A pet company has received two requests to return results for human swab samples, which has raised concerns about the reliability of dog breed tests.

On Wednesday, WBZ News stated that their investigative team received the results of their dog breed analysis from DNA My Dog after one of their reporters submitted a sample of their own saliva.

Based on data from a company in Toronto, Christina Hager, a WBZ News reporter, has ancestry that is 40% Alaskan malamute, 35% shar-pei, and 25% labrador.

Hager also submitted her samples to two additional pet genetic testing companies. The company Orivet, located in Melbourne, Australia and Florida, reported the sample did not contain enough data to conduct a breed identification analysis. On the other hand, Wisdom Panel, located in Washington, stated that the sample did not have enough DNA to produce a trustworthy result.

WBZ News recently shared a new update, following an investigation by its team, which involved sending a sample from pet owner Michelle Leininger’s cheek to DNA My Dog last year. The results revealed that Leininger’s DNA is comprised of 40% border collie, 32% cane corso, and 28% bulldog.

“Occasionally, certain individuals may concur with that notion, but personally, no, no,” Leininger quipped to WBZ News.

DNA My Dog stated to WBZ News that they only discovered dog DNA on one of Leininger’s two cheek swabs.

According to the company, the second sample yielded DNA from a dog. The results could not have been obtained from a human sample.

According to Zion Market Research, the worldwide market for DNA testing in dogs was worth $235m in 2022 and is estimated to reach $723m by 2030. Key players in this industry include DNA My Dog, Orivet, and Wisdom Panel.

However, unreliable outcomes have raised skepticism regarding the precision of the DNA examinations.

In an interview with WBZ News in the previous year, Lisa Moses – a veterinarian and bioethicist from Harvard Medical School – expressed some concerns about Leininger’s findings. She stated, “I believe this could be seen as a cause for concern… A company should be aware that analyzing a dog’s DNA in any form does not change the fact that it is still a dog.”

Moses continued by stating that there is not a definitive answer to what breed your dog is. A breed is a human construct based on a dog’s physical appearance. However, this does not guarantee that we will know the genetic makeup of the dog.

After WBZ News’ recent coverage, individuals expressed their skepticism through social media.

Someone suggested it would be intriguing to observe the outcome if dog DNA was submitted to a human DNA genealogy testing website.

Another person commented: “I would never invest money in something like this. I do not trust it.”

“Perhaps some individuals should examine their family lineage,” commented another user.

Source: theguardian.com