Rupert fooled everybody at the Washington Animal Rescue League.
A mutt awaiting adoption at the league’s Ogelthorpe Street Northwest shelter, Rupert was judged by the experts to be a mixed rottweiler with long fur. Then he underwent a new DNA test developed by Beltsville-based MetaMorphix Inc., and out popped the results: German shorthaired pointer, chow chow and Chihuahua.
That’s right. Somewhere in the ancestry of 45-pound Rupert is a tiny Chihuahua.
“There’s generally the primary breed, then there’ll always be some wild cards in there,” league spokesman Jim Monsma said.
From 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, the league will make the Canine Heritage Breed Test available to the public for $65 per dog. The DNA analysis identifies the presence of gene sequences from 43 canine breeds. It is not, Monsma said, based on far less conclusive characteristics, such as physical traits like downward-pointed ears.
“I did my dog, who looks like a mixed husky,” Monsma said. “She came back a Siberian husky, dachshund and miniature pinscher of all things. Some of these results you just couldn’t believe.”
The painless, noninvasive test requires only a cheek swab. According to the MetaMorphix Web site, the swab is sent to the company’s lab and returned with results in four to six weeks.
There is no test available for cats.
“Dogs cannot tell us their stories,” league Executive Director Scotlund Haisley said. “So shelters such as ours are always looking for new and innovative ways to find out as much about the dogs as we can.”
Most dog owners interested in the test are motivated by curiosity, Monsma said, but the information it reveals could be useful to a veterinarian in setting up a diet, health or exercise routine.
“We’re hoping that it really helps us match the home to the dog and the dog to the home,” Monsma said.
For information, visit warl.org.
