Candy's Results!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?