DNA Testing?

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CocoLeBear
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DNA Testing?

Post by CocoLeBear »

Hello--

I adopted my chow Coco from the Philadelphia SPCA in January. She is obviously purebred but I'm not sure of her quality from a conformation standpoint. (Not that I care--just curious where she came from and how she ended up at the SPCA). One of the equine breed associations that I am a member of has been very successful identifying rescued horses by DNA if they are young enough that the breed registry keeps DNA on file. Is this an option for chows in the US? I tried looking online but couldn't figure it out. And again that I'd like to reiterate that I don't care about her pedigree but I am curious where she was bred and how she ended up where she did! If i posted a picture, would it be possible for someone to identify her breeding/sire? Both the SPCA workers and my vet exclaimed that she is the sweetest chow they've ever met. Her temperament is so fantastic that I've thought it is almost a shame that I had her spayed because if I were a breeder (which I am not and would never breed dogs) this is one that I'd want to breed for temperament!

I should add that she is somewhere between 2-3 if that makes a difference for DNA.
rmb
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Re: DNA Testing?

Post by rmb »

I adopted a 13 month old "chow mix" in January, his litter had been turned in as pups, all his siblings had been adopted. He had never lived in a home environment. He obviously had more chow in him than any chow mix I had previously adopted, full purple tongue. Just for grins, we got a DNA test done, from Wisdom Panel, curious to see what else was mixed in. Turns out Buddy2 is purebred chow, the open faced, smooth coat variety, unlike the closed faced version I knew as Chow Chow. Basic DNA testing identifies breed only, not bloodline. I suppose if your chow chow's parents DNA was on file somewhere it could be matched but I don't know of any organization that does that type of testing.
We were quite surprised to find Buddy2 is pure chow, almost as surprised when we learned years ago that his adoptive sister is Chow, Shitzu and Aus Shep. They get along beautifully. He has a great temperament. Good luck to you and yours!
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