The board of a luxury New York City apartment complex raised paws last year when it started requiring residents to test the DNA of their dogs before granting them permission to reside there.
Its reasoning was that certain dog breeds are aggressive by nature. (The complex also has a list of banned breeds, which includes Pomeranians, according to DNAinfo.)
Beyond a dog's behavior, dog DNA tests claim they can tell you everything from how big a young dog will be to whether it will be good with kids or other pets.
Having experimented with testing my own DNA, I figured it was worth a shot to find out more about my dog. Here's how it went:
SEE ALSO: 7 things to consider before buying one of those kits that lets you 'test your genes'
This is Izzie. When I adopted her over a decade ago, I was told she was a mixed-breed golden retriever. She was only a year old, so no one knew how big she'd get (most goldens reach their full size, about 60 lbs., around age 2) or how she'd behave in a house where she was the only pet. Our veterinarian told us she looked like a golden, so it was safe to say she was some kind of (smallish) golden retriever mutt.
Despite our worries, she stayed roughly the same size. And we stayed curious about her heritage. She's now 14 years old, and she's friendly and loyal. Most people get dog DNA tests so they can find out what kind of behavioral traits to expect: Golden retrievers tend to be loyal and good with kids, for example, while dalmatians are super active and generally make good guard dogs.
Source: American Kennel Club
When I got the chance to test her DNA, I seized it. There were several options to choose from, but I picked the Wisdom Panel DNA test developed by MARS Veterinary, the world's largest pet healthcare provider. At $84.99, the kit wasn't cheap.
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