Pet DNA testing company in doghouse after identifying human as canine

Gamers_Mate@kbin.social to News@lemmy.world – 178 points – Pet DNA testing company in doghouse after identifying human as canine
theguardian.com

DNA My Dog received human genetic sample and identified it as a malamute, shar-pei and labrador, according to news station

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"Your honor, I didn't say she was a dog. I said she was a bitch!"

received human genetic sample and identified it as a malamute, shar-pei and labrador

There's no mystery here, the sample was just taken from three dogs in a trenchcoat.

If only their media relations team would have been quicker under pressure the whole controversy could have been avoided.

If I take the test and they find out I'm a chihuahua, can I just ride around in some lady's bag all day? Because I'd be okay with that.

Isn't it well known that this is a scam at this point?

Whenever this comes up in conversation I make sure the person I'm talking to knows that this is a total fucking scam.

Were they wrong though?

Doubtful the test was wrong. Highly likely that they cross-contaminated the sample in the lab.

They're cross-contaminating a lot then - they gave a CBC reporter breed results, too. Either that or they don't even test and just pull results out of their asses.

Wouldnt that be easy to test though? Send the same dog a few times and see if you het consistent results or not.

Can someone tell me why it's this important to know what breed your dog is?

I've always had mutts and I usually make an educated guess about what they're bred from. Which is really all that's needed, isn't it?

If my late dog Max wasn't actually a Basenji/Chihuahua and just looked and acted like a mix of those two breeds... why does it matter?

For breeders it is important. For everyone else? Bragging rights.

I'd argue it's pretty important for working dogs too, especially ones that require specific temperaments for their jobs like border collies, livestock guardian dogs, and pointers.

Yeah, I agree. I’m not a dog enthusiast so that didn’t even come to mind but it makes total sense.

I have a service dog and have no questions what breeds my dog is, but for some working dogs it's important like you said.

Our dog had a mysterious bowel issue that wasn’t treating with the standard food change methods. Vet did a dna and found he’s more chihuahua than Australian Shepherd despite being dead on shepherd by appearance. Then more or less immediately they worked out his issue since chis have specific bowel issues that don’t usually happen in aussies.

So it does have valid uses for assisting diagnostic medicine

Similarly, we have two Danes and our second one is a bit smaller (only 90 lbs) and has slightly different facial structure than what we are used to seeing. So we got her DNA analyzed-and she's 100% Dane. It helps to know that since we now can have clearer expectations of what kinds of needs she will have as she ages.

But shouldn't breeders be able to trace their dog's lineage through pedigree anyway?

Anyone can lie and make fake paperwork. DNA is just that second check to have a much better read on the truth (assuming they don’t mix up the samples).

Honestly, I’m not a breeder or a dog enthusiast though. However, I do love my shibas even if they may not exactly be pure bred.

Litter loading is a thing. People buy a dog but it's swapped for a cheaper or non pedigree. DNA testing is done for puppies to verify that they are what they're supposed to be and AKC requires it sometimes.