Dog Breed Test May Solve Mutt Mystery

MetaMorphix, Inc.Using the word “Mutt” to describe a mixed-breed dog may soon be a thing of the past. Doggie DNA tests are currently being offered by some veternarians, as well as a company selling test kits online.

MetaMorphix Inc. sells its “DNA Cheekswab kits” on its Web site for $79.95. The purchaser of the kit will receive all items necessary to get the DNA sample needed for testing. A quick swabbing of the inside of a dog’s mouth is all that is needed. Results are typically received within 4-6 weeks.

However, the test offered by MetaMorphix currently includes indentification of only 38 breeds. Another test, called the Mars Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis test, identifies more than 130 AKC-recognized breeds. This test is only offered through veternarians and involves taking a small sample of blood from the dog. The Mars test is also a bit pricier, at $100-$200.

 K9 Commentary:

As the proud owner of two mixed-breed pooches, I think the chance to be able to do a breed test and learn about the history of my dogs is fantastic. Cindy and I have flipped through countless books and had endless discussions on what breeds our dogs are, so it would be cool to get some sort of confirmation of what the heck these little guys are!

Of course, this whole breed test thing shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It’s not like I plan on entering the little ones in any dog shows or anything. It would just be fun to know. I think we’ll definitely have both Pom Pom and Casper tested in the future.

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