Doggie CSI can track down your pooch’s ancestry

How special is your pavement special? Ever wondered if there is a little pedigree in your pooch? Or is his blood line pure pavement?

For just under R700 dog owners can now find out‚ thanks to a little doggie CSI. A DNA test‚ called MuttMix‚ is available in South Africa and it can tell the "tail" of your mutt’s ancestry.

All the owner needs to do is send a swab from their dog’s cheek for analysis and comparison against 100 breeds abroad. From that swab‚ MuttMix can identify up to eight genetic variants‚ including which breeds are more dominant.

Some experts say the test is just for fun‚ with value of the medical benefits test disputed. But knowing the different breeds that make up your mutt can help explain certain behavioural tics‚ and identify potential hip problems or allergies‚ according to Biped Personal Biotech owner Dominique Tricerry.

She says about 60 South Africans inquire about the tests each month. She helps conduct 30 to 40 tests each month at cost of R695.

On Facebook‚ customer Samantha Senior writes: 

"My precious Max recently received the results of his muttmix kit and we couldn't be more excited and a little confused. The dog had elements of Parson russell terrier‚ Coton de Tulear‚ Rhodesian ridgeback and border collie. Thank you so much to MuttMix for finally telling us what Maxi is!!"

Tricerry sends the tests in batches overseas every few weeks to an international lab in North America‚ which adds new breeds all the time‚ the latest including Brussels griffon‚ Belgian malinois‚ cairn terrier and Tibetan spaniel.

Test on mixed breed dogs are very popular in Britain‚ said Home DNA Direct customer and sales marketing manager Stephen Ford. "It's interesting but has no medical value." Ford says tests are just for fun.

Tricerry‚ who sends her tests to the United States‚ says sometimes genetics can help in understanding dogs' behaviour. When she tested one of her dogs‚ she discovered it was part Ibizan hound a breed with a reputation for being escape artists. She then reinforced her walls to prevent the dog jumping out of the yard.

Tricerry believes she is giving a service to dog owners and says she keeps the price as low as possible and doesn't really make money from the business. "The reason I keep price so low is because I love mixed breeds. She says some people have obsessions with pure breeds and think of them being superior.

People don't want to take in mixed-breed pavement specials because they don't know what they are getting into. The test‚ she says‚ has in the past helped in training dogs. For example Dalmatians are known to be stubborn and if the test reveals that the dog has Dalmatian genes‚ trainers can adjust their training.

The discovery of one genetic clue sadly came too late for one dog.

"One dog died after being constantly allergic to various things and the vet chopped and changing medication. The owner later found out the dog’s sibling was allergic to a medication. If he had known perhaps his dog would be alive."

Tricerry became involved in Biped Personal Biotech after responding to an international advert for an animal lover who is good at administration. It had been started by two biochemists who had got bored with their business. Eventually they sold Tricerry the business for R1‚ which is merely a legal requirement.

Tricerry has a real doggie job and offers this service on the side. . "I happened to land with my bum in butter."

There is one requirement when sending in a DNA sample: don’t send a photo of the mutt.

Tricerry believes that a peek into a dog’s DNA can be beneficial for the animal.