Curiousity finally got the better of me after having my dog Ash for 9 months. If she were to have grown slightly larger, I might have just settled for Border Collie with a ” little bit of something else” thrown in for good measure. However, at almost a year old, she is smaller than the average Border Collie.

I read about a dog DNA testing service in a magazine and What Breed is My Dog? looked promising. I received a swab kit and easy to follow instructions in the post about 2 weeks ago.

I was contacted by the company on various occassions to let me know what stage the test was at. I received an email asking whether I would like the results by email as well as post, as the postal strikes could delay them. Of course, I obliged and these are the results;

Level 2: Border Collie

Level 3: Australian Shepherd Dog

Level 3: Labrador Retriever

The funny thing is, we get a lot of people saying that they think the dogs (Ash and her sister) have got Australian Shepherd in them due to their markings. I have always dismissed that because I know that Border Collies are quite prone to the blue merle gene. However, it seems that she may have inherited the gene from the Aussie Shepherd part of her DNA, rather than the Border Collie!

And, the part Labrador Retriever is great news, because it brings a sense of stability to the mix and also might help explain why she is such a keen swimmer and retriever (most of the time)!

Of course, this service comes at a price. I paid £59.99 but I reckon it’s money well spent and of course now I understand her needs better. I just wanted to give a big thumbs up to What Breed is My Dog? and I would not hesitate to recommend their service.

Paul Wallwin