When my husband and I adopted Pixie back in 2010, her previous parents told me she was a Border Collie - Lab mix. We’ve considered her a two-breed mutt her whole life. She definitely has the brains and stamina of a Border Collie and the appetite, sense of smell, and swimming skills of a Lab. But how could we be sure that after all these years, Pixie is truly a two-breed dog?

Lucky for us, home DNA testing has made its way to the dog community. Embark specializes in dog DNA tests which allow you to find out the genetic makeup of your dog, a genetic ancestry tree, unique traits, and any possible underlying medical conditions. Embark also links your dog’s DNA with other dogs in the database so you can view your dog’s long lost relatives!  

Upon purchase of the Embark Dog DNA Test kit, they’ll send you instructions to take a simple saliva swab from your dog’s mouth and return it in a prepaid package. The amount of data and insights into your dog is incredible and worth the cost of the test.

Without further delay, here is Pixie’s genetic ancestry tree.

What surprised us most here was the evidence of Chow Chow and Golden Retriever, along with the smaller evidence of Border Collie. As you can see, she is a Labrador through and through on one side of her family with a dash of mutt.

And here is Pixie’s DNA breakdown based on her ancestry. We love how Embark breaks the DNA down by percentages here so you can truly see the proportion of breed mix. Pixie is a Border Collie - Lab mix, and so much more. Our theory of her being a two-breed dog was oversimplified and this breakdown helps us understand there is so much more to Pixie’s personality and physical traits.

We browsed the Embark community and learned that Pixie also has many cousins who have also taken the dog DNA test. Pixie is 14, so it’s amazing to see how many relatives she has amassed in her lifetime. Embark allows you to contact the owners of your dog’s relatives, so you could organize a meetup for a family reunion!

Last year, we conducted a DNA reveal for Howard the Dog and the results certainly surprised his owners.

We highly recommend you give the Embark Dog DNA Test a try and learn more about your beloved pup through the power of science!

To get you started, click the link below for a discount on your first Embark Dog DNA Test!