Mefi's Doggy DNA Test

October 28, 2023 10:05 AM

We have welcomed a mxied-breed rescue dog to our family- any guesses on the breed mix?

She has sky blue eyes, which feels rare for a dog. Short black fur, size is 38 lbs. Non-reactive to cats but seems to enjoy chasing squirrels and deer. I'm open to doing one of those dog DNA tests but wondered if anyone had guesses based on her looks.

Pictures of the culprit, Pepper

posted by ThePinkSuperhero to Pets & Animals (29 answers total)

Adorable dog! Any idea how old she is? Blue eyes are rare, but rarer still in adult dogs.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:36 AM on October 28, 2023

That face looks just like my old Kelpie. Blue eyes as a pup, later shaded to grey.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:52 AM on October 28, 2023

Response by poster: She is believed to be 6-7 months old.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:59 AM on October 28, 2023

The Spruce Pet lists quite a few breeds that can have blue eyes.
posted by supermedusa at 11:38 AM on October 28, 2023

What a little smasher.

The ears are a bit Podenco-y, and I think I have seen short-haired Border collie crosses looking a bit Pepper-like too. Please update if you find out!
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 11:47 AM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Looks like what a Spaniard I know would call a Raton Grande. IE, a large rat terrier — a supermutt, essentially.

She is believed to be 6-7 months old.

Any idea what this is based on? Because to my eyes, that dog is 2 if she's a day.

If you do decide to do a DNA test, I wholeheartedly recommend Embark. A few of my friends used other services and I used Embark and we all agree the info was much more useful, especially the health stuff. Here's my girl, Shakedown.

They often have sales for any occasion: black friday, christmas, etc.
posted by dobbs at 12:28 PM on October 28, 2023

Response by poster: Two different vets say the teeth indicate she's 6-7 months. This surprises us as well as her personality is very mellow for a young pup!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:12 PM on October 28, 2023

Cool looking dog! I'm going to guess husky/pit bull/chihuahua. But I could also imagine she might be part border collie or Australian shepherd.
posted by Redstart at 1:13 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

95% goodest girl, 4% wily coyote, 1% wascally wabbit (those perfect pointy ears)
posted by the primroses were over at 1:53 PM on October 28, 2023 [13 favorites]

I'm going to agree with Dobbs, she looks like my Boomer whom Embark has said is 60% Rat Terrier and Beagle.
posted by DanSachs at 1:56 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Conformation + blue eyes look cattle dog to me, and the coloring + fur length suggest Boston Terrier.
posted by jamjam at 2:07 PM on October 28, 2023

Oops, correct link to Shakedown's Embark. With it, you can see all the health stuff and family stuff you get.
posted by dobbs at 2:17 PM on October 28, 2023

I know almost nothing about dogs, but she looks a fair bit like an Australian kelpie, which can have blue eyes. They are high-energy, noisy cattle dogs though.
posted by neatsocks at 2:32 PM on October 28, 2023

I think she has some pit in there, and that the eyes and ears might be border collie influenced. (A great mix, in my opinion!) How smart/easily bored does she seem? Border collies are famously fast learners, and commensurately easily frustrated if they're not learning or being given a job to do at all times, though in my experience (of one dog, granted) the pit part tamped that down a bit while still resulting in a dog who seemed to understand full sentences.
posted by babelfish at 3:43 PM on October 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wow, what a cool looking dog! Husky/lab/basenji, maybe.
posted by oneirodynia at 4:51 PM on October 28, 2023

I'm getting sighthound vibes. Maybe whippet. Maybe something else. But it's definitely an unusual mix of breeds and very nice result.
posted by sardonyx at 6:02 PM on October 28, 2023

Aw. Adorable.

I think she's a Podenco cross. "Podenco" is the term for several similar breeds, and some are smaller and can be black (like the Podenco Orito). I don't think blue eyes are common, hence the "cross". But she looks a lot like some of the Podenco types, and it totally fits that she's young, but mellow. Podencos are often described as "part cat" because of their chill personality (indoors!). It also fits that she looks older, because Podencos lose their puppy-shape quickly. Does she have a high prey drive? Is she able to leap and jump far and high? That would make it even more likely.
posted by toucan at 6:30 PM on October 28, 2023

For when you REALLY REALLY want to know
posted by kschang at 6:32 PM on October 28, 2023

Response by poster: Loving all this, thanks! This can help me figure out why she does the things she does (like herding my 4yo, oof).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:03 PM on October 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

She’s a beautiful dog! Definitely could be part Mountain Cur, a breed I didn’t know existed until I got Embark results for my pup, especially if she’s a rescue from the South. They’re supposed to tree raccoons and other mammals and so have a decent prey drive, but my rat terrier/mountain cur was usually very mellow and had no prey drive so ymmv on breed characteristics.
posted by A Blue Moon at 7:33 PM on October 28, 2023

I think kelpie/pitt, and maybe some miscellaneous. Maybe husky because of the eyes. Definitely a dog and cute at that.
posted by blnkfrnk at 11:06 PM on October 28, 2023

FWIW, Podenco is in the sighthound family tree.
posted by kschang at 8:12 AM on October 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Congratulations on your adorable new family member! Our dog had eyes like that, and the DNA test we did came back as half 100% Siberian Husky, and half mixed breed (Keeshond, Basset Hound, German Shepherd, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Miniature Schnauzer among the top, which was surprising since she really looked like some sort of Doodle dog). But our vet said from the beginning that she thought she was part Siberian Husky, and she was right!
posted by taz at 8:23 AM on October 29, 2023

Now you have to do the DNA test and report the results! Husky/chihuahua is my guess!
posted by Pax at 8:30 AM on October 29, 2023

My guess (and I feel a little good about it) is Husky/pit mix. I hope you update after you know!
posted by ReluctantViking at 10:21 AM on October 29, 2023

Cattle Dog/Border Collie/Husky/Pittie
posted by dancinglamb at 4:16 AM on October 31, 2023

Response by poster: You all sold me on doing a DNA test! The test is with Embark right now - I'll share as soon as we know!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:56 AM on November 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: The results are in! In addition to finding an immediate family member (!), we also learned Pepper is:

38.2% American Pit Bull Terrier
26.9% Australian Cattle Dog
10.6% Siberian Husky
8.8% Boxer
15.5% Supermutt
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:24 PM on December 13, 2023 [5 favorites]

Ahhh! I was just about to chime in and say Aussie Cattle Dog!

Such a cutie!
posted by terrapin at 6:00 AM on December 14, 2023