I am Uniquely Me! See My DNA. There is Only One Lambchop the Dog. By Deborah Paul
I am Uniquely Me! See My DNA. There is Only One Lambchop the Dog.
By Deborah Paul
Wherever we go with Lambchop folks walk past and say, “Cute dog!”
Then -- wait for it -- “What kind of dog is that?”
No one, I mean no one, walks past Lambchop without exclaiming about her cute round ears or silvery fur with the white streak down her back. If her head is out the window in traffic, people two lanes over will yell, “What kind of dog is that?”
Next, they say, “Awwwww, she looks just like a koala bear.”
Lambchop the day we got her from the animal recue
Lambchop right after her hystorectomy and first bath
For nine years I only guessed about Lambchop’s ancestry. She has traveled with us all over the United States and parts of Canada in our motorhome, making friends and admirers along the way. It didn’t matter where we went, the reaction to my unusual fuzzy-wuzzy was always the same.
Finally, my friend Lianne suggested I get a DNA test for my furry pooch. The San Pedro Animal Care Center agents thought she might be a poodle-silky terrier mix, or silky-poo. She was a stray with no history and the only dog in the place that didn’t bark at me.
About a year old Lambchop Waiting to go Bye-Bye
Baby Lambchop in a swing
I’ve toyed with the DNA idea for a long time, but didn’t want to pop for the $100 kit.
But satisfaction brought the cat back, right?
CEO and founder of Animals Rule animal rescue and pet store owner Stephanie Crawford told me about the Wisdom Panel Canine DNA kit she uses with good results.
“The average consumer likes to see what’s in their dogs,” Crawford said. “If you are having issues it’s nice to know the DNA for training, and know why they keep doing the same behaviors.”
Lambchop at a motorhome park in Vermont
Lambchop posing after a spiffy grooming
CEO and founder of Animals Rule animal rescue and pet store owner Stephanie Crawford said she recently helped place a rescue dog who looked like a pit bull mix. The DNA results showed it had pit bull, chow, Australian shepherd and German shepherd -- all the breeds rescuers tell wanna-be pet owners to stay away from. Chows have eye problems, shepherds have horrible hips and pit bull personalities are iffy. Plus, it helps to know the traits even in multi-mixed dogs so trainers know how to address the issues.
Additionally, according to researchers at True Crime Forensics, another company offering pet DNA tracking, pet DNA is helping solve hundreds of crimes around the world. Consulting a pet DNA data base has helped law enforcement track commonly transferred animal shedding on blankets, drool on hard objects and feces at crime scenes that have provided enough DNA to track criminals down and put them behind bars.
Lambchop camping at Mammoth Lakes
Lambchop, the travelin' dog in the motorhome with her Squeaky Baby
The DNA test kit was simple with three easy steps.
Collect Lambchop’s saliva from along her gums and place the two swabs in a sealed package, activate an online site,, then mail the test kit.
I waited almost two months for results only because I missed the part about receiving the report back online. Once I called and talked to the Wisdom Health people, I had my results immediately.
Here’s how they do it:
According to the Wisdom Panel scientists, once the sample reaches the lab, it’s scanned into the database and assigned a batch for testing. The DNA from Lambchop’s cells was extracted so the lab workers could examine it against 1,800-plus genetic markers. They then take a close look at Lambchop’s DNA, in a process called genotyping, comparing the results, known as genotypes, with the genotypes of more than 15,000 breed samples in their database.
Those results are then fed into a computer that evaluates them, using an algorithm that considers all of the possible pedigree trees going back three generations, or to Lambchop’s great-grandparents. A staggering 17,000,000-plus combinations of possible ancestry trees are considered before being narrowed down to 11 final trees. The tree with the best overall score is what you see in Lambchop’s final, personalized report. All of this takes roughly three weeks.
Lambchop for my soul
Lambchop stares at a hot airbaloon soaring over a motorhome campsite in Twisp, Washington.
Lambchop at the Galleta Meadows scuptures in Boreggo Springs, CA
Lambchop looks like a Hungarian Pumi dog here, but no trace in her DNA.
The Pekingese breed had been detected, but at a lesser contribution -- meaning the breed is likely further back in Lambchop’s ancestry. The only Pekingese indication I can see is in her adorable underbite.
Lambchop has two kinds of fur that begs questions.
Her silky soft curls and intermittent wiry-like hair are both non shedding. Even if she’s rolls in the grass, or “in the stinky” as I call it, she seldom has a doggy aroma. And oh, those big ears. Round tufts of soft fur hides the pointy dark gray ears beneath, but the fur still grows out rounded all by itself.
And she’s a daddy’s girl.
Our other two Cairn terriers were mine, all mine, but Lambchop definitely favors “Dad.” Of course, I give her slivers of treats when he gives her medallions, but there is no question she’d rather watch TV or cuddle up in bed next to Jim rather than me.
Maybe she likes his male pheromones. Or maybe because I bug her with too much attention.
Naaaa, couldn’t be that.
Another unusual thing about Lambchop is she learned about a dozen tricks right away. I believe it’s the smart poodle and natural athlete in her.
Still, as she ages she’s becoming more selective about which tricks she likes to do. She has to be really hungry to perform, but will still jump through my arms or a hoop, prays to Jesus, bows to me, does Crazy 8s through my legs and a few other heartwarming antics without too much coaxing.
Our good friends Dave and Karen Visel watch Lambchop while we’re on vacation.
They take such good care of her, it’s like the house and people change, but she still has the same life, except she knows how to manipulate them to get more walks.
“We always look forward to having Lamby come to our house for sleep overs,” Karen Visel said. “She’s a sweet little critter who becomes part of our family. We appreciate that Deb and Jim will share her with us.”
Sniff.
Recently, I was binge-watching “Heartland” on Netflix. Sappy, sentimental and irritating characters, I know, but a lot of the techniques they apply to the horses on the series can be applied to dogs, too.
When Jack had to put his old horse Paint down, I started to cry. Lambchop, who was laying next to me got up and laid her head down on my chest looking at me sideways out of those alert little black eyes. That made me blubber more, knowing we only have a few years left with her.
Recently at the dog park, even before we got in the gate, two people asked about Lambchop’s breed. Now I can tell them the straight ancestry dogspeak and marvel along with everyone about the undetectable Pekingese mailman who got in her genes.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she immediately began holding court with all the small boy dogs. She lays down in the grass and studies the situation, then yappy and bossy she runs to herd the dogs around the park. She never fails to entertain.
Lambchop is my best friend, constant companion, keeper of secrets, biggest forgiver, therapist and is attentive to my every mood and move. She’s almost as good for my soul as daily prayer.
And everyone knows Dog is God spelled backwards.
Deborah Paul has played with ink since she was able to read and write. At 19, after two years of college, she left St. Louis to fly for American Airlines, and later enjoyed a long career with Flying Tiger Lines in many capacities, including flying military and their dependents all over the world as a flight attendant. Paul returned to university in the 1990s earning a journalism degree from Cal State University Dominguez Hills and was eventually hired as a newspaper reporter for the South Bay Weekly section of the Los Angeles Times. A decade later she worked for Orange Coast Magazine as their Charitable Events editor. She also taught journalism and was advisor to the campus newspaper at CSUDH and still contributes as a regular stringer for Peninsula News on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Currently, she has self-published four-of-five children's books in her ballad series. Her poetic fictional stories are inspired by real people who have left an indelible mark on the quiet display of simple human kindness. She resides in Rancho Palos Verdes married to Jim, her husband of many adventures.