Don’t miss out on your chance to win a Wisdom Panel MX, a DNA test from Mars Veterinary. The contest ends Monday, December 8th at Midnight PST.

Over 38 million people own a mixed-breed dog. One simple dog DNA test at your veterinarian’s office reveals the untold story of its ancestry.

Separate FACT From FICTION:

With Wisdom Panel MX, mixed-breed dogs will receive the most reliable DNA breed test available.

* Blood-based sampling, scientifically proven to provide the highest quality DNA analysis
* Detecting 157 different AKC breeds (incl. 4 Foundation Breeds) and counting
* Proprietary algorithm providing 90% accuracy
* Backed by a decade of peer-reviewed veterinarian science research on dog genetics
* Detailed report illustrating your dog’s heritage,
revealing breed traits and characteristics

If you want to enter go to the original post,  you’ll see 3 pictures of the same dog and you need to guess what breeds are in  him for a chance to win.

HINT:The dog actually has five breeds in him, some you’ll definitely need to think outside the box. I’m going to give you one, so you’ll only have four left to figure out.

He is part Chow Chow, in the middle picture shown on the original post you’ll notice the black tongue. The picture isn’t very clear so it’s only fair I give you that one.

So there you have it, one down and four to go.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

I’ve been watching the answers come in and realized I need to give a little hint.

The dog actually has five breeds in him, some you’ll definitely need to think outside the box.  I’m going to give you one, so you’ll only have four left to figure out.

He is part Chow Chow, in the middle picture shown on the original post you’ll notice the black tongue.  The picture isn’t very clear so it’s only fair I give you that one.

So there you have it, one down and four to go. If you guessed before you can submit another answer.

Good luck!

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

“Who’s your daddy?”

Are any of you pups out there tormented by this question?

Do you wonder whether your old man was the German Shepherd dropping off the milk, or maybe the Golden Retriever delivering the mail, or could he have been a former Westminster Dog Show winner?

If only there were a way to tell what blood flows through your veins.

Well, mutts, you need to wait no more. Mars Veterinary has a new product called the Wisdom Panel MX, it’s a DNA test for mixed breeds.

Every Dog Has A Tale:
That’s why Mars Veterinary created Wisdom Panel^TM MX Mixed-Breed Analysis, the gold standard in mixed-breed genetic identification for dogs.

Over 38 million people own a mixed-breed dog. One simple dog DNA test at your veterinarian’s office reveals the untold story of its ancestry.

Separate FACT From FICTION:

With Wisdom Panel MX, mixed-breed dogs will receive the most reliable DNA breed test available.

* Blood-based sampling, scientifically proven to provide the highest quality DNA analysis
* Detecting 157 different AKC breeds (incl. 4 Foundation Breeds) and counting
* Proprietary algorithm providing 90% accuracy
* Backed by a decade of peer-reviewed veterinarian science research on dog genetics
* Detailed report illustrating your dog’s heritage,
revealing breed traits and characteristics

Lisa and I have long wondered what breeds flow through Bo’s and Copper’s body. Sure we tell everybody we know what breeds we ‘think’ they are, but truth be told, we’re not 100% certain. Now we have a chance to know.

The process is simple enough.  Order the Wisdom Panel MX test and you’ll receive a package with a vial and a postage paid box to return it in. You will need your vet to pull a sample of blood from your favorite mixed breed and then you send it in.

When we received our package, we just waited until their regularly scheduled appointment (last week) to have their blood drawn. Now it’s just a waiting game for the results to come back.

What a cool product, right? Well, Mars Veterinary is going to give our awesome Dogster members a chance to win a free kit. In fact, three kits will be given away, and it’s simple to win.

See the pictures associated with this post? Tell us in the comments area what breeds you think make up that adorable dog (yes it’s the same dog in all three pix). The three Dogsters who guess correctly, or come closest, will win a kit. If there are any ties I will choose the winner at random from the correct entries.

I think this would be a fabulous gift to give to the dog lover in your life for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even Festivus.

In case you don’t win, the great folks from Mars Veterinary are offering up a discount only for Dogster members. If you order before Christmas you’ll receive a $10 discount by entering promo DOGSTER10.

Contest starts today and runs through Monday, December 8th.

It’s simple and fun…guess away!!

**UPDATE!! Here’s a hint to help you out!**

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

He may have been pandering to his children but if there’s one thing Senator Barack Obama will learn, there’s no going back on commitments when kids and puppies are involved.

I’m sure many of you already know, the junior senator from Illinois promised his kids they would be able to get a dog if he is voted into the White House in November of this year.

This has dog lovers around the globe intently watching the race for the next President of the United States just to see what type of dog the kids are going to get. I’ll put dollars to donuts that he’s still going to be getting the kids a fuzzy little ball of fun even if he loses.

I think this is one of those great teaching moments that come along every once in a great while. What if the Obamas were to go to a local shelter to pick out their dog or opt for a dog rescue organization to select their dog of choice? What a great message that would send.

That’s why when I found out what the Best Friends Animal Society was doing to promote this very thing I got so excited. They’ve set up a website www.ObamaFamilyDog.com to petition the Senator to go down the rescue path rather than the purchasing one. The website has great information on why adoption is such a great choice and you’ll be amazed at the wonderful things this organization is doing to create “a better world through kindness to animals”.

The ObamaFamilyDog.com site was created as a response to The American Kennel Club which quickly identified a list of five possible “pure” breeds that the Obamas could buy from a pet store or breeder.

Best Friends’ has a different thought…

“With millions of homeless pets still being killed in shelters every year, they’re proposing that the Obamas NOT buy a dog – instead, that they adopt their next dog from a shelter or rescue group.”

Anyone who’s looked into how pet stores get their dogs is appalled when they find out about the realities of puppy mills and backyard breeders. This is not directed at ethical breeders, but at those who breed their dogs without thought to the welfare of the animal, the offspring and the future owners. It truly disgusts me.

Ted has previously written about the little known world of puppy mills and backyard breeders that were exposed by Oprah on her show. In that piece he makes a great point.

“..if people simply knew about puppy mills and backyard breeders, we could kill all their business.”

He’s right. If someone were to watch the Oprah show on puppy mills, I guarantee they will be adopting their next best friend.

As a Dogster member, chances are you more aware of this problem than the average person, or dog owner. I urge to take this opportunity to influence the education of the world on dog rescues by helping the Obamas make the right choice. Go sign the petition now.

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere:

This post comes from Dogster member and friend Randi Sachs. She’s the guardian of one of our favorite dogs, Ripley. Ripley, come visit Dogster HQ again soon!

A few weeks ago we were at the vet for a routine visit, and I decided to take the plunge on this new doggie DNA test that can identify up to 134 breeds in a mixed-breed’s ancestry after analyzing a blood sample.

What it boils down to is that Ripley is considered to be a multi-generational “Outbred” dog. They could find barely any trace of any pedigreed breeds in her blood work, which means that she is the result of many generations of mutts breeding with each other.

The breed they found with highest confidence (although it was still only a trace of evidence) was German Shepherd! Otherwise, they found low-confidence traces of Golden Retriever, Chow Chow, Chinese Shar-Pei and Sealyham Terrier.

End result, Ripley is truly one of a kind… and she is not a Lab mix at all! She’s a super-mutt who possibly gets her intelligence and focus from her German Shepherd ancestry way back when.

Has your dog had a DNA test? What were the results?

Share this entry with your pawple anywhere: