For my dog’s first birthday, I ordered a Dog DNA Test Kit. After all, I think every dog is curious about his or her ancestry — LOL.

Waiting for the results was exciting because he is a mix of different breeds, for sure.

But what types and how many?

THE EARLY DAYS

I learned that Gunnar’s mother is a feral dog in Walsenburg, Colorado. She had two litters before his was born on November 22nd. The rescue organization, From Forgotten to Forever Rescue & Transport, shared a picture of where he lived with his nine siblings in a coyote den for days before their rescue. Once rescued, each pup was given a holiday—themed name since they were born so close to Christmas. Because he was a bit stand-offish and timid at that time, he became — ‘Scrooge’.

When the puppies were ready to adopt, their pictures were posted on the Petfinders site. I contacted them to learn more about the serious, chunky yellow lab-like male. Petsfinders connected to From Forgotten to Forever Rescue, the non-profit that found their litter. And they connected me to his foster mom, who told me about his shy personality and noted that he was the largest in the litter. She speculated that he would grow to be a ‘Big Boy’.

After I talked to her, Rob (my partner) and I headed to Bennett to meet him. Scrooge was 30 pounds at 14 weeks old. And he was well on his way to becoming a ‘Big Boy’!

Within minutes, we knew we wanted him to be a part of our family. We piled into the truck — Rob and I were excited and Scrooge was, well, nervous. His clung to his only only worldly possession (a small stuffed bear wearing a long red stocking cap), which he carefully by his side.

On the trip home, Rob and I renamed him Gunnar. While that didn’t seem to fit his personality at the time, we were hoping he would ‘grow’ into his new name. So each night, I gently whispered into his ear, “You are a calm and confident dog!”

GROWING UP GUNNAR

Rob and I talked many times about getting a DNA test for him during that first year. Gunnar grew rapidly during that time, reaching 78 pounds on his first birthday.

Could he have yellow Lab? Most likely, given that his mother’s previous litters had a lot of lab-like puppies. Look at the ears and his happy-go-lucky personality. Great Pyrenees? Those legs are long, and he definitely has a touch of stubbornness. Chow? Possibly, see that spotted tongue.

It was a fun game we played a lot. And finally we got the long-awaited DNA Test Kit.

GUNNAR’S DNA TEST RESULTS ARRIVE

There are lots of Dog DNA Test options available. I chose Wisdom Panel because it was highly rated and under $100. It was easy to follow the instructions to do the swab and off it went to the lab. Less than two weeks later, the report arrived. We learned that Gunnar is a special hound with FIFTEEN different breeds in his DNA!

Do you have any guesses?

The list is below, with some surprising findings. Don’t miss the last one. I’ve honestly never heard of that ‘breed’, despite being a dog photographer for many years.

HERDING: German Shepherd 18%, Great Pyrenees 8%, Maremma Sheepdog 8%, Australian Cattle Dog 4%

GUARD: American Pit Bull Terrier 29%, American Bulldog 5%, American Staffordshire Terrier 2%

ASIAN AND OCEANIAN: Siberian Husky 5%, Chow 4%, Alaskan Malamute 2%

SPORTING: Labrador Retriever 6%, Golden Retriever 2%

MODDLE EASTERN AND AFRICAN: Anatolian Shepherd Dog 1%

Street Dogs: Fijian Street 1%. Okay, I had to research this one. They are, not surprisingly, free-roaming pups that typically congregate in cities or towns with plentiful resources. They share many basic traits with pet dogs, but they lead primarily independent lives outdoors. I think the surprising part is that he doesn’t have MORE of that since his mother is feral.

Now that Rob and I have the DNA results, I can actually see parts of the Pit Bull (with his muscular legs and light colored eyes) and German Shepherd (with his attention to what’s happening around him and his powerful, curved tail). Gunnar is featured on my About page.

Have you done a DNA test for your dog? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience!