Unlocking doggy DNA

If I have one regret about bringing home my little rescue dog, it is this. His past is a complete mystery to me.

I wish I knew more about how this sweet pup came into existence and what his home life was like before he arrived at the center of the universe.

I want the puppy pictures, darn it.

That's one of the reasons that having a DNA profile of my Chihuahua, Bailey, appealed to me. It couldn't tell me if he had been the apple of his mama's eye, but it could tell me more about who he is and who his ancestors are.

Bailey's ears are a clue that he's something besides all Chihuahua. (Joan Morris/Contra Costa Times)

I used Mars Veterinary's Wisdom Panel (www.wisdompanel.com). The DNA testing company has been around since the beginning of doggy DNA testing about a decade ago. The test costs about $80 and is easy to administer. A couple of swabs of Bailey's cheeks and that was it. The hardest part was waiting two weeks for the test results.

Angela Hughes, the veterinary geneticist with Wisdom Panel, explained that once the DNA is extracted and processed, computers take over and compare Bailey's unique DNA to more than 7 million pattern combinations, looking at what he is as well as what he isn't.

All dogs are descended from the wolf, and genetic propensities were honed by nature. We then stepped in with selective breeding to emphasize those characteristics and develop the breeds we now know.

Of all the genes that make up a dog, only about 200 determine a dog's appearance. Coat color, texture and length, shape of the nose and ears, size and even some personality traits are all decided by this handful of genes.

For example, Hughes says, most mixed-breed dogs have black coats. That's because black is a dominant gene and requires only one copy to drop into the "coat color" slot on the DNA strand. Other colors are recessive and require a matching gene from each parent.

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Unlocking doggy DNA