Got a mutt? DNA test your pup

By Lisa Suhay

Correspondent

There is a dividing line between "pet people" and everyone else that is sharper than the one between die-hard Republicans and Democrats. Nonpet folks shake their heads at animal day-care centers, bakeries for canines and pet massage services.

They will have a field day over the fact that I spent time and money on a DNA test to determine the breeds of our new mutt.

DNA testing for dogs has joined the list of hot specialty services you can get for your pet. Google "dog DNA test" and dozens of companies come up.

Pet lovers would say there are logical reasons to spend anywhere from $50 to a couple hundred dollars to test a mixed breed - it can help give clues to temperament, size (will we need to add a wing to our house?) and health concerns the pet may face.

None of these entered the mix for me, because our family bonds with our animals on that transcendent, unconditional level found in tight-knit clans. The adoption of Wag the dog meant integrating him into our pack, which included figuring out whom our "new baby" takes after.

The 3-month-old pup in question, Wag, has a silky soft, wavy black coat. He has a honkin' set of paws and swims with the long strokes of an Olympian. He weighed 11 pounds at 9 weeks old, and 17 pounds two weeks later.

When I walk him people constantly stop me to ask, "What is that?!"

Journalists have a real love-hate relationship with unanswered questions, and this one turned out to be quite a challenge.

When we adopted Wag from Web of Life Animal Outreach in Chesapeake, they offered a DNA test by BioPet Vet Lab in Knoxville, Tenn., for $50 as part of a new fundraiser for the shelter (www.weboflife animaloutreach.com ).

Science-schmyance! I turned the test down believing I could puzzle it out with the help of Google images and the American Kennel Club breed reference guide. I struck out. The dog matches everything from an American black bear cub to Dorothy's dog, Toto, on steroids.

I went back to Web of Life with my tail between my legs asking for the test.

"We thought it would be a great idea to offer the tests here to get more people to be confident about adopting," said the shelter's secretary, Kelly Becker, "although most people just fall in love with their animal and the tests are just icing on the cake."

Care-a-lot Pet Supply in Virginia Beach offers the same BioPet Vet Lab kit for $59.99. Kathy Nemetz, a breed identification and product specialist who has worked for Care-a-Lot for the past 20 years, recently gave a seminar for customers on the test kits and benefits of canine breed testing in general.

"Guessing a breed is really not as easy as people think, even if you have the whole litter in front of you, because a dog can give birth to one litter from multiple fathers," Nemetz explained.

When Nemetz adopted her pet, Vera Wang, the dog was labeled a "Pekingese mix." But Nemetz knew the dog to be a purebred Japanese Chin and has since had the pooch verified by several breeders.

"I really think these DNA tests are the way to go," Nemetz said, "if only to know you're not crazy when the 'shepherd/lab mix' you got from the pound never gets bigger than 20 pounds, has long hair and hates the water."

According to Kevin Jones, chief scientific officer for BioPet Vet Lab (www.biopetvetlab.com), "There are more DNA differentials in just one breed of dog than in the entire human race, because humans are such an inbred species."

BioPet Vet Lab is a division of EDP Biotech Corp., which is working on human genetics research and testing. Jones said that in September Biotech will introduce a new test to detect bio-markers for stage 1 colon cancer in humans. Doggie DNA was supposed to be a fun sideline, but when it was introduced nationally earlier this year, it took off beyond the company's wildest dreams, he said.

When it was time to test Wag, we held tight to him and swabbed his cheek, then waited a couple of weeks for the results to arrive via e-mail and phone call. (In most cases results are mailed.) I hoped that instead of answering the "What is that?" question with the standard "mutt," I might be able to say with pride, "He's a Schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle)." "Maybe Wag's a "Cocker'nbull pointer." (That would come in handy for a newshound.)

On a recent visit to Pet Supplies Plus in Virginia Beach, I found myself on the wrong end of the question, asking Tanya Cowan the breed of her adorable mixed-breed puppy Ginger.

"She's an American," Cowan shot back. "Just like you and me."

When Wag's results were finally ready, the lab called and said that he's one of the 20 officially recognized "designer dog breeds," a Cadoodle. It's a mixture of collie and poodle, considered valuable because he's got more of the non-shedding, easily trained poodle end of the mix.

It was like finding a Rembrandt at a garage sale.

Lisa Suhay, lsuhays2@cox.net