Many owners are surprised by the results of their dogs’ DNA tests.
Photo via al.com
An interesting article on al.com yesterday highlights the increasing popularity of DNA tests for dogs. Lots of folks, like me, have mixed-breed pups about which we know very little. My dog, Pedey, was picked up as a stray. We can tell that he’s a mix of a Poodle and some sort of terrier, but we can’t say which kind. As the article notes, there are services that can help:
Rod Walker and his wife, Kathy Chahrouri, were just curious. Just exactly what was their mixed-breed dog, Rosie? Rosie has a wonderful temperament; she’s calm and friendly. Not too nervous around strangers.
“I thought she was probably part German Shepherd,” Walker said. “Her feet and the color of her coat is German Shepherd.”Walker and Chahrouri paid about $70 to Wisdom Panel and received a home DNA kit. They were to collect two swabs inside Rosie’s mouth, then return the specimens to Wisdom Panel.
A couple weeks later, they had the results — and a big surprise.
I had always heard that these tests are unreliable, but the article argues that the tests have improved a lot in recent years. What do you think?
I did the Wisdom Panel test with my dog Lucy. I don’t know how accurate the test is, but I can see traces if each breed they said she was in her. They give you a nice full report that tells you the characteristics of each breed.