It Was an Honest Mistake
When our son Daniel and his girlfriend Jess adopted a very frightened little Pablo in the wee early morning hours of January 27, 2018 from Crossing Paths Animal Rescue, they were told that he was most likely some sort of Schnauzer and terrier mix.
As a non-shedding wiry haired dog, Pablo certainly holds many of the terrier traits; and that adorable face, it’s definitely got a little bit of a Schnauzer look to it. Whenever we took Pablo for walks when he visited, people often asked what kind of dog he was and some would even ask if he was part pit bull because of his large barrel chest. Being far from an expert on dog breeds, I could only surmise that he was a smart six-month-old pup who had been well trained and cared for at his foster home before making his way from Alabama to Virginia, and that his background made him a wonderful pet and the perfect addition to our family.
Hashtagging Like a Boss
Armed with Crossing Paths’ best guess as to what breeds were in Pablo’s ancestry, whenever I posted pictures of Pablo on Instagram, I consistently used the hashtags:
- #SchnauzerTerrierMix
- #SchnauzerTerrier
Clicking on the hashtags brought up pictures of other cute dogs who often resembled Pablo and it was fun seeing the different traits of other dogs with similar genetic backgrounds.
Getting the Results
This past year for Christmas, Jess’ brother gave Pablo a gift certificate to Wisdom Panel, a DNA testing site for dogs. Once the test results came back, Daniel and Jess called us with the news.
Pablo’s Breakdown by Breeds
We were quite surprised by the results of Pablo’s DNA test. He definitely has a lot of terrier in him, but not a trace of Schnauzer. I gathered the following information from the American Kennel Club to help understand Pablo’s physical traits and mannerisms.
50% American Staffordshire Terrier
- Confident, smart, and good natured
- Stocky, muscularly built
- Highly trainable
- Males average 55 to 70 pounds
- From the terrier group
25% Bulldog
- Friendly, docile, and a loyal companion
- Well-muscled, stocky
- Stubborn
- Males average around 50 pounds
- From the non-sporting group
12.5% Beagle
- Friendly, curious, clever, and energetic
- Sturdy and solid
- Needs lots of exercise
- Under 20 pounds
- From the hound group
12.5% Sporting, Hunting, and Asian
- Sporting – spaniels, pointers, retrievers, setters
- Hunting – hounds, spaniels, pointers, retrievers
- Asian – shepherds, chow chows, pugs, spitz, pekingese, shih tzu
Making Sense Out of the Results
At 40 pounds, Pablo is quite a bit lighter than the average male American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) and bulldog, but his lighter weight is probably a result of the 25% of other smaller breeds in his family tree. And that barrel chested pit bull look people ask about? It comes from his AmStaff lineage. He inherited his good natured disposition from that side of the family, but he got a double dose of stubbornness from his bulldog ancestors.
Pablo is very friendly as his beagle heritage would suggest, but he can also be quite shy around strangers. Thanks to his intelligence from his AmStaff and beagle ancestry, Pablo graduated with honors from puppy school. He understands several commands – sit, shake, down, wait – and often combines them all in rapid succession if he suspects a treat is on its way.
Using the Right Hashtag
I stopped using the hashtags with his incorrect breeds after seeing Pablo’s DNA results and perhaps it’s time I come up with some new ones. Maybe I’ll give one of these a try…
- #AmericanStaffordshireTerrierBulldogBeagleMix
- #MixedBreed
- #TheWorldsMostPerfectDog
The world’s most perfect dog… Not only is it true, but it’s got a nice ring to it!
Thank you, Daniel and Jess, for bringing Pablo into our family! xoxo
Questions:
- • If you have a dog, do you know what breed he/she is? ~ Growing up, we always had mutts until my dad got a beagle while I was in college.
- • Did you even know DNA tests existed for dogs? ~ I didn’t until Daniel and Jess told me about it.
- • Have you done a DNA test for yourself or your pet? ~ My brother did Ancestry, but I haven’t.
Pablo is one of a kind! We’ve been told that our dog is a shepherd/lab mix and we just learned the combo has a name, a Sheprador. Like Pablo, she is absolutely perfect.
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie recently posted…Weekly Eats: Steak Tacos, Take Out, and Life Lately
Awww, you’re a lucky fur mom!
What a cute pup!!! We have a schnauzer shihtzu mix or at least that’s what we think he is. Maybe now we need to do the DNA test?
I may have just stalked your IG looking for pictures of your little schnauzer shihtzu mix. 😉 He’s such a cutie!
Oh sweet Pablo!!! As you know, we rescued Max, too….the people at the shelter called him a Shih Tzu/Lhasa Apso mix (Shih-Ap?). We see so many pics of similar looking dogs when we Google either/both of those breeds. I have been tempted to do a DNA test to see exactly what else is there LOL I think he might have some poodle in him, too, because his fur is so curly. Thankfully, he’s a non-shedder, too, or else we wouldn’t be having this conversation…my allergies were a big factor in our search for a shelter dog, and we hit the jackpot 😉
Kimberly Hatting recently posted…Virtually Quite Content
Max is such a cutie and such a great coach for you! 😉
OMG what a fun post! I would have thought Schnauzer as well and am very surprised to see bulldog as one of the top results. He is quite the cutie! -M
Thanks, Miranda!
It is so fun to do the DNA test to see what our rescue pups’ DNA says. Our daughter is a veterinarian and gifted my husband a DNA test for his birthday. We found out that our 41 lb. “foster fail” dog is American Staffordshire terrier, Labrador (as we had guessed) and…chihuahua! This makes us laugh all the time but definitely explains her dainty little feet. 😉 But regardless of what their breed is, they are perfect, aren’t they?
Yes, they are perfect! 🙂
[…] Wednesday – When the DNA Results Don’t Match the Hashtags […]
His ears in that last pic
<3
My neighbor's dog who I occasionally sit for is "100% purebred Dog" An adorable mutt, but definitely all the pieces
Cari recently posted…Finding Forward
I know, those ears! ❤️
He’s so adorable!
Thanks! Not that we’re biased, but we think so, too! 😉
Thanks for your review! I also love the photos of your dog!
Wow! very interesting post. DNA analysis helps to get the effective results.
dan bravo recently posted…How To Estimate And Record The Dates And Ages In Your Family Tree
Getting a DNA analysis is especially fun for pets that are of many mixed breeds.