly not a Border Collie.

Given this daily debate, we had to do a DNA test to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

Her results are:

Level 3

Siberian Husky
Irish Setter
Rottweiler

Level 4

Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Very surprising results, but they do make sense given her herding traits and her high level of energy. Thanks for clearing up the great mystery!

Holly B.
Eagan, MN

Zoey

2010-04-20T15:21:00.007-04:00

Received Zoey's Ancestry Analysis and we were very surprised at the results. Attached are two pictures of Zoey at about 4 months old. We had been told that she was Norwegian Elkhound/Rat Terrier mix. You confirmed the Elkhound, but the analysis indicated a mix of four Level 3 breeds:

Level 3 Beagle
Level 3 Boston Terrier
Level 3 Chihuahua
Level 3 Norwegian Elkhound

I guess the fact that she is related to the Taco Bell Chihuahua explains the ears. Zoey is very sweet and affectionate, loves to be petted, but doesn't like to be left alone. When that happens, she will often leave a "scented package" for us, on the carpet.

Please note, the dog below was not tested:

Wish that your service had been available for our previous dog, whose 2 pictures are also attached. We got Webster when he was 9 weeks old and weighed about 5 pounds. We were told that he was a cocker/shi-tsu mix, but when he matured at 61 pounds, we knew that was not right. Webster was a beautiful animal that our vet thought might be golden retriever/afghan hound mix -- he loved to fetch balls. Unfortunately Webster had a genetic disorder that caused him to produce bladder stones; he was surgically fixed to allow him to pee like a female. But Webster died at age 7 from a liver disease.

Susan H.
Annandale, VA

Sophie

2010-04-16T14:09:00.003-04:00

Hi Happy Dog DNA,

I just got the results for my dog Sophie and wanted to share my results/comments for your blog, I’ve also attached a picture of her.

When I bought my dog Sophie I was told she was a Maltichon – a bichon frise mixed with a maltese but she really didn’t look like a maltichon (short, straight hair, long nose) plus she sheds a fair amount and bichon/maltese mixes generally have very minimal to no shedding, so I decided to do the DNA test for my own curiosity. I received my results and she’s:

Level 2 Bichon Frise
Level 3 Pekingese
Level 5 Rottweiler

I find the Pekingese and Rottweiler dna hard to believe as Pekingese are also non-shedding and have very flat faces and long hair and the Rottweiler dna??? She’s 6 lbs and white lol… but I was happy to see she’s mostly Bichon Frise even though she doesn’t have the Bichon hair.

I do want to mention the service I received from Brett at Customer Service was by far one of the best experiences I have had when dealing with an online company. Thanks Brett!

Shauna,
Fisher Branch,
Manitoba, Canada

Thanks for the kind comments, Shauna. The Level 5 (low percentage) result indicating Rottweiler is likely the result of very small traces of a breed that is not in our database. The DNA analysis software will assign unidentified breeds to the next closest DNA match.

Boli

2010-04-14T11:47:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to take a minute and tell you about Boli. My family and I were recently stationed in Guam the beginning of this year. My children wanted a puppy really bad prior to coming here, I told them if they could wait until we got settled in down here that we would get them one. Well we got settled in and went to the pound here and started looking for a dog. We already had a name picked out and (my kids picked it out), then we came across Boli. She was in there with 4 other pups all from the same litter.

Guam has a major overflow of homeless dogs here, called "boonie dogs". It's sad so they had a lot to choose from. When we came across Boli she immediately stood out from the rest of them in her litter. She was only 8 1/2 weeks old but already sat and stayed on command and she loved my children. We didn't know what her name was or even her gender when we made the decision to get her, we then read her chart and found out she was a girl and her name at the pound was Bali, with an A! My kids had picked out the spelling so we changed the one letter to an o and brought her home a few days later. She's a wonderful dog and fits in great with out family. I would never have guess what she was in a million years, we were thinking lab of some sort. Her results came back with:

Level 2 Schnauzer
Level 3 German Shorthaired Pointer
Level 4 Irish Setter
Level 4 Saluki

After reading up on the breeds I think she gets most of her personality from the Schnauzer and looks like the Pointer. It was great to find this out. Thank you so much. If I get another dog in the future I will definitely use you guys again!

Jessica
Yigo, Guam

Maggie May

2010-04-10T19:57:00.007-04:00

Well, obviously Maggie May is a pug. We (my boyfriend and I) bought the DNA test kit from HappyDogDNA.com to see if she was mixed with another breed because she doesn't have a full mask and the signature black ears and she is also taller and leaner/longer than most pugs we've seen. Because of this, and some internet searches, we thought she might be part Boston Terrier (Bugg).

Her results came back (fairly quickly, we should add) as Level 1 Pug.

Interestingly enough, we did some research and found out that there are rare white pugs that, though not recognized by the AKC, are purebred. We're not jumping to any conclusions, but the similarities in mask and ear color are interesting.

Bottom photo: Maggie with her best friend, Molly (my mom's pug--note the obvious pug features)

Thanks for everything, Happy Dog DNA!

Chelsea
Brandon, FL

Tihati

2010-04-08T10:58:00.003-04:00

We did receive your 7 breeds and are amused.

Poodle, Level 3
Siberian Husky, Level 4
Pomeranian, Level 4
Newfoundland, Level 4
Labrador Retriever, Level 4
Chinese Shar-Pei, Level 4
Australian Shepherd, Level 5

She's a very active 14-yr-old; looks most like the Shepherd but 35 lbs, has the buggy eyes and reddish fur (but shorter) of the Pom. It's as soft as mink. Her personality has many of the characteristics of the Poodle and Shepherd. Her main thrill in life is to hunt/kill rats, chickens, ducks and mongooses (we only let her kill rats), and chase bouncing balls. She loves her 5x weekly 4 to 5 mile uphill/downhill walks. Only goes in the water if she's chasing a duck.
Sweet, gentle, intelligent, easy to train, and anxious to please. Loves to be around us.

Ginger,
Honolulu, HI

Marley and his fundraising birthday party

2010-04-05T11:13:00.009-04:00

We appreciate you getting Marley’s test results back to us in time for his birthday party. Our family and friends had a lot of fun with the lottery and we raised $200.00 for our local animal shelter – The Richmond SPCA. My employer matches charitable donations two-for –one so they donated $400.00 for a grand total of $600.00 in honor of Marley (a Richmond SPCA alumni!!!).

I’ve attached a .pdf file of the lottery contest that we sent to our family and friends [not included]. Also attached is a Word document with the DNA results, the winner of our contest and a pie chart showing all the breeds that everyone guessed (wide range of guesses!). I also attached two pictures of Marley if you’d like to post them on your website!

West Highland White Terrier: Level 1
Pomeranian: Level 4

Thanks again!

Wendy
Powhatan, VA

(click images below to zoom)

Bella

2010-03-29T12:04:00.005-04:00

Hi Happy Dog DNA,

I wanted to tell you a little about my dog Bella, and also the results from her DNA test! To make a long story short, Bella was a dog-sitting job that was supposed to be for a weekend, but turned into forever. Of course I wouldn't have it any other way. She is my best friend and I can't imagine what my life would be like without her.

I always knew she was a lab mix, I just never knew what she was mixed with. I have to say, the results from the test totally blew me away! Her results were:

Level: 3 Afghan Hound
Level: 3 Labrador Retriever
Level: 4 Boxer
Level: 4 Poodle
Level: 5 Basenji
Level: 5 Greyhound

Wow, the two breeds I never in a million years would have guessed would be Boxer and Basenji. When I read about the Basenji on your website, I learned that they groom themselves like cats, and Bella has always done that! I always thought it was just a weird habit of hers, but now I see that it comes from way back in her ancestor's heritage!

This test was so fun and interesting, and I'm happy to now know where some of her personality traits come from. (I'm also guessing the reason she is so smart is cause she is both Poodle and Lab!) Anyway thanks so much for a great and affordable product, Bella and I are both very pleased!

The Grahams
Johnstown, PA

Jade

2010-03-23T12:11:00.005-04:00

Hello,

This is Jade, we adopted her from the Irvine animal shelter in July of 2009 when she was a little over a year old. Jade was labeled as a "third chance dog" which means she was adopted and returned twice and had a third chance to find a home. We immediately fell in love with her! She is so sweet and loving and just wants to be a people-pleaser. Besides who could resist those gentle eyes and big beautiful ears!! We were told that she was, what else but a German Shepherd mix. We all guessed that she was a German Shepherd (ears and body shape), Dalmatian,(coloring) and some black spots), Labrador ( she has webbed feet) and maybe some Bull Terrier or possible Akita (my guess). Her DNA results identified her as a blend of:

German Shepherd - Level 2
Irish Setter - Level 4
Australian Shepherd - Level 5
English Springer Spaniel - Level 5
Parson Russell Terrier - Level 5

We were so surprised by these results!

Jade has brought so much joy to our lives, we could not have asked for a better friend and companion!!

I would also like to thank you for your excellent customer service. I had accidentally placed an order for two kits within minutes of each other. You immediately thought it was odd and e-mailed to ask if it was an error. You assured me that I would only receive and be billed for one kit. It is very refreshing to have such exceptional customer service!!!!

Thank you again for a fun experience

Sincerely,
The Legere Family
Mission Viejo, CA

In The News - Lilly

2010-03-23T09:57:00.004-04:00

Sue Green fostered Lilly after she was rescued from a hoarder and eventually adopted her after a lengthy court fight.

Sue guessed that Lilly was mostly Poodle, with Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier. It turns out her guess was almost perfect since her dog DNA test results showed she was mostly Poodle with small amounts of Chihuahua and West Highland White Terrier. Impressive indeed.

Read her story and watch the video WTSP's website: Lilly in the news.

Bailey

2010-03-17T12:50:00.004-04:00

Hi,

Thank you so much for the DNA results on our dog, Bailey Blue. We adopted Bailey over 4 years ago, and were told he was a Shepherd/Husky mix. We have always been curious as whether that was true or not.

Bailey has brought us great joy, and makes us laugh every day with his crazy antics!

His DNA results are as follows:

Level 2 Rottweiler
Level 3 Bull dog
Level 4 Maltese
Level 5 Beagle

Thanks again,
Cyndi and Joe
Bethany, CT

Bella

2010-03-15T11:06:00.005-04:00

Hi www.HappyDogDNA.com,

We got our results back about Bella and I thought you may want to hear them and about her. I am actually from Knoxville [Happy Dog DNA's home town]. My husband is in the Air Force so it brought us to Fort Walton,FL. He already had a dog when we got married and i wanted one for myself so i adopted Fancy from a shelter. Not long after i was helping my best friend look for a dog on petfinder and i saw Bella. She was so adorable and so unique I just had to have her. We have wondered since we got her what she is so I finally did this test. She is our little baby.

Level 3: Boxer
Level 3: Bull Terrier
Level 3: Chow Chow
Level 4: Beagle
Level 4: Chihuahua

Thanks,

Rebecca
Navarre, FL

Dizzy

2010-03-12T14:51:00.006-05:00

Dear Happy Dog DNA!!

I am AMAZED at the results of my dog "Dizzy"!! Shocked!!

I got her just short of a year ago and she had been in a rescue shelter for over 4 years. At age 7, she had just given up. Skin and bones and not the greatest personality and most of her teeth worn down to nothing from chewing on the metal bars. I had gone to the shelter, Canine Adoption and Rescue League of Ventura County (www.carlvc.org) with interest in another dog, but one look at her with those giant ears and I knew she needed me..so off we went.

In the last year she has blossomed into a loving and friendly dog who loves to greet people on her walks and loves to be pet. Although she still is not a fan of many other dogs, with the exception of male pit bulls twice her size!! (She likes bad boys..just like me!!)

It has been a parlor game to guess her breed mix for the last year and we were ALL losers!! I can't get over the results and am so excited about it..all I can say is "WHO KNEW"!!

Level 2: Bulldog
Level 2: Chow Chow
Level 4: Parson Russell Terrier
Level 5: Boston Terrier

Thanks for giving me the biggest shock in ages!!

Thanks again and now I know what everyone is getting for Christmas next year!!
Amanda Duchow

Priscilla

2010-03-10T12:36:00.011-05:00

This is my second time using your doggy DNA testing. My first furbaby is Elvis. He is posted on the blog in 2009.

We were intrigued about what Priscilla might be. We however had to wait a little longer to splurge on extras for her because we first had to conquer her heart worms. We got Priscilla in June of 2009. She is unique in that she has a brown spot above her left pupil and a brown spot below her right pupil on her blue eyes. Everyone thinks she looks a bit cockeyed at first then they give her a second glance.

Siberian Husky: Level 2
German Shepherd Dog: Level 4
Boxer: Level 5

When we took her for her physical and shots we found out she was heart worm positive and at that moment we had 2 difficult choices. We chose the more expensive but well worth it choice. She is now happy, healthy and completely heart worm free.

She has then energy of a toddler and more abundant love than any dog I've ever met. Elvis and Priscilla are such a match. They cannot be without each other. I am attaching a couple pictures with just Priscilla and a couple with both Elvis and Priscilla. We just recently got to enjoy 12.5 inches of snow in North Texas and they had quite a blast on their first real snow day we've spent together.

Their dad is currently in Iraq and will be home in 2 short months. I know I have attached a lot of photos. We are extremely proud parents of our amazing, wonderful furbabies. We look forward to many, many more years with our babies. They will be coming with us to Germany this fall. I am looking forward to many photo opportunities there. As of their February Vet visit they are both extremely happy and healthy. Elvis is now 65 pounds and Priscilla is 58 pounds.

Thank you so much for your affordable and professional service.

God bless you all!

The Dicksons
Waxahachie, TX

Dudley

2010-03-09T09:52:00.004-05:00

This is Dudley, he is about 12 years old now, he has been with me for 11 of them. I have always called him the happiest bundle of dna I've ever met. And like a lot of the dogs here, everyone sees something different. Here is what we got back:

level 4: Airedale Terrier
level 4: Boxer
level 4: Dachshund
level 4: Doberman Pinscher
level 4: Maltese
level 4: Weimaraner

I see the Dachshund, but never picked out any of the other breeds for him. He is a wonderful mix for sure.

Sandy,
Seattle, WA

Thanks for sending the photos, Sandy. When there are so many breeds detected at low levels (really mixed mutt), it's very difficult to visually detect any one breed but sometimes the breeds are more evident in the dog's behavior.

Kennedy

2010-03-07T21:47:00.002-05:00

We got Kennedy from the local humane society when she was 4 years 2 months old. She had been there for 8 months prior after being dropped off by her owners because they couldn't afford to keep her. When my son and I saw her she was howling like a wolf. I thought maybe she was part husky or malamute. We were told she was a German Shepard/mix. Well I was curious about her DNA after we had her for awhile as she was smart, loving and thought she was a lap dog!

She had the tail of a husky and the face of a hound, yet she like to wrangle other dogs by barking near their tail to get them to move. Plus she had a regal quality and was a fast runner. So needless to say we were surprised at the first result. We laughed that she was part Weiner dog even though she was 49 pounds! But after we heard that, and the other results, she finally made complete sense. What a great mix she is!

Her DNA findings:

Level 3: Dachshund
Level 3: Shetland Sheepdog
Level 4: Poodle
Level 4: Saluki
Level 4: Siberian Husky

Thanks for the fun results!

The Mortimer Family
Huntington Beach, CA

Toby

2010-03-03T10:07:00.006-05:00

Hi,
This is Toby.

I was looking for a companion in March of 1998 at the Jackson County, Illinois Humane Society .

I met Toby but thought he was too big. I came back a week later and they told me that though they were "no kill" he was running out of time because he was being kept in a run by himself, due to his habit of knocking down other dogs and sitting on them. I could tell he was not mean...and he was the only dog that did not jump or bark ..he just sat and looked me in the eye ...so I thought big or not he was coming home.

He has lived with me since then in a large fenced back yard with a dog door into the house. Toby is an amazingly well behaved dog and is gentle and friendly with people. You could not ask for a better companion. Due to his size and appearance he is also a good watchdog.
Who would risk a tussle with him...? But he would not hurt anyone. I have seen him carry possums around the yard and turn them loose and follow them as they amble away.

Last fall he was diagnosed with diabetes and while we were stabilizing the insulin regimen cataracts formed and he became blind. Dr. Ben Johnson of St Louis removed the cataracts the end of January this year. The picture [on table] is the day the post surgery cone came off Toby's neck.

He is about 13 years old now and I don't know how much longer he has ...but he can see and is still happy and enjoys his back yard and keeping me company.

The dna test said he is:

Level 2: Boxer
Level 2: Chow Chow

It is a really good combination. There is a dog in Spain called a Ca De Bo ( a small mastiff ) which looks very much like Toby but is rare in the U.S.

Michael
Carbondale, Illinois

My Three Dogs

2010-02-28T14:20:00.005-05:00

ChiChi
Coal

Bella
The gray dog is Bella and the black dog is Coal. We got them 2 yrs ago from what we thought was a breeder but turned out to be a puppy mill. Bella has a lot of health problems from the puppy mill but Coal does not and he and her were suppose to be brother and sister as you can see they are not.

ChiChi is the tan. We pulled her out by her tail from under a cave in 2004 and was my dad's baby before he died in 2004.

Bella:
Level 2: Schnauzer
Level 4: Poodle
Level 4: Maltese
Level 4: Boston Terrier

Coal:
Level 2: Schnauzer
Level 4: Beagle
Level 4: Poodle
Level 5: German Shorthaired Pointer
Level 5: Keeshond

ChiChi:
Level 3: Akita
Level 3: Pug
Level 4: Belgian Tervuren
Level 4: Chow Chow
Level 4: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

David
Jackson, KY

Lulabelle

2010-02-25T14:19:00.004-05:00

Hi Happy Dog DNA! I wanted to email you guys with the results of my dog's, Lulabelle, DNA.

My friend, my running buddy, my confidante...

We found our Lulabelle at a Central California SPCA adoption center. We had been searching for months for a pup that would be a good match for our family. I saw her picture on their website so we went to meet her. It was love at first sight. Her sweet brown eyes and wonderful demeanor with my young son sealed the deal and she went home with us that night. I found out that she is extremely intelligent, she has been a dream to train. As she started to put on some weight and widen out, I began to wonder what kind of breeds she is. The SPCA had her listed as a Lab/Hound mix, but our vet thought she might be a Pitt Bull/Lab mix. I knew that whatever she is, it wouldn't make me love her any less, but curiosity finally got the best of me. After much anticipation, her "ancestry" turned out to be;

Level 3 Saluki
Level 4 Bichon Frise
Level 4 Border Collie
Level 4 Irish Setter
Level 4 Papillon
Level 4 Poodle

I was floored when I read this! She really doesn't seem to have many traits of any one of the above mentioned breeds, not to mention her extremely short hair and coloring in comparison to them. She does have the speed of a Saluki and/or a Border Collie. She could play ball all day long and likes to get in the water at the lake. Thanks www.HappyDogDNA.com! :-)

The Smith Family
Oakhurst, CA

Pnut

2010-02-23T14:33:00.003-05:00

I rescued Pnut from a neglected home and never knew what breeds he was. By his face, tail and fur we always thought he was yellow lab and pomerainian. The DNA results were completley opposite. At first I thought they were incorrect and switched with another dog, but after reading the traits of the breeds, they were right on!

Poodle Level 3
Bichon Frise Level 3
Doberman Pinscher Level 4
Border Collie Level 4
Basset Hound Level 4
Schnauzer Level 5
Pekingese Level 5

Nicole
McHenry, IL

We at www.HappyDogDNA.com sometimes get emails from customers whose dogs only have a couple of breeds in the mix which makes them look like they are mostly one specific breed or maybe a mix of two breeds. Toffee is a great example of this. But more often we receive emails from owners of dogs that are very mixed with five or more breeds which means the dominant visual characteristics are not obvious at all but sometimes the personality traits come shining through.

Weesach

2010-02-13T17:57:00.005-05:00

Hi -

We recently received your results for our dog…we were definitely surprised by them!
Anyhow…here is Weesach's story for your blogspot and some photos. The first at 1 month, then 4 months and now at 8 months.

My husband and I were house/horse sitting for some neighbors this summer and through some trees we heard what we thought was a dog getting hit by a car on the road. After checking the situation out, we found the most adorable little puppy hiding in the overgrowth and realized that she had literally been tossed out of a window by some horrible, horrible person. Her foot was broken and she was was only a month old... maybe younger. It happened to be my birthday that day so my husband picked her up out of the ditch and handed her to me saying "happy birthday"! Turned out to be a perfect gift!

The vets had been calling her a pit bull/lab cross. She is 8 months old now and has stayed pretty small, although solid and weighs in at 40 pounds! Anyhow, we were certainly surprised at her results which were as follows:

Level 3 - Schnauzer
Level 4 - Boston Terrier
Level 4 - Bull Terrier
Level 4 - Poodle
Level 4 - Rottweiler
Level 4 - Saint Bernard (This one threw us for a loop!)

She has been such a treat and spends most of her day playing with one of our donkeys who loves her….who would have thought since the donkeys are supposed to keep dogs away?! :-)

Thanks again...
Kathy and Martin
Hempstead, TX

Toffee

2010-02-10T14:08:00.004-05:00

Toffee was born on 12/13/2008 with two sisters. Mom was a AKC registered pug. Dad was something resembling a slightly wrinkled terrier or at least that was the description given to the ASPCA when the puppies were dropped at a Houston shelter. The shelter contacted DFW Pug Rescue immediately.

Toffee's sisters were adopted quickly, because they looked like pugs. Toffee, however has the coloring and wrinkled appearance of a pug and a slight underbite, but the body, longer legs and elongated muzzle of a terrier. She sat in foster care for over two months hoping for a home. If she didn't find a home soon, she would run the risk of going back to the shelter. We had recently moved from central Pennsylvania. We knew we wanted to get a dog sometime within the next couple years and I was hoping for a pug because they make good house dogs and are good with children. (We have a young grandson.) The rescue sites mentioned that it often takes some time for puppies or young dogs to appear on their lists, so I signed up for their waiting list. I also checked the box yes that asked if I'd consider a pug mix. We received a call within a week directing us to Toffee's photo on their website. I fell in love with that sad little face at once. She is loving and full of energy. She loves to do tricks and has a very happy personality despite her sad sack look. We love her dearly, she is our baby.

Toffee's DNA results are:

Level 1: Pug
Level 5: Schnauzer

Thank you for all your help!

Cathy
Atascocita, TX

Charlie

2010-02-08T10:21:00.004-05:00

I adopted Charlie from a rescue group and he was labeled a shepherd/lab mix. Since he only grew to be about 50 pounds, he was too small for either of those breeds, so I wondered what else was mixed in there and purchased one of the kits to find out. I was very surprised to get his results back:

Leve 2 - Border Collie
Level 3 - Siberian Husky
Level 4 - Brittany Spaniel
Level 4 - Italian Greyhound
Level 5 - Bulldog

It was fun getting the test results back and trying to figure out what traits he got from each dog.

Thanks,
Julie
Troy, MI

Ramsay

2010-02-04T13:16:00.003-05:00

The results of Ramsay's DNA were:

Level 2 - Schnauzer
Level 3 - Shih Tzu

We got him from Animal-aid of Fort Lauderdale . He was picked up by animal control in Miami and Animal-aid rescued him the day before he was going to be put down which was June 21, 2008. When we went to see him he was completely bald as he had a skin infection so we had no idea what he was going to look like but he has turned out to be a wonderful dog with a great character.

Kind regards,
Jane & David

Hailey Belle

2010-01-14T15:12:00.005-05:00

This is our little Hailey. The Results came back as follows

Level 2: Bulldog
Level 3: Boxer
Level 4: Golden Retriever
Level 5: West Highland White Terrier

Thanks for helping us solve the mystery.

-Ben and Madison

Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief

2010-01-13T22:37:00.006-05:00

The images streaming in of the horrible tragedy of the Haiti earthquake are upsetting and have compelled Happy Dog DNA to do what it can to help. Until the end of the month, we will donate10% of our profits to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for each dog DNA test sold.

Additionally, if you would like to help even more, please select the Buy Now button on our Order page to pay the $5.00 we normally cover for shipping and we will add that to the total donation. We are not a non-profit so you will not be able to deduct your shipping expenses.

Happy Dog DNA Order Page

Sincerly,
Happy Dog DNA

Montag

2010-01-12T13:39:00.008-05:00

Dear Happy Dog DNA,

Thanks for your service, you've really made our new year. Please find below a brief history of our dog Montag for you blog.

Happy New Year,
Petra & Bernard
______________________________

The Story of Montag

My husband and I got Montag in a manner many will be familiar with – from a shelter where he sat in his enclosure trying to be as well behaved as possible while attempting to look smaller than his actual size revealed to be. Walking him on the leash outside exposed his true proportions, but he never pulled, never ran, never once gave an indication of any rambunctiousness in his behavior. He did his best to act like a lapdog – and as a result ended up in our laps.

Montag was given his name by a gentle kid who was volunteering at the shelter and had to write an essay on Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, focusing on the protagonist Guy Montag. While our Montag wasn’t a fireman in any sense of the word he turned out to be good for our humanity.

He showed to be timid but well-natured, adjusting to our lives in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, just wanting to be around us. The shelter thought he had Australian Shepherd in his DNA, but their guess was as good as the one our vet ventured - she suspected he was a blue heeler mix. And nip at our heels he would on occasion – a trait we put down to a herding breed in his make-up. He started to come out of his shell once he had the company of Nimpuc, our younger companion dog. Once Nipmuc showed up in Montags' orbit he became more assertive, huffing and puffing his way through the dog park and across the beach. No sign of Chihuahua in this dog, no sir!

Of course we whiled away some of our time speculating just what characters were masquerading in Montags’ make-up – herding breed for sure, but that big chest, that crazy elongated canter that would explode into a full gallop as soon as he got a bee under his bonnet, his protective and assertive stance when encountering people new to him, his reluctance to have his paws tended to – just what was hiding in this mutts genes? We spanned the arc from Greyhound to Aussie Cattle dog, to German shepherd, to all other sorts of wild and unsubstantiated musings - and a toy breed or two thrown in for good measure and amusement.

We sent Montags’ DNA test to Happy Dog DNA just before Christmas, expecting one of us to be more correct in the assessment of Montags’ background (we even had a wager on the outcome – whoever was farthest off the mark had to cook the next Christmas dinner). Well, what would you have guessed based on that picture? He has turned out to be level 2 Collie and level 2 Rottweiler.

So now we know why at age 14 he is still as fit as a butchers’ dog and as companionable as fleas. Still won’t leave either of our sides, still won’t have his nails trimmed without voicing his dissent, still keeps watch over Nipmuc and the two of us.

Thank you Happy Dog DNA, you provided us with a good surprise (well, my husband had said Collie way back in 2000, but then, what do husbands know?) and context in which to enjoy Montags’ past exploits.

Happy New Year! (and what should I cook for Christmas – ham or turkey?)

Petra & Bernard
Longmont, CO

Angel (Snickers' adopted sister)

2010-01-11T08:28:00.004-05:00

Angel's Ancestry is:

Level 2 - Golden Retriever
Level 3 - Great Dane
Level 4 - Dachshund
Level 5 - Borzoi
Level 5 - Boston Terrier

Here are some pictures of Snickers' (adopted) sister, Angel. She is also 12 years old, and when we adopted her (we are her third home), we were told she was a Shepherd/Lab mix. We always thought maybe she had some Sheltie, and/or possibly Welsh Corgi in her, due to her body shape and rear end, though her markings could have come from Shepherd and her tail from Lab. Anyway, we wanted the real scoop, so after getting Snickers' results, we decided to send in Angel's test. Well, we were quite surprised! Not so much that she has a lot of Golden Retriever (her coloring fits), but the rest of her background is not at all what we would have guessed! Okay, maybe she got her black muzzle from the Great Dane (?), but where on earth did she get those ears?? Gotta love those ears!!

So, thanks, again, for clearing up the mystery of our girls' backgrounds. We have been telling our friends about this, and some of them said they are definitely going to do it. :-)

Terri and Mark
San Diego, CA

Terri and Mark, thanks so much for sending the great photos of your beautiful girl, for buying another test and for spreading the word about www.HappyDogDNA.com!

Tawny

2010-01-06T13:28:00.010-05:00

Thank You!!

I got Tawny this past Nov for free. She was much smaller than any Golden Retriever I had ever seen so I just assumed she was a mix. She was a poor mess and we were her 4th home. In the first 2 weeks I had spent $900 on vet bills.

At her first vet visit I told them she was a Golden Retriever mix. The vet took one look at her and said, "I thinks she's a purebred." I was shocked. I tried to argue with her. There's no way, she's too small. We are always stopped by people saying what a beautiful Golden Retriever puppy we have. I sound like a broken record always saying, "She's not a puppy, she's 1 to 1 and a half." They are always stunned then ask if she's a purebred. One person in disbelief even grabbed her mouth to look at her teeth to verify her age.

Curiosity was killing me and I just had to know, is she or isn't she a mix. I ordered the DNA test the second week in Dec and got the results today. I was actually nervous opening the envelope then stunned and excited at the result. Her result is:

Level 1 - Golden Retriever

Thank you so much. This test has pushed all my doubts aside. I found a diamond in the rough, literally. She is still on the road to recovery but 4th time was the charm for her. I included a photo with her and my 2 year old just to show how petite she is plus one to show how beautiful she is. Thanks again and I will definitely recommend this to everyone I know.

Christina

San Antonio, TX

Thanks so much, Christina, for sending the great photos of Tawny. And thanks for spreading the word about www.HappyDogDNA.com!

Happy Holidays... and Thanks!

2009-12-28T11:10:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-19T09:34:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-16T10:20:00.007-05:00

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

2009-12-12T08:49:00.008-05:00

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

2009-12-03T13:05:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-30T15:28:00.004-05:00

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

2009-11-23T18:07:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-11-16T11:05:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-27T19:13:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-26T08:00:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-10-17T11:46:00.005-04:00

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

2009-10-15T14:20:00.005-04:00

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

2009-09-24T17:55:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-03T10:34:00.008-04:00

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

2009-09-01T16:44:00.004-04:00

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

2009-08-29T16:23:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-08-18T09:51:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-10T10:33:00.005-04:00

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!

2009-06-27T09:30:00.007-04:00

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

2009-06-25T12:55:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-22T15:24:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-07T18:58:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-03T10:58:00.007-04:00

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

2009-06-02T22:08:00.002-04:00

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

2009-06-02T08:55:00.004-04:00

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

2009-05-30T10:10:00.008-04:00

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

2009-05-27T09:18:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-22T10:28:00.004-04:00

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