Rich Anderson, director of the Peggy Adams Animal
Rescue League, found out that his pooches Rex and
Roxie are a mix of Chihuahua annd Yorkie. Photo provided
By Arden Moore
Each February, more than 185 different breeds vie for Best in Show honors at the prestigious Westminster Show sponsored by the American Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I suspect many of you will be rooting for your favorite breed (my vote goes to the yet-to-win Pembroke Welsh corgi) as you tune into this two-day televised event.
Last year, a Scottish deerhound named Hickory reigned as top dog. In the days that followed, searches for Scottish deerhound spiked on Google and other search engines.
But any time is a good time to champion the cause for the true all-American breed — the marvelous mutt, the canine cocktail.
A friend of mine playfully refers to dogs of mysterious lineage as “who’s-your-daddy-who’s-your-momma” dogs. Thanks to advance in veterinary medicine and the completion of the canine genome project, we now can identify most dogs’ family trees using easy-to-use DNA identification kits.
Not sure if your lovable mutt is a melody of bichon frise and miniature poodle or a beautiful blend of shih tzu and Norwich terrier? You can find out for certain — and benefit the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in the process.
Here’s how: For $65, you can purchase a Wisdom Panel Insights Mixed Breed Identification DNA test kit from this limited-access humane society that has been in Palm Beach County since 1925. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to this shelter that depends on donations — not tax dollars — to keep its doors open and to keep expanding services.
This DNA kit makes for ideal gifts for that hard-to-buy-pet lover in your life or can be given for a favorite dog’s birthday or for other special holiday.
Rich Anderson, executive director at Peggy Adams, knew his dog, Hank, is a golden retriever and suspected that Rex and Roxi are siblings with Chihuahua and Yorkshire terrier heritage. Just to make sure, he did the cheek swabs on Rex and Roxi, followed the directions provided in the DNA kit, mailed in the samples and received the results a few weeks later from the Mars Veterinary lab.
“The DNA test did confirm that they are Yorkie-Chihuahuas and it was good to know their breeds,” says Anderson.
Shelter assistant director Heidi Nielsen performed the DNA test on her beloved mutt, Ollie, an 80-pound dog who struck out four times in homes before being adopted by her four years ago.
“Until I had his DNA tested, I always referred to Ollie as my marvelous mutt when people would ask me what kind of dog he was,” says Nielsen. “Now I can say that one of his parents was German shepherd; another parent was cocker spaniel with wired-haired griffon. I never would have guessed those breeds, but knowing it now makes perfect sense when I consider his coat, his stature and his activity level.”
Peggy Adams is the first in Palm Beach County — and only among 65 shelters across the country — to offer pet owners a scientific way to identify the various breeds in their dogs.
Knowing your dog’s breeds provides many benefits. You can work more closely with your veterinarian to be on the lookout for early signs of certain inherited disorders. For example, Cavalier King Charles spaniels and great Danes are at genetic risks for developing heart disease. Alaskan malamutes and beagles are prone to glaucoma. Australian shepherds and Italian greyhounds have greater propensity for epilepsy.
Knowing your dog’s breed pool can also help you target his training plan and select a nutrition plan that fulfills the dietary needs of his specific breeds.
If you know your dog’s family tree, you can still help out the shelter by donating money to cover the cost of these DNA kits to be used on dogs awaiting adoption at the shelter.
“By donating to cover the cost of these DNA kits, we can use them on the dogs here at our shelter so we can have a better idea of their breeds, and that can help us them adopted more quickly,” says Anderson.
Here’s your chance to take the mystery out of mutts, but retain their marvelous personalities.
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League’s DNA test kit
Purchase a Wisdom Panel Insights Mixed Breed Identification DNA test kit for $65. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the shelter located at 3200 N Military Trail in West Palm Beach. For more information, call 686-3663.
Walk for the Animals
Lace up your sneakers, leash your dog and mark your calendar to participate in the 11th annual Walk for the Animals on March 10. This one-mile fun walk will be held Downtown at the Gardens in Palm Beach Gardens to benefit the Peggy Adams Rescue League. You can register on the shelter’s website, www.hspb.org.
Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and certified pet first aid instructor. She happily shares her home with two dogs, two cats and one overworked vacuum cleaner. Tune in to her Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com and learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.
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