Dogs give you unconditional love, but is that really good enough for you? Wouldn't it be important to know just how many breeds are represented in your mutt? Or is your "purebred" really that? And maybe you'd love your poodle less if you discovered he had a trace of beagle in his lineage?
Wonder no more!
I met a woman at our local dog park not long ago who had that test done on her dog - her white, fluffy little thing, maybe 5 lbs. It gave her three levels of likely breeds: the most likely level was empty. The second most likely was empty. The third, which had something like a 50% probability, had one breed: Great Dane.
ReplyDeleteHot on the heels of the paternity study, which proved that a fairly large percentage of men who are certain that the kids are theirs are being hoodwinked, we now have a way to test our DOG's parentage.
ReplyDeleteI know a guy with a chocolate lab that has impregnated half of our city. He's gonna wish that that test had never been developed (He's the reason our female was spayed on the DAY of her six month birthday).
On the other hand, if there develops a booming business in doggie paternity suits, maybe a few pet owners would get a tad more responsible?
We can hope.
I almost got one of those for my dog, who is half something like a German Shepherd and half Flying Flapdoodle, near as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteTurns out the DNA tests can't detect the breeds that his vet thinks are his most likely antecedents. So now, whenever anybody asks, I just tell 'em he's a Spotted Georgia Possum Hound, or a Softmouthed Snacktracker, or half Uberanian Goarounder.
OMG - now I've seen everything - we're giving paternity tests to puppies.
ReplyDeleteLooking at getting it for my mutt. Many companies, some with seriously mixed reviews (maybe like the one you put as pic). . I'm getting the one with 100 breeds, some only test for 36 breeds... Gotta pick one that tests for what you think your dog is...,
ReplyDeleteLet's see Maury Povich have fun with that one.
ReplyDeleteJust think of the applications though. Your poodle mauls some innocent child, and your insurance company uses the DNA test to prove that the poodle has DNA in common with a pit-bull. And then uses that information to refuse to cover the inevitable lawsuit.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the other posters are confused. This is a lineage test, not a paternity test. Also, like the first poster's example pointed out, these tests can be inaccurate. Save your $59.95. Yahoo! Answers has a dog section with some regulars who are pretty knowledgeable about their breeds. One could always post a picture of their dog there and see what others come up with. Oh, and if anyone is curious, my guess is the dog in this pic is a Rottweiler (coloring)- Border Collie (ears and muzzle shape) mix.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little bit ashamed at how many folks I know who have used one of these tests.
ReplyDeleteI had heard of a sign posted in some front yard saying "Free puppies. Half cocker spaniel, half sneaky neighbor's dog."
ReplyDeleteMarco
Maybe doggie DNA testing will help us who really killed Nicole Simpson.
ReplyDeleteIf it was accurate it would be nice for those people that have mixed breed dogs that are wondering what the heck is in the mix. But it seems to me that a good vet or someone knowledgeable about dog breeds could tell you at least as much if not more.
ReplyDeleteI hate these tests. I have had clients request them for their dogs in an effort to get homeowner's insurance, though - if the insco thinks their dog is a "pit bull," but the genetic test comes back "fox terrier" and "labrador," that's helpful for them.
ReplyDelete