As usual, I don’t really know what that means but my dad human thought it was neat. He is pushing me off the keyboard now to say a few words!
Ghost’s DNA test came back. You can download/view it here (Click Me). I thought it was pretty accurate. One side is German Shepherd going back three generations so his father was a full German Shepherd. I spoke to the lab and asked if that was normal and they said “only when one side is full, normally you’ll see maybe a “full” in the direct parent or above and then a mix if certain traits have been abolished through generations but to have full all the way up means the parent, grand-parent, etc was full”. The other side, Ghost’s mother came back as a German Short-Hair Pointer/Bulldog mix. I see the most traits in the two German areas which I detail below and only one of a Bulldog. Interestingly, as I think about it, Ghost’s mother, whom I’ve met does have a stocky build which I took to be Pitbull but her eyes, like Ghost’s are light and that is a German Short-Hair trait (As you can see in the pics in the DNA results and on any German Short-Hair Pointer.
Ok, so what do I believe makes up Ghost (and his six litter mates, although some of them have more or less of these traits).
German Shepherd: Pretty obvious (most people including me thought he was GS Mix.) I believe his facial structure, muzzle color, the wire hairs in his cheeks, his gait (especially when stalking which was noticed by another at the park just today). His coat also resembles German Shepherd color.
German Short-Hair Pointer: From this side the most obvious trait is his eyes. Light colored and mixed with the German Shepherd markings makes him look like he has eye-brows. Ghost’s face is very unique (Maybe I’m biased?) 🙂 His tail also resembles the Pointer’s. I also believe his skull shape is taken from the Pointer but the jury is still out.
Bulldog: At first I was in denial that he has any Bulldog traits but as I look at him, his ears look similar to the Bulldog right now. However, as he has grown his ears have begun standing up when he is on alert and more resemble the German Shepherd.
So, what do those of you who have met Ghost think?
Some have asked me why I am so interested (obsessed?) with knowing what Ghost is made of. It’s really not an obsession. I’d love him just the same no matter if I could find out or not. One reason is simple interest. My career is discovering things, figuring out what makes up something in particular so it’s natural curiosity. Another reason, and the one I decided to do the test for is health. Mutt’s are by nature more tolerant to disease, sickness, etc than a pure bred dog but knowing his chemistry can help Vet’s diagnose things common to a particular breed and this is why I decided to get it done.
Finally, if you are thinking about doing it, I’d go with a blood-test over swab kit. I researched and asked three Vets I deal with at my own rescue and all said the same, that the results are more accurate with a blood test. I used WisdomPanelPRO. THe “Pro” is a bloodtest and they make it easy to get your results online. wisdompanelpro.com is the website.