The DNA of an Mutt: to be Continued.....

A couple of weeks ago I ordered a DNA test kit for my rescue mutt, CeCe, and it has finally arrived!! Now I just have to do a couple of cheek swabs, send it back in the envelope, and wait for the results.

The company I'm using, Wisdom Panel, claims to have the largest DNA database of breeds available on the market, at 190 breeds. I figure this should give us a pretty good chance of determining what exactly this little ginger mutt of mine is. We've had lots of guesses from interested folks, including Shelti, Basenji, Finnish Spitz, Jack Russell, Beagle, and a bunch of others.

The Wisdom Panel website lists some of the reasons for DNA testing your mutt:

"A dog’s ancestry can influence him in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviors like digging, herding and barking all come from the various breeds in a dog’s family tree. Once an owner understands a dog’s natural tendencies, it makes it possible to create a tailored training, exercise and nutrition program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs."

And it's true; the more you know, the more you can do for your dog. Of course I don't really care what breeds CeCe turns out to be (I'll love her even if I did accidentally adopt a terrier), but I'm sooooo curious to know, and eager to gain any insight I can into her genetics.

I will post the results as soon as I get them. I can't recall ever being so excited to get back test results!!!!

For more information on Wisdom Panel Canine DNA Testing, visit:

http://www.wisdompanel.com/

My Pound Puppy CeCe

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death."

I'm not sure who said it, but she must've rescued a pound dog.

My beloved dog Blazer died in June, and my home hasn't felt complete since. So I decided that, even though I could never love another dog the way I loved Blazer, I could at least open my home to a dog in need. But when I brought CeCe home from Animal Services, things weren't all sunshine and roses. Like so many pound dogs, she had a very rough start to life, and it showed.

At only a few weeks old, CeCe was dumped at a rural shelter in Ohio, where she spent most of her young life in a state of stress, surrounded by other unwanted, troubled dogs. Luckily, between the kind soul who runs the shelter and took her in, and James at Toronto Animal Services, she arrived in Toronto in January as a 5 month old puppy, scarred both physically and mentally, and scared of almost everything and everyone. A few hours later......I arrived and took her home.

The first time I took her to the dog park and 2 puppies tried to play with her, she turned on them quite aggressively, and I thought, "Oh crap. I've made a huge mistake." So the next few weeks were spent working on training: meeting new dogs (hey - they can be friendly!), meeting new people (hey - they give me treats!), walking all over the city, and getting used to all of the scary sights & sounds. Eventually, she began to blossom, and the puppy within began to come out as she discovered friends and toys, and enjoyed a calm, loving and stable home. It wasn't easy, and it was a lot of work, but she is the BEST puppy I could ever ask for, and an absolute lovebug. And smart as hell! She already knows "sit", "down", "stay", "shush", "crawl" and "rollover." She's sweet, gentle, and intuitive, and she has the best puppy stink I've ever smelled. Even the cats are starting to forgive me for bringing a puppy into their home....

I didn't think I would ever love another dog after my Blazer died, but this wriggly little creature is worming her way into my heart, kiss by kiss.

If anyone reading this is thinking about adopting a pound dog, please remember that the first few weeks might be difficult, but if you stick it out, the reward is limitless.

To see this post and a link to more photos on the Toronto Animal Services blog, click here: http://iwantapounddog.blogspot.ca/2012/02/update-on-cece.html