What would you say Bodhi is??

[CatStina]

How do you know the breeds that make Bodhi up? I'm the US I would say Catahoula/Pit Bull/Lab. Knowing youre in the UK, I'd guess Collie/stafford/Lab.

[Dizzy]

Because the person she came from had her mother and grandmother, and bodhi was a happy accident with a dog they knew. So I know with almost 100% certainty

They took her mother in, then went back and took HER mother as the previous owner was hitting her with a broom. The father was owned by someone else, they were camping and not very careful, and voila. Bodhi. This was nearly 8 years ago.

There are pics of all the dogs in various places I can post after when I find them. I met her mother and grandmother, and I'm not certain but I think I met her father a couple of years before that. They're all gone now, sadly.

You'll be pleased to know mother was spayed later. I had no intentions of getting bodhi, but I'm so glad I did. I often wonder where her siblings ended up, and hope they all are having a good life too....

Anyway. All her siblings looked very different from one another. You'd not know they were related.

[Dizzy]

Right.

Bodhi issssss.... *drumrolls*


Boxer/staff crossed with collie/springer/lab!


Will find some pics of her parentage...

[Dizzy]

Bilbo. She definitely took his build.



Bodhi as a puppy and her grandmother.





Her mother.





All 3 together.

[Flyinsbt]

Thing is, once you get more than 2 breeds involved, the traits you get are really random. Even just a simple 2 breed cross can wind up with surprising results if you don't know how it affects certain traits. But more than that, and it becomes anything goes. You can wind up with traits that you wouldn't see in any of the component breeds.

The one thing that Bodhi has is merle coloring, so you know that whatever else she has, there must be some breed in her with that coloring. And there are a limited number of breeds that come in merle. She does look like a Catahoula mix, but knowing you're in the UK, that becomes highly unlikely. So one of the collie breeds becomes the most likely source of the merle.

[Dizzy]

Absolutely!

And this is exactly why there's not much point in guessing mixed breeds unless you have an reasonable idea of their heritage. Because they could be ANYTHING!

[milos_mommy]

Springer is the one that surprises me!

I'm so over people being able to tell what their mixes are without knowing. I know a dog who is definitely 1/2 pug and 1/2 siberian husky.

The dog looks like a slightly smaller-than-average, yellow lab coloured husky. You'd probably think he was just an off-colored husky, if not lab X husky or something. He certainly didn't get any of his physical traits from his pug side.

[GoingNowhere]

and you know what? If you were didn't know Bodhi's breed makeup and were to submit her for a DNA test, if the results came back saying "springer spaniel" most people would probably laugh and jump to the conclusion that the DNA test was faulty.


I will say that I don't know much about the validity of those tests, but it is interesting to note that she doesn't necessarily look like what she's made up of!

Regardless, she's cute!

[Flyinsbt]

Originally Posted by GoingNowhere

and you know what? If you were didn't know Bodhi's breed makeup and were to submit her for a DNA test, if the results came back saying "springer spaniel" most people would probably laugh and jump to the conclusion that the DNA test was faulty.


I will say that I don't know much about the validity of those tests, but it is interesting to note that she doesn't necessarily look like what she's made up of!

Regardless, she's cute!

The DNA tests are faulty, but I wouldn't criticize them for mentioning a breed that the dog doesn't resemble, since random breeding does create looks which can be a total surprise.

I would criticize them if, instead of Springer, they came back as Sussex Spaniel. Or Kooikerhondje. The biggest key to the unreliability of those tests is how many dogs come back with really rare breeds listed in their ancestry. Unlikely.

[crazedACD]

Originally Posted by Flyinsbt

I would criticize them if, instead of Springer, they came back as Sussex Spaniel. Or Kooikerhondje. The biggest key to the unreliability of those tests is how many dogs come back with really rare breeds listed in their ancestry. Unlikely.

Yes, but I have a theory on this. Look at how many people have 'oops' litters. And because they are 'rare', they are probably gotten from a breeder. And because they are from a breeder, and rare, aren't they more likely to be intact? I don't really think 'rare' breed mixes are totally impossible. I've seen my share of Sussex, Salukis, Leonbergers, Briards, and so forth around.