Column: Dog DNA testing may help shelter dogs be adopted more quickly
(Left) Adoptable Boo (A511290) was photographed with the entire 2024 Rose Parade Court during their Day of Service in Oct. 2023 at Pasadena Humane. (Right) Boo (A511290) is a 4-year-old American Bully mix. She’s a super affectionate pup who loves belly rubs, running in the shelterxe2x80x99s play yard and visiting with her favorite staff and volunteers. Boo recently had a doggie DNA test done, revealing she is 93 percent American bully and shares small amounts of her DNA with American bulldogs and American pit bull terriers.
My future daughter-in-law, Aliaksandra, is a photographer, and she enjoyed spending time over the holidays looking at our family photos going back to the 1800s. We also perused a DuVernet Family History that traces my father’s family to the early 1100s in France.
The desire to know from whence we and our loved ones came is pervasive. Researching ancestry and DNA testing have become popular in recent years for both humans and pets.
Results can be surprising, especially when it comes to dogs. Take, for example, the 50-pound Fido who turns out to be part Yorkie.
One of the major dog DNA testing companies, Embark, recently donated tests for 10 of our longer-stay shelter dogs in an effort to spark interest in their adoptions.
Embark tests for more than 350 breeds and types of dogs. It’s estimated that about 75% of dogs entering shelters are mixed breed. So, we were excited to see the results.
Shade, a 1-year-old, all-black, large dog who looked like a shepherd mix, turned out to be 35% poodle and 15% golden retriever, among other breeds.
Bonnie, a 25-pound black and tan dog with short legs, came back as 27% Chihuahua, 25% corgi, 25% Aussie, 12% super mutt and 10% pit bull.
Shade and Bonnie have both been adopted since we received their test results.
Boo is still available for adoption. She is a 4-year-old pup who is 93% American bully and shares small amounts of her DNA with American bulldogs and American pit bull terriers.
Boo came to the shelter back in September as a stray. She was found running loose near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena wearing a leopard print collar with no tag. Sadly, no one came forward to claim her.
At the shelter, Boo quickly showed off her sweet and playful nature. She’s a super affectionate pup who loves belly rubs, running in the shelter’s play yard and visiting with her favorite staff and volunteers.
Boo received the very special honor of being selected to be photographed with the entire Rose Parade Court during their Day of Service at Pasadena Humane in October.
Her superstar status reached new heights when she was featured on KCAL’s “The Morning Wrap.” Boo charmed on live TV, calmly relaxing on the bone-shaped doggy rug the studio provided for her, while leaning in for lots of pets.
Remarkably, Boo shares 46% of her DNA with two dogs in Embark’s database. These two dogs could either be one of her litter mates or parents. Also, Boo has more than two dozen close matches with dogs who could be her half-siblings, aunt or uncle, or grandparents.
Most of Boo’s relatives who have profiles in the Embark database are located in the Los Angeles area, but interestingly her closest match is listed as having been born in California and adopted in Seattle.
Perhaps Boo’s sister was transported from an overcrowded shelter in Los Angeles to a shelter in the Pacific Northwest, a common route for many dogs.
The world of dog family trees is a relatively new field, but certainly a fascinating one! From your basic breed analysis to screening for health conditions and determining your pet’s age, DNA tests are getting more advanced as the technology evolves.
If you are interested in adopting Boo, we’d be happy to share her full DNA results with you. To learn more, pasadehumane.org/adopt
Dia DuVernet is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane.
This blog post originally appeared as a column in the Pasadena Star-News on January 12, 2024.
