My Big N-O to Dog DNA Tests

I picked up the brochure at the pet supply store, and it's still sitting on my desk. I haven't done a thing with it.

For something under a hundred bucks, I can get a test kit and send off cheek swabs of DNA from my dogs' mouths and find out exactly what their canine components are.

No more mystery mutts. DNA will answer all those "What kind of dog is he?'' questions.

For a while I wondered which dog I would test. Edgar, the one the vet swears is mostly Jindo? Daisy, who the smart money says is half-Jack Russell and half-Staffordshire? Or Oliver, my mystery boy, fluffy as feathers, grey with grey-brown eyes?

The more I think about the test, the less I'm inclined to do it. All of my dogs, for all of my life, have been mixed-up rescues. They are much, much more than the sum of their parts. To break them down into 10% this or 20% that is to reduce them to something less than their sweet and singular selves. I would rather think of each of them as a breed unto himself or herself, a unique mix to go along with a unique personality.

And I think I'll keep them that way -- 100% certified American multicultural canines.

--Patt Morrison