doggie dna analysis: Ava's story

I've been taking care of Ava almost every weekday for the past two years. Her family adopted her from a local poodle rescue. Huh? Does this look like a poodle?

Since Ava's ancestry was a complete mystery, her family decided to have a DNA analysis done. Their veterinarian offered the convenience of doing the blood draw for the test during her regular appointment and sent it to Wisdom Panel for analysis. Though there are less expensive options, Ava's mom, Maura, liked the convenience of doing it right there at the vet. She paid $125.00. Maura explained that there are at-home testing options that use saliva that some people may prefer.

Though DNA testing is not medically necessary, it sure is fun! Ava's family was simply curious of their rescue dog's origins so they decided to proceed with the analysis.

Wisdom Panel's report was nine pages of detailed information about Ava, including "Breed Detection," "Breed Appearance & Behavior," "Appearance, Behavior & History," and "Sharing Your Dog's Story."

Ava's mix was declared to be an "American Eskimo Dog Mix crossed with Yorkshire Terrier/Chihuahua cross." Huh? The only thing I see in her is possible Chihuahua. Good thing the report goes into detail.

The next page went on to detail what "Mixed Breed" means for Ava:

And there we see the poodle in her! It makes me think that maybe I might have a bit of poodle in me, too! It's pretty cool to be able to see in such detail what Ava's background is.

I asked Maura what she thought of the results. She said, "I was surprised that her great grandparents and grandparents could be American Eskimo Dogs. I was not surprised to see Terrier, Chihuahua, or Dachshund in her history."

I would have to agree with Maura. I was pretty shocked to see the American Eskimo Dog make an appearance.

Ava's report went on to explain the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, and American Eskimo Dog breeds in detail and suggested possible traits of these breeds that her family might see in her.

So how does this all work? Wisdom Panel said,

The process started when you sent a sample to our laboratory, where the DNA was extracted from the cells and examined for the 321 markers that are used in the test. The results for these markers were sent to a computer that evaluated them using a program designed to consider all of the pedigree trees that are possible in the last three generations. The trees considered include a simple pedigree with a single breed (a likely pure-bred dog), two different breeds at the parental level (a first-generation cross), all the way up to a complex tree with eight different great-grandparent breeds allowed.

Our computer used information for over 225 breeds, varieties, and types from our breed database to fill these potential pedigrees. For each of the millions of combinations of ancestry trees built and considered, the computer gave each a score representing how well that selected combination of breeds matched to your dog's data. The pedigree with the overall best score is the one that is shown on the ancestry chart. Only breeds that reached our set confidence threshold for reporting are reported in the ancestry chart.

Maura was really happy that she satisfied her curiosity in having the DNA analysis done. Some may argue "I love my dog. Who cares what she is?" Well, of course we love our dogs no matter what, but knowing what is in their background may give us the opportunity to better care for our pets. And despite even that, it sure is fun!

Report provided by Ava's family.

the big, bad world: enter, ThunderShirt, part 3 (making it through the 4th)

Fireworks. Spectacular celebratory tools of our nation's independence, or an annual source of terror? Fireworks can be so stressful for some dogs that their owners are house-bound during one of the best get-out-and-enjoy-summer events of the year, the 4th of July. And the fireworks don't even have to be nearby. Some dogs completely freak out over fireworks miles and miles away that we humans can't even hear. Remember that their hearing is more sensitive than ours.

I've posted first-hand accounts about the success the ThunderShirt had for Jack and Rex. Rex donned his ThunderShirt on the 4th of July last year and slept through a massive fireworks show less than a mile from his home. Jack will try his for the first time this year, but I believe his owner is so thrilled with the results they've achieved so far, that she might just dress Jack in his 4th of July party suit and head out for a night on the delta (so we may have to ask the neighbors how he did).

The ThunderShirt calms pet fears by "hugging." It seems silly and too simple, but it works. Why can't you just hug your pet and save yourself some money? Because you are anxious when your pet is anxious, and your own anxiety is transferred to your pet. So you'd just be compounding the problem.

Check out this compilation of before & after results...amazing!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7lilXT8Img]

Again and again, the steady pressure of the ThunderShirt seems to work for so many. What a wonderful natural alternative to "doggie downers," which so many pet owners have had to resort to. Considering that the shirt comes with a 100% money-back guarantee, it seems silly not to give it a try this 4th of July.

You can order ThunderShirt online, or you can purchase it in most pet stores in time for the fireworks.

I started my inquiry about the ThunderShirt because I'd simply heard so many positive things about it, and I wanted to see for myself. The more I experience the Thundershirt, the better I feel about it. Have you used ThunderShirt? I'd love to hear about it!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ThunderShirt in exchange for my honest opinion.

Take Your Dog To Work Day 2013

I'm lucky in that even before I opened Well Minded and became a full-time professional pet sitter, I was able to bring my dog to work. As I worked away as an account manager at JDA, Inc., my faithful companion, Kermit laid by my side, or, more often, plopped down for a belly rub in front of anyone who came within 100 yards of my desk. My bosses in the office downstairs would bring their dog, Lucy, so we had a downstairs office dog and an upstairs office dog, and sometimes we'd join the two together for a romp. I'm a bit biased, but I think everyone benefited from having the dogs there. They gave us good laughs during tense times, and were always good for a snuggle. Or ready to accept a belly rub. Tomorrow, Friday, June 21, 2013, is the 15th Annual Take Your Dog to Work Day, created by Pet Sitters International. PSI says:

First celebrated in 1999, Pet Sitters International's Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay®) was created to celebrate the great companions dogs make and to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters, and breed rescue clubs. This annual event asks pet lovers to celebrate the human-canine bond and promote pet adoption by encouraging their employers to support TYDTWDay. Employers are encouraged to open their workplace to employees' four-legged friends on this one special day.

In case you are more musically-inclined, check out the TYDTWDay song!

Will you be taking your dog to work tomorrow?

pats on the head feel good

Wow! My first (of many, let's hope) blog award! What a wonderful feeling to be noticed by a fellow blogger. A big thank you to We Live in a Flat for awarding my post, i believe in leashes: my story, recognized in Positive reinforcement doesn't just apply to dealing with dogs, with The Best Moment Award! I received this major award (I'm waiting for my leg lamp in the mail) because We Live in a Flat was inspired by my telling of a life-changing moment. I always love when something good comes of something bad. I accept this award and am flattered to be recognized.

The Best Moment Award

‘Awarding the people who live in the moment. The noble who write and capture the best in life.  The bold who reminded us what really mattered – savoring the experience of quality time. (Please check out MomentMatters.com).

RULES: Winners re-post this completely with their acceptance speech. This could be written or video recorded. Winners have the privilege of awarding the next awardee’s! The re-post should include a NEW set of people/blogs worthy of the award; and winners notify them the great news.’

I am happy to be able to pass the torch along and award other fellow bloggers with the same honor:

For truly showing what it means to live in the moment and capture the best in life in a canine way, I honor The Lonely Dogs, Take my paw and dream with me. The photos on this blog are beyond inspiring. It was difficult to choose just one post, so please take the time to explore this blog about her "twenty-three incredible rescue dogs that share their lives with me in Mexico."

For making me laugh enough to share again and again, Sara Bran's Notes from the Edge Of Motherhood, Reward Stickers for Adults: Gummy Little Redeemers. Just delightful, and so true! I wish The Best Moment Award came with a sticker.

And for writing a story I've heard, done, told, and felt a million times in and entirely new way, Hey Ma, I'm Home: Don't Break the Pet. Brilliant.

As my predecessor did for me, I would like to add that you are receiving this award simply because your posts and your blogs inspired me. The award is non-obligatory, and you do not have to post it on your blog or pass it on if you do not wish to do so.

It's amazing what a simple pat on the head will do for a person, though. Those pups have it figured out.

a shameful interview with Pascale Lemire

If you haven't heard of it, which is shameful in itself, dogshaming.com is a photo blog featuring real dogs doing real deeds. The owners hang signs around the dogs' necks explaining the scenario, snap a picture, and submit it. Totally simple, and completely genius. I set out to do a simple "check this out" post about Dog Shaming. I looked over the site's legal mumbo jumbo to make sure I wouldn't be sued if I said I liked it, which seems to be the current trend in society. All I had to do was get permission in writing to use any anything, so I sent a simple email stating that I'd love to "spread the word about your awesome site," expecting to receive a form letter back listing the endless things I wouldn't be allowed to do.

Instead, I got a personal response back from who I now know to be the site's creator, Vancouver-based Pascale Lemire. She didn't give me any rules, but, instead, invited me to inquire further with her personally, if I wished to do so. No restrictions. Every exchange with this creative, witty woman was delightful. Considering the notoriety she's received about her viral creation, I was, quite frankly, shocked and thrilled to be chatting with her. I told her I thought she'd have "people" to field my type of inquiries. Not so. But I'm predicting that might soon be the case, so I feel like I was pretty damn lucky to get in when I did.

After lamenting about our mutual troublesome experience with wiener dogs, we got down to it.

WM: How did you get the idea to start Dog Shaming?

PL: Dog Shaming started one night when my boyfriend, Mike, and I were in bed reading on our tablets when we heard chewing coming from under the bed. Mike (my now husband) reached out and pulled Beau (our rescue wiener dog) out from under the bed. We realized he'd been chewing on Mike's underwear. We burst out laughing and snapped a picture with a sign beside him, and I posted it to my personal tumblr blog. Within 24 hours, people had blogged and reblogged the picture over and over. So Mike urged me to start a Web site. The rest is history!

WM: What is it with rescue wiener dogs and underwear? Mine redesigned me some risqué underwear, that's for sure!

PL: I have no idea! They do seem to be the most troublesome breed I've found. That and pitbulls...the biggest troublemakers!

WM: So you do see trends with certain breeds. What is the most common submission you receive?

PL: I've gotten weary of the "I have no shame" and the "sorry, not sorry" types of submissions. I never get tired of the dogs, but sometimes the signs are lacking in creativity. The eating poop, socks, and underwear has been done to death.

WM: Since you've been doing this for several months, now, do the submissions still make you laugh?

PL: Every once in a while a REALLY good one comes around.

WM: Do you have any favorites you'd like to share?

PL: Hmmmm...I love the double trouble posts. Like these:

Image

Image

WM: Hilarious! This is my go-to site when I need a laugh. It always delivers. Can you tell me about your pets? Do they ever appear on Dog Shaming?

PL: Of course! Beau and Dasha are my rescue wiener dogs. They're both black and tan, so people often mistake them for siblings. They often make appearances when I'm reaching out to our readers. Our logo is also Beau's face. Here's a recent post with their photograph:

Image

WM: Congratulations on your upcoming book release!

PL: We just released the book cover. The book comes out in September.

WM: What an exciting time for you! Please tell me about your book.

PL: The Dog Shaming book is set to come out in late September and will be a collection of never-before seen material! It will be a coffee table book that amalgamates all the best Dog Shaming submissions I've received over the past months.

WM: That is fantastic. When did you start the site?

PL: August 2012.

WM: When you started the site, what were your expecations?

PL: I really had no expectations. I thought it was a cute idea, and then people kept sending more and more submissions!

WM: What percentage make the cut?

PL: About 5-10% only.

WM: Wow. So how much time do you spend working on the site? Do you have another job?

PL: I spend about five hours a day working on submissions. It's my full-time gig.  I used to work as an administrative assistant for a credit union.

WM: You help with dog adoptions through the site. Can you tell me more about that?

PL: Adoptable Fridays is a weekly event where people can submit dogs they're fostering or from their shelters for adoption. Of course, the same rules apply: They need to have a sign and be funny. I have been able to match over forty readers with adoptable dogs over the span of this endeavor. It's really satisfying to know that my efforts pay off and I'm doing something to help the community out.

WM: Absolutely. Great job! What do you like to do when you're not busy shaming dogs?

PL: I love walking with my dogs and reading. I spend a decent amount of time on the internet, so Dog Shaming seemed like the perfect fit.

WM: Aside from a good belly laugh, what do you think your site brings to people? Why do you think it has gone viral?

PL: I think people can relate to Dog Shaming. People see things and behaviors that their dogs have done, and it makes them glad to know they're not alone. When I started this Web site, I thought I was the only one who had dogs that liked to lick my legs fresh out of the shower.

WM: I agree. The posts are so relatable! What is your vision for the future of Dog Shaming?

PL: I hope our loyal readers will keep making this site great. It's really a group effort to keep the site fresh and entertaining.

WM: Thank you so much for speaking with me.

PL: Absolutely! I'm always available.

Pascale's generosity of time and candid nature ensure that she'll be around for a long time to come. I'm betting that her being "always available" might be a more difficult feat to achieve.