We spend a lot of money on dogs throughout the year… between vet visits, food, new beds, medicine, noms, and toys these dogs want for nothing. As a special treat for ourselves this Christmas, we bought Lylee and Enzo dog DNA tests. NO REGRET, guys. We found Wisdom Panel 3.0 kits on Amazon (on sale!) and they’re 100% not sponsoring this. The results were both amazing and surprising.
The hardest part is swabbing your dogs cheek for 15 seconds twice. OOF. Enzo just laid there but Ly wasn’t a huge fan. We got the job done, though.
So we submitted our kits between Christmas and New Years and the results were emailed to us this past week. Not bad.
Ok… On to the results. Any guesses first??
Lylee
K and I pinpointed Ly as a husky-boxer mix and that’s usually what we tell people. Turns out she’s got quite a bit of dog in her… (but also we weren’t wrong).
The test goes back to her great-grandparents. There’s a potential for 8 different purebreds. Turns out Ly had seven purebred grandparents and one mutt.
She’s an equal part staffie, shepherd, boxer, husky, (American) bulldog, chow, & lab. And then a misc. mutt mixture.
Lylee’s results weren’t too surprising. I think I was most surprised that there isn’t MORE husky and boxer in her. I assumed she had some pit (American Staffordshire Terrier & American Bulldog). I wasn’t expecting Chow Chow, but I totally see it now.
Appearance: In my opinion, Ly is built like a husky/shepherd. She has a square head and slight under-bite like a boxer/pit, though. Her fur is thick and she’s got endurance and strength for days. I imagine the yellow coloring come from the Labrador Retriever.
Personality: I could go on for weeks about canine personality. I think it’s fascinating. Lylee is probably one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever met (holla’, German Shepherd) but she’s also incredibly headstrong (boxer, chow, husky). She’s not necessarily territorial, but she’s extremely bonded to us and Enzo, and she definitely only chooses to listen when she admires the human talking to her (chow). She’s energetic, hyper, talkative, an escape artist (husky), and a digger. She also loves to play fetch (lab) and she can sniff out any toy. Many of these breed descriptions said she might not be good with other dogs- especially those of the same sex. BINGO. They also said she is potentially great with children. Not so much… lol.
Overall, it’s kind of reassuring to know why Lylee is so bonded/protective of us and why she tends to dislike other dogs. I knew there was some boxer and husky in her, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that she’s got purebred pit, too. Obviously we love her regardless of the results, though.
Enzo
We thought Enzo was some kind of whippet/border collie/weimaraner mix. Or even a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever mix.
So. Wrong. I’m almost upset over Enzo’s results. I feel bamboozled.
I love all dog breeds the same- I’m just confused about E’s results. I mean, he’s more of a husky than Lylee is! I 100% see the beagle. The other two purebreds perplex me.
My best guess is that those mixed-breed ancestors have some small terrier in them (like a Russell) and some sighthound (like a whippet). Honestly… I just don’t know. Haha.
Appearance: After getting E’s results we googled beagle-husky mixes and beagle-shepherd mixes. I guess he looks similar to some of those dogs. I’d say his small size and floppy ears and face structure is pretty beagle-like. We think the husky ancestors had to be brown/tan huskies, not black/grey ones. Enzo has NO black fur or skin and we known black is a dominant color in dogs, so we’re fairly confident in our assumption. Enzo is muscular but I don’t know where that comes from. I guess the mixed-breed plays a large part in E’s appearance.
Personality: Enzo is the sweetest soul in the world. He has a laid back personality and he’s ridiculously good with other dogs and children and almost everyone. He’s the least aggressive dog in the world BUT he does love to give chase (husky?). Also, if we’re on a walk and a scary-looking unfamiliar stranger (hood up/baggy clothes/has a quick or aggressive walk) gets too close to us Enzo will keep his eyes glued to the person (typically male) and growl at him. It’s super out of character for him but he’s done it multiple times so it’s not a fluke. E is extremely bonded to us (esp me). He was a dream to train and he still lives to please us. Whatever he is, I feel like he got all the best qualities of those dogs.
Kyle is obviously pumped. He’s been walking around the house calling the dogs “my two pretty huskies”, lol. I’m happy to know what the dogs are but it doesn’t matter one bit. Haha. Our dogs will always be mixed rescue dogs 🙂
If you’ve ever thought about doing a DNA kit for you pup, I say DO IT. Especially if you can get a kit while it’s on sale!
But also- did you guess right??
* It completely got past me that Wisdom Panel is a Mars Inc. company. Mars is not a cruelty-free company. If you decide to DNA test your dogs, do more research than I did and spend your money in a way that keeps your soul happy.
Life as Louise 
I had NO idea you could buy DNA tests for dogs!
I didn’t even realise Mars even did non-food products! I feel like most big companies are evil in some way and need to be avoided. Proctor and Gamble test on animals (and tried to lie about it) so I’ve been boycotting them for yeeears. They make/own SO MANY brands though. I ordered Max Factor lipstick and was really annoyed when it arrived and I saw “a P&G company” on the back… although apparently Max Factor was sold to Coty Inc. in 2015 so maybe I just got an old lipstick? Vicks is also P&G, which makes me sad because now I can’t use Vicks when I have a cold.
My dad is boycotting Nestle because of the whole CEO claiming water is not a basic human right thing but it’s basically impossible to avoid Nestle in Switzerland. Even some chocolate that I thought was a supermarket’s own brand turned out to be Nestle. Grr.
LikeLike
Yes! I’ve had my eye on the tests for a while but I felt silly spending the money… Then I decided they’d be Christmas gifts! Plus they were on sale!! Haha!
I try to avoid Mars and P&G and all those major companies. It’s been pretty easy for me with cosmetics and cleaning items, but food and random stuff (like DNA tests) always catch me off guard. It’s tough to research everything 😦 If only people were just GOOD and they didn’t hurt animals or disregard other humans.
LikeLike
Oh, how fun!! I would have said Lylee looks more like a husky too, so that’s fascinating. My dog is partly husky – she looks it – but she’s pretty small too and the Vet has said they think she has wolf in her too. I don’t know the exact mix though because we’ve never had her tested. It would be interesting!
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
LikeLike
We think Ly looks pretty husky-like but the blonde color always threw us off (although her skin is actually black- weird, right?). She’s got that boxer underbite, though. Haha. She’s such a quirky little thing.
LikeLike
Ok… This is crazy. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. I am so curious now for my own dogs. Harvey especially since hes from the pound. I love all the detail you get too. I gotta tell Ricky about this,
LikeLike
Harvey is from the pound?? That’s crazy! I’m sure he’s got A LOT of aussie, hahaha! I always thought he was a purebred. You should definitely check it out!
LikeLike
This is so cool! Enzo definitely doesn’t look like a husky so the mixed breed must be pretty dominant in his appearance at least. I wonder if they have something like this for cats? I hear you on the whole animal testing thing. It’s honestly hard to keep track of good/bad companies because so many do things that I disapprove of but I don’t recognize some of their subsidiaries, etc. And sometimes I don’t learn about their behavior until after I’m hooked a product either. I’d really like to know Max’s DNA. He’s a very large cat (not fat) and I think he’s got some Maine Coon in him. And I love rescue cats but if I was ever going to get a purebred cat – it would be a Maine Coon. He displays a lot of their personality traits but he doesn’t have their impressive manes or oversized feet.
LikeLike
I think the same thing about Enzo. If it’s accurate about Enzo then the husky HAS to be a tan husky. There is no spot of black or grey on that dog. And you’re so right- the mixed breeds have got to be super dominant with him.
You should definitely try to find something for Max! My bff has a cat with Maine Coon in him. He’s not very large but he’s super fluffy 🙂
Man… keeping track of good and bad companies is exhausting. Why can’t they all just be ethical. Grrr.
LikeLike
This is so interesting! I don’t see the husky in Enzo at all! Definitely the beagle but I’m surprised there’s no weim/pointer in there. I’d be curious to do this for GB. She’s obviously mostly dachs but she’s much bigger & with longer legs than a standard dachs so I wonder what else is in there.
LikeLike
I agree! I can see the beagle. Our vet thought Weim at first, too. He’s such a little weirdo dog. Haha.
Awww- I’m super curious about Gumball’s make-up!!
LikeLike
Oh bummer about the Mars thing. Stuff like that after the fact kills me. Boo. BUT what a cool thing, I had NO IDEA you could do this!! 🙂 Super surprising results too! I never would have guessed Husky anything for either of them, but especially Enzo! hehe XO – Alexandra
Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things
LikeLike
I didn’t discover they were a Mars Inc. company until I was linking the site in this post. Grrrrr.
I’ve had my eye on DNA tests for them for a while 🙂 I’m so glad we did it! Lylee’s husky traits come through in her face a little and in her attitude A LOT. Haha!
LikeLike
I liked finding out what Mae was aside from demon hell mistress and pug! Once I read it and read up on pekingese I could totally see it in her personality-wise. Did you read up on the personalities of the dogs or just look at them visually? She looks mostly like a pug but has a lot of characteristics associated with a pekingese. That might be Enzo!
LikeLike
Oooh, I can see pekingese in her a little! Lylee’s personality is similar to her breeds.
In a way Enzo’s is, too. He’s very much attached to me and gets jealous when I shower Ly in love. He also doesn’t like it when threatening strangers approach, but he’s not violent or aggressive. He just growls and guards (me). He’s eager to please, too. I think his personality is fairly similar to the breeds he got.
LikeLike
Enzo’s tail does look a little husky now that you mention it. But I would have thought weimaraner somewhere in there for sure. I love that you can learn about the DNA and history of your dog! Coolest thing ever!
LikeLike
I’ve never looked at his tail that closely but you’re right!
I’m guessing weimaraner and whippet are somewhere in that mixed-breed ancestor. Who knows… lol.
LikeLike
It is AMAZING to me how specific they were able to get! That’s so cool!!
LikeLike
I know! I can’t believe they identified SEVEN different dogs in Lylee!
LikeLike
WOW, this is so fascinating! I love that Lylee has Bulldog in her – haha! I would not have guessed Beagle for Enzo.
What a fun, fun thing. My aunt did testing for her dogs too. Awesome.
LikeLike
My grandma was surprised that Enz got beagle, too, but I see it. I 100% don’t see husky or German shepherd. Haha! It was SO strange reading his results!!
LikeLike
These tests are seriously so fun and fascinating! I gifted my sister one for her dog’s birthday last year because she’s a mutt too and it turns out she wasn’t as mutt-like as we thought!
LikeLike
That’s awesome!! I really thought we’d have better results with Enzo and less clear ones with Ly. Boy, was I wrong! Haha!
LikeLike
This is the coolest thing! Once you know what’s in there, those features will probably stand out to you more!
LikeLike
Kyle can’t un-see it now. Hahaha. He just keeps calling them both huskies (because that’s his favorite breed but we’re mutt people, lol- so it’s the closest he might ever get to owning two huskies). Hahahahaha.
LikeLike
I should do this for Lizzy. I have no idea what she is (well, she’s obviously a dog. I meant breed). And I would have loved to to do it for Dobie because he was confusing.
I guessed wrong for both of your dogs.
LikeLike
I’m still not 100% sure what to tell people about Enzo. I get asked about him A LOT and I’ve always said collie/whippet mix. LOL. People will think I’m nuts if I say husky or shepherd mix. Hahaha. Maybe beagle-shepherd? Ha.
LikeLike
This is so cool! If I had a dog I totally would want to do it. I really want to do that 23 and me DNA testing for me. My maiden name is Spanish but my dad’s family is from Italy, so I have always been curious about what’s going on there.
LikeLike
When I first told people I bought DNA tests for Xmas they thought I meant for Kyle and I. Hahahaha.
My grandma is very big into genealogy so I actually know where I’m from and when we got to the US and all that stuff! She’s looked into K, too! His grandma also keeps pretty good track. He had ancestors in the Civil War but most of my fam came later on.
LikeLike
Omg I’m obsessed with this and need to get it for Hawkeye. LOL at Enzo’s results because wtf, who breeds a beagle with a husky? How does that even happen? I didn’t think Lylee would have that many different breeds, she doesn’t look like she would.
LikeLike
I was SO shocked at how specific and detailed Ly’s results were. Her personality was dead-on with some of these, though. Enzo is such a little freaking weirdo. Haha. I know I’m bias, but I think he’s all the very best traits of the dogs they listed- obedient, dedicated, focused, loving, calm. Physically I just don’t see the two bigger breeds, though. Ha.
LikeLike
oh my goodness i loooooved reading about this!!! i feel like maybe they got enzo’s mixed up with someone – i would have bet hard money there was weimaraner in there FOR SURE or even some lab! crazy. i am so glad we did it too – maybe i need a post as well!
LikeLike
I’d heard of the people DNA tests from Ancestry.com, but never for dogs!
LikeLike
When we told people we got DNA tests for Xmas they thought that was what we meant. Boy, were they surprised 😉 Haha!
LikeLike
Wow! I’ve never heard of this before and think it’s so cool! And kind of hilarious that you felt bamboozled. Haha!
LikeLike
I honestly walked around all night in a daze repeating, “I just don’t understand.” Hahaha. I think my husband was legitimately concerned for me. When Enzo came to bed that night I looked at Kyle and said, “I don’t know if I can sleep with this stranger in my bed.” Hahahaha. I’m nothing if not dramatic. Lol
LikeLike