We Had Our Dog DNA Tested (Don't Judge!)

From the time little Shelby first came into our lives, we were puzzling over what breed she was. 




As a puppy, everyone seemed to compare her to a King Charles Spaniel...



...so we went with that. King Charles Spaniel mixed with...something else. But over a dog's life, you'll be asked countless times, "What breed is your dog?" It's annoying when you don't have a good answer. Plus, the older she got, the less she had that smushy King Charles face. Her nose was way too long.



So finally, as she approached her eighth birthday, I decided to do something crazy. I got one of those DNA tests and swabbed her. The results?



Not a King Charles Spaniel in the entire chain! One parent was a Cocker Spaniel, which is this:



Her other parent was a Jack Russell Terrier mix mixed with a Chow Chow mix. The DNA test breaks it down with a handy-dandy lineage chart:



Basically, she's a whole bunch of breeds all in one. If you're thinking about DNA testing your pets, the process was super easy. The kit arrived in the mail, I swabbed the inside of her mouth, and then I sent the kit back. Within a couple of weeks, the results arrived via email. It was about $100...was it worth it? It could have identified health risks, if they'd shown up on her DNA markers, so yes.

Plus, if it gives me an answer to this question:



It's worth every penny!