WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE'S MADE OF?

I was lucky enough to meet this beautiful little dog, otherwise known as Gloria, a few years ago through Grey Face Rescue. She has been my little pocket of sunshine ever since she came into my life.

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Photo by Kelly Cordes
Photo by Kelly Cordes
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OUR CHANCE MEETING

Gloria's owner had passed away, and the sibling of that individual was not able to take care of her. The sibling thought that Gloria was about 7 years old at the time of surrendering her for adoption and that she was probably a mix between a Chihuahua and a Pug.

That's what I've been going by for a few years; calling her my little "Chug." But recently, I decided to find out for sure what her genetic makeup really was; and it's pretty much completely different than what we all thought.

Photo by Kelly Cordes
Photo by Kelly Cordes
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Her samples were sent off to DNA My Dog about a month ago. It was a simple cheek swab, so completely painless for Gloria.

THE RESULTS ARE IN

When I received them back a few days ago, I was informed that she was the following:

40-60% Maltese   10-25% Chihuahua    10-25% Dachshund

Wow!  I never would have guessed that. Maltese average size is UP to 7 pounds and is in the Toy group. It's also likely that one of her parents was a purebred Maltese.

Chihuahuas are usually 3-8 pounds and are also in the Toy group. So it must be that 10-25% Dachshund that explains her size. Dachshunds are usually 11-32 pounds and in the Hound group.

One commonality in all of those groups though, is that they all have a pretty good life expectancy of 12-16 years or so; meaning we still have a lot of great years together, I'm hoping.

Photo by Kelly Cordes
Photo by Kelly Cordes
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OTHER INSIGHTS

There are a few really great insights that getting DNA testing can provide you with, like what conditions to watch out for.  Gloria has always had a 'racing stripe' down her back; basically, some kind of skin condition. This is really common in Maltese.   A Chihuahua can Wheeze and snore; which explains why Gloria wheeze's when she gets excited.  I've always been warned to keep Gloria at a healthy weight, and she, just like me; LOVES to eat.  Now that I know she's quite a bit larger than the Toy breeds she was blended with, I feel like she seems more "the right size" than suspected.

There are other things you can do with this testing. For an extra fee, they will run the same sample for allergies, so you can get a good idea of what allergens are bothering your pet, potentially saving you thousands of dollars.

If you'd like more information on how to check your doggy's DNA, just go to dnamydog.com.

Now the big question...she's no longer a Pug and Chihuahua mix...So I can't call her a Chug. Should she be a MatChiDa?

 

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