Laurae Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Hi everyone,I got the results of Sophie's DNA breed analysis in the mail this afternoon. Apparently, despite her physical appearance and temperament, she's not our best guess of a border collie mutt at all...Although she looks like this:according to the Canine Heritage folks, she is a...get ready for it...Yes, the only breed listed for Sophie is chihuahua. Not only is chihuahua apparently the only recognizable breed in Sophie's heritage, but it's listed as the primary breed, which means that her DNA apparently contains more than 50% chihuahua genes.Um, needless to say, I do not buy it. Sophie is 40 pounds and about 20 inches at the withers. According to the AKC, the breed standard for chihuahuas calls for a weight of no more than 6 pounds. Size aside, she shares exactly no features with a chihuahua that I can see. Sophie eats chis for dinner...seriously, she sees some small dogs as prey.They're going to rerun her sample, but they refuse to acknowledge the possibility that they may have inadvertently mixed up her sample with that of another dog. Which is the only explanation I can buy--otherwise, I think they're full of doo doo...she may have some chi in her (who knows?) but it's hardly the primary breed--and especially hardly the only breed...It is a disappointment, albeit a pretty funny one...but I am left with no confidence in this test whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Uh, yeah... I don't buy it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Mom Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Wow, thats one big chihuahua! That test HAS to be off.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Oh, wow. Maybe I won't waste my money after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 OMGosh, how much did you pay for this mistake? This ends any curiousity I had about possibly having Woobie tested, I'm sure he's a mix of mixes and probably wouldn't have any "dominant" breed anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkie Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 ask them to give their chihuahua a test to see if they also have bc genes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted June 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 OMGosh, how much did you pay for this mistake? This ends any curiousity I had about possibly having Woobie tested, I'm sure he's a mix of mixes and probably wouldn't have any "dominant" breed anyway. About $70. Oh well. It's kind of a good thing it was such a ridiculous breed. If the test came back saying something a bit more plausible, say, chow or even lab, I'd have no idea that errors like this could even happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Hmmmmm. On that note, scroll down and click on the link for "Video: Meredith finds out Jasper's DNA." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18037022/ I will refrain from further comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Awww... that's ridiculous! I was hoping to use that test, too, but now I'm not so sure... Let us know if it was a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Well, I think I'd be demanding a refund. I'm sorry, I laughed so hard I cried. I'm afaid I'd be a little skeptical of the whole thing now. Sorry you didn't get any real answers. On a positive note, Sophie is still as gorgeous as ever (whatever she may be). Good luck in resolving the issue with the DNA lab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurie etc Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Yes, the only breed listed for Sophie is chihuahua. ... It is a disappointment, albeit a pretty funny one...but I am left with no confidence in this test whatsoever. Don't feel bad. A friend of mine with a dog that looks, behaves and moves like an Aussie/Husky (or Aussie/Spitz) mix - straight dense medium coat, square head, 2 blue eyes, mostly white with a tan head and tan spots on body, and with a "northern breed" tail set came back as primarily "Poodle" on the DNA test. There is absolutely nothing "poodle like" about the dog at all. Laurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Ummm... Maybe Chihuahua and... um... GIGANTIC flat-coat retriever? Or Great Pyrenees? I watched that video and it seems ridiculous - they say two long-haired breeds producing a dog with a coat like a boxer. And three large breeds producing a small breed? Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pax Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Yanno, I recently read some book that advanced the theory that every human in the world can trace his DNA back to one of seven "mothers". Something to do with mitochondrial DNA and how it follows matriarchal lines. Oh dear. I can't remember the title. Some Old Oxfordian wrote it, I think. For some reason I want to say ""The Seven Faces of Eve"? Something like that. If they can get us humans pegged like that, it doesn't surprise me they could do this, what surprises me is they have enough DNA examples in their database to actually be useful for comparison's sake. I wonder what they'd say about the corgi girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Well, while I was at the Bluegrass I met a couple with two labradodles. They both looked like Irish wolfhounds to me, they were that big and wiry. I never would have guessed anything but Irish wolfhound, and yet they couple had bought them from a breeder as lab x poodle. Now granted, maybe the poodle used was a standard and not something smaller, but it does make one wonder. I suppose it would be possible to have a chihuahua crossed to a much larger breed and have the resulting pups turn out quite large, especially if those "Irish wolfhound" labradoodles were any indication.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pax Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Yanno, I recently read some book that advanced the theory that every human in the world can trace his DNA back to one of seven "mothers". Something to do with mitochondrial DNA and how it follows matriarchal lines. Oh dear. I can't remember the title. Some Oxfordian wrote it, I think. For some reason I want to say ""The Seven Faces of Eve"? Something like that.If they can get us humans pegged like that, it doesn't surprise me they could do this, what surprises me is they have enough DNA examples in their database to actually be useful for comparison's sake. I wonder what they'd say about the corgi girls. ETA: "The Seven Daughter of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry" by Brian Sykes. I love the Internet. It's replacing my brain slowly but surely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted June 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 I suppose it would be possible to have a chihuahua crossed to a much larger breed and have the resulting pups turn out quite large, especially if those "Irish wolfhound" labradoodles were any indication.... If Sophie is half chihuahua, I'll eat my hat. And my coat. It's not only the size--she just shares no traits with a chihuahua. No dome-shaped head, or bulging eyes, or bat ears...yet she shares many traits of a border collie (size, body shape, crouch, to name a few), which apparently could not be traced... I do think she has a lot of Aussie in there, too, and Aussie's aren't on the list, so maybe that screwed up the results. But come on--half chihuahua??? On that note, scroll down and click on the link for "Video: Meredith finds out Jasper's DNA." And Melanie, I cannot get Matt Lauer's voice saying "Owzie Sheepdog" out of my head now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 When I watched the video, I couldn't figure out what he was saying - "Owzee?" What the heck's an "Owzee?" Then I realized that he meant "Aussie". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 If Sophie is half chihuahua, I'll eat my hat. And my coat. It's not only the size--she just shares no traits with a chihuahua. No dome-shaped head, or bulging eyes, or bat ears...yet she shares many traits of a border collie (size, body shape, crouch, to name a few), which apparently could not be traced... I do think she may have Aussie in there, too, and Aussie's aren't on the list, so maybe that screwed up the results. But come on--half chihuahua??? I didn't say you had to buy it, just that stranger things have happened. I guess I'd just be a bit leery of automatically blaming the test if the result isn't what one expected. Maybe a mistake was made, or maybe somewhere along with whatever else is mixed in Sophie there is a bit of chihuahua. Perhaps when the breeds making up the mix in a particular dog are largely breeds for which the company has no data, then the result will be skewed and you get something like chihuahua because that was the only thing they could match (but those sequences might also be present in other breeds, who knows?), and so it's the reporting that needs to be adjusted. At any rate, you're out a few bucks, but doesn't change what she is to you.... J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted June 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 I didn't say you had to buy it, just that stranger things have happened. I guess I'd just be a bit leery of automatically blaming the test if the result isn't what one expected. Maybe a mistake was made, or maybe somewhere along with whatever else is mixed in Sophie there is a bit of chihuahua. Perhaps when the breeds making up the mix in a particular dog are largely breeds for which the company has no data, then the result will be skewed and you get something like chihuahua because that was the only thing they could match (but those sequences might also be present in other breeds, who knows?), and so it's the reporting that needs to be adjusted. At any rate, you're out a few bucks, but doesn't change what she is to you.... J. Oh, I know. I'm really mostly just having fun with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 What I think would be interesting and I've thought about doing it, is to send in a sample from a known pb breed that is on the list and see if they identify it correctly. Or, send in a sample from a known mixed breed made up of two breeds that they test for and see if they identify it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 sorry, another double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Yeah, that would be interesting, Mary. The video that Melanie linked is so ridiculous. Instead of talking about suing pet store owners and breeders, couldn't they have mentioned just getting a shelter dog if you want a mixed breed dog??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clara Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Ya, I was going to test my mix, but then a friend with an agility dog who looks, basically, like a skinny black lab (20", 38lbs, short black hair with white speckled feet, pointy nose) got her test results back as .... Boxer x Shitsu! Whatever. We do have fun calling him a Shitbox though. Could be a new designer breed don't you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Whatever. We do have fun calling him a Shitbox though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Instead of talking about suing pet store owners and breeders, couldn't they have mentioned just getting a shelter dog if you want a mixed breed dog??? EXCELLENT POINT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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