This is me. This is what I look like. I have always thought of myself as a Golden Retriever mix.
This is what I am, though. I am mostly these two things. I am stunned.
And then I am also some of these 2 guys, though not as much as the ones above:
And then I’m a tiny bit of…this:
So my Woman is incredulous, whatever that means. She said that Irish Setters have a reputation for being cognitively challenged. I dunno what that means, either. She’s using big words.
The company my Woman used for my DNA test was BioPet. She picked them because they have the highest level of accuracy. They give their reports in levels. This is the way it works:
Level 1 means the breed listed represents over 75% of the DNA. That dog would probably have a purebred parent.
Level 2 means the breed listed represents 37-74% of the DNA.
Level 3 means the breed listed represents 20-36% of the DNA.
Level 4 means the breed listed represents 10-19% of the DNA.
Level 5 means the breed listed represents less than 10 % of the DNA.
So for me, it’s obvious that I am a true mutt! I have no Level 1 or 2 in me anywhere. The highest level in my ancestry is Level 3. The majority of my DNA comes from an Airedale and and Irish Setter (both Level 3). Then the next-highest amount of my DNA comes from a Golden and a Bull Terrier (both Level 4). And then for spice, I have a tiny bit of a Scotty thrown in (Level 5). The testing company reminds us that we may look like a breed that isn’t very prevalent (like me looking mostly like a Golden), or we may look like a breed that isn’t even in our makeup. And as for behavior, well, I’m a mixed bag. Who the heck knows.
My test took about 10 days, and it was very exciting to get the results! My Woman said some interesting words when she saw the results, and I don’t know what those words mean, either–but it’s still nifty to see where I came from!
Whoa, Dakota! I coulda sworn you were almost pure bred Golden Retriever just like me. In fact, we could be siblings. Go figure!! One thing I was worried about in your DNA testing was if you had any Monkey blood, but it looks like you are clean in that regard – and just plain handsome.
That’s a hoot! I don’t know how much I believe those DNA tests though! My Maggie was tested as German Shepherd (which I knew – her mother was one) and Dachshund! Maggie? With her longggg legs? Hmmmm.
Tracy, Maggie’s Mom
Tracy, I was skeptical until I read more info about the way the genes can work. They point out that genes can randomly express in ways that mean the dog may not resemble any of the breeds they turn up. Do you know what percentage of Maggie was dachshund? The Scotty in Dakota is less than 10%, so it could be only 2%. If Maggie’s dachshund relative was that little, she probably won’t look much like that. But who knows? Either way, it was interesting and entertaining. Now excuse me while I go pet my Airedale! Or Bull Terrier. Whatever.
we agree with ginger, as long as there’s no ‘monkey blood’, then you’re a keeper!!
gayle & charon
Did you know that Irish Setters were bred with 3 other breeds (one which is now extinct!) to make Golden Retrievers, way back when? Very cool!
Dakota is a ‘gem’ in my book. The mix just makes him that much more special.
Maggie’s test may have been done by a different company? Because all they told me was that her grandparents had GSD in them and her great great grandparents had Doxie. When we know her mother was a pure GSD..was weird too!
Hence, why she is just called the AgileCowDog…she did agility and my brother thought she had holstein cow in her based on her tail and her coat and size! LOL
Your test was very detailed compared to mine! But Airedale!??! WOW!
Tracy
Tracy, the Airedale is just so he can act like a snob. And yes, Maggie is a perfect specimen of a GSD-Holstein cross. She’s a very beautiful lady.
😯 Oh My! Any readers interested in such a surprise of their own can get dog DNA test kits here, and read about some surprising results from other members.
Gotta say, there were some surprises in that list !
Doesnt matther though, I think all those things mixed together rather nicely! Handsome dog!
Wow. Who would’ve guessed?! You’ve got Golden dude all over you!! What cool results! Tracing one’s ancestry often yields surprises, doesn’t it? 🙂
You’re still a really really handsome guy!
We did the DNA test on all of our girls, too. And everyone of them had a “what the heck?” in it. Rio ended up being GSD, Whippet (both of which we can totally see), Harrier (a type of foxhound), PUG????, and “Mixed Breed.”
Zephyr, who is built like a Golden, had a brother who looks totally Golden, but is black and tan ended up being Golden Retriever, Flat Coated Retriever, Mastiff???? and “Mixed Breed.”
Tosca, who looks like a gigantic pale Golden, we assumed, had something like Great Pyranees or Wolfhound or St. Bernard. Nope, she’s pure Golden Retriever. I’m certain the technicians reading the test thought “why are these dorks testing their purebred?”.
Still it was fun to find out!
I can definitely see the GSD and Whippet in Rio. She has a whippet snoot, I think. Where did Tosca come from, that you got a Golden without knowing you had one? I want to see a picture of her now!