'Explains his huge bark': DNA test answers pet owner's long-wondered question
By Kate Kachor|
Not long after pet owner Helen adopted two small dogs from a Melbourne animal shelter she began fielding a question at her local dog park.?
The Victorian nurse welcomed the energetic balls of fluff, Sassy and Charlie, into her home more than a decade ago. Yet, the same persistent question continues: "Gorgeous dogs, what are they?"
"I adopted both of them from The Lost Dogs Home and they were about one, Sassy wasn't even one," Helen tells 9Honey Pets.
READ MORE: How to house train a puppy to make them as well-behaved as possible?
:contrast(2):saturation(1.04)/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Faa62d9c6-9e0e-4f91-927e-9b9b1c63a570)
Helen was told her new pups are a Maltese cross, terrier mix.?
"Both had really very short fur, but within a year Sassy's fur was down to the ground," she says.
This led Helen to believe Sassy is the Maltese of the duo, meaning Charlie is the terrier.
Yet, he has one characteristic that Helen found perplexing จC his boisterous bark.
She said she would often be at the dog park and someone would ask about the breed of her dogs.
After years of replying with the belief of a Maltese, terrier dog mix, Helen sought a definitive answer and got her dogs' DNA tested with an Orivet kit. And the results were surprising.
"I think Charlie had about six breeds but the main ones were Maltese, chihuahua, Havanese, and the huge breed Hungarian vizsla, which explains his huge bark," she says.
She also says the fact he is part Havanese also accounted for his stubborn nature.
READ MORE: ?Cat outsmarts owner and destroys seemingly unreachable Christmas tree
"Sassy's came back with Maltese, chihuahua, pomeranian and small English sheep dog. So now it's a bit of a point of humour in the park," Helen says.
As well as the somewhat amusing breed mixes, Helen says the DNA results have been invaluable for better understanding her dogs' health and lifestyle needs.
"I didn't think it would. I'm sorry I didn't get it done sooner," she says, adding the results gave an insight into medical concerns and what her dogs are prone to.
What she learned was Sassy had a predisposition to an eye condition, and Charlie had ligament issues.
?"If I'd known this earlier... we used to go on very long walks with little dogsกญ I would have tempered all of that," Helen says.
George Sofronidis, the managing director of Orivet Genetic Pet Care, tells 9Honey Pets the curiosity factor is the key prompt for pet owners to undertake pet DNA tests.
He ?says if you're at the park with your dog chances are someone will ask after the breed.
Yet, without the scientific backing of a genetic test, pet owners are only guessing. Sofronidis calls this a "barbecue bet".
READ MORE: How to know if your dog or cat loves you, according to a vet
He also believes it is not the be-all and end-all focusing on a dog's breed.
Rather, it's important to understand that each dog comes with particular temperaments and the focus should be on understanding those temperaments and requirements.
"Ninety-five per cent of the people want to get it done to understand the breed," he says, adding such a test also looks at potential behaviour.
It can also help with matching dog breeds with an individuals lifestyle.?
"If you're someone who's not very active then getting yourself a kelpie border collier cross is not going to suit," he adds.
"My hope would be to not dismiss the curiosity factor but don't make it the key behind it."
For a daily dose of 9Honey,?subscribe to our newsletter here.
