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So, it turns out I have a half Border Collie, after all!!


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Hey Everyone!!

It has been a long time since I came by here!!  I know things are much quieter than they used to be (darn social media!), but I see some familiar names!!

At one time, I was pretty sure that Tessa was not a Border Collie.  I was convinced that she was an English Shepherd.  She looks ES-y - she has the hobbit feet and all!  Her personality matches the breed description.

But, I decided this past spring to DNA test her, and I was absolutely shocked to find out that she is 1/2 Border Collie!!!

The other side was quite the hodge podge.  Mostly Golden Retriever, some Lab, and a few others!  Really not what I expected.

I am glad she is 1/2 Border Collie, though.  She is "about 13" and is retired now.

So, we have a Border Collie and a half here now!!

 

Tessa Bandit Yard.jpg

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Good to know. Actually, I think it is not unusual for a rough coat to develop "hobbit feet" (or I sometimes call them "Sasquatch feet"). They get worse as they age, but I think many people keep the hair trimmed.

It is so hard to know what goes into a mix. I fostered a cute little B&W dog about a year ago. The new owner just got back to be with the results of the genetic test : BC and Pom. I would NEVER have guessed that, but it was an awesome dog - so maybe a new sport mix trend?  <grin>

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3 hours ago, Michael Parkey said:

She looks great for 13, or really any age.  Which genetic testing company did you use?  We have 11 year old who "looks like" an English shepherd, but we've always wondered.

Actually, that photo is from a couple of years ago, but she hasn't changed much!!

I used Embark.  I was very happy with it. 

Not only did they give us her breed breakdown, but I can see photos of dogs who are related to her that are also in the system!!  Lots of Border Collies!!!!

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2 hours ago, gcv-border said:

Good to know. Actually, I think it is not unusual for a rough coat to develop "hobbit feet" (or I sometimes call them "Sasquatch feet"). They get worse as they age, but I think many people keep the hair trimmed.

It is so hard to know what goes into a mix. I fostered a cute little B&W dog about a year ago. The new owner just got back to be with the results of the genetic test : BC and Pom. I would NEVER have guessed that, but it was an awesome dog - so maybe a new sport mix trend?  <grin>

I did have to trim them recently.  I think she was losing traction on her paws from all the fur.  I trimmed them, and it seemed to help.

Yeah, getting her tested was an eye opening experience.

I think of all those dogs I evaluated for GHF and said, "definitely a Border Collie", or "maybe a mix", or, "no".  How many times was I wrong?!!?  I even got Tessa wrong because when I evaluated her, I said, "full Border Collie", not knowing her personality yet!!  Oh well - all I could have done was make my best guess.

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I am glad you’re happy with Embark. I recently broke down and ordered the Embark test for Hannah and received an email saying they received her swab yesterday. The MDR1 screening is included, as is screening for other genes related to health. It will be interesting to see the breed results and if there is any Border Collie included. To be safe, I kept her separated from my purebred Border Collie for a few hours prior to swabbing. Thank you for sharing Tessa’s results!

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On 8/10/2021 at 5:05 PM, terrecar said:

I am glad you’re happy with Embark. I recently broke down and ordered the Embark test for Hannah and received an email saying they received her swab yesterday. The MDR1 screening is included, as is screening for other genes related to health. It will be interesting to see the breed results and if there is any Border Collie included. To be safe, I kept her separated from my purebred Border Collie for a few hours prior to swabbing. Thank you for sharing Tessa’s results!

You're welcome!!  I'm glad you sent one for Hannah!  It really is fun to find out the results.

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On 8/10/2021 at 2:05 PM, terrecar said:

I am glad you’re happy with Embark. I recently broke down and ordered the Embark test for Hannah and received an email saying they received her swab yesterday. The MDR1 screening is included, as is screening for other genes related to health. It will be interesting to see the breed results and if there is any Border Collie included. To be safe, I kept her separated from my purebred Border Collie for a few hours prior to swabbing. Thank you for sharing Tessa’s results!

So what were the results?

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On 8/19/2021 at 1:15 AM, Dirk CA said:

So what were the results?

Pretty much what I was told. I was told her sire was an Aussie and her dam was an Aussie/Border Collie cross. The only discrepancy is that one of her great-grandparents on her sire’s side was a generic mutt, and the Border Collie on her dam’s side had at least one mutt ancestor going back farther. No surprises, but I am happy to report she is free of MDR1.

029C1755-7A3E-4209-80EE-F56739939108.jpeg

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3 hours ago, terrecar said:

Pretty much what I was told. I was told her sire was an Aussie and her dam was an Aussie/Border Collie cross. The only discrepancy is that one of her great-grandparents on her sire’s side was a generic mutt, and the Border Collie on her dam’s side had at least one mutt ancestor going back farther. No surprises, but I am happy to report she is free of MDR1.

029C1755-7A3E-4209-80EE-F56739939108.jpeg

It's interesting how they can see beyond just the mother and father.

I think I'll do mine at some time. Thanks for the reply!

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18 hours ago, Dirk CA said:

It's interesting how they can see beyond just the mother and father.

I think I'll do mine at some time. Thanks for the reply!

It is interesting to find out the mix. Even though there were no surprises with mine (I wouldn't necessarily expect a mixed-breed to be a strictly purebred-crossed mix), I am still glad I did it. It seems Hannah does have one copy of a gene associated with "lower than average resting  ALT [alanine aminotransferase] activity". That information is helpful to my vet in determining a baseline measurement of ALT, a value used as evidence of liver damage. 

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4 hours ago, terrecar said:

It is interesting to find out the mix. Even though there were no surprises with mine (I wouldn't necessarily expect a mixed-breed to be a strictly purebred-crossed mix), I am still glad I did it. It seems Hannah does have one copy of a gene associated with "lower than average resting  ALT [alanine aminotransferase] activity". That information is helpful to my vet in determining a baseline measurement of ALT, a value used as evidence of liver damage. 

Sounds good.

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