Quixote goes national … and more on NFL,dog-fighting
By Gina Spadafori
May 24, 2007
Well … kinda. Actually, little Quixote is not mentioned in this piece on DNA testing for mixed-breed dogs — but Dr. Becker is.
Our Pet Connection veterinarian is quoted in an article by reporter Elisabeth Weise in USA Today. Betcha the ace science writer enjoyed taking a break from the food-safety scandal just as we did:
A DNA test out this summer can tell owners if their mutt’s a dachhuahua (dachshund + chihuahua), a Labradoodle (Labrador retriever + poodle), a dorgi (dachshund + corgi) or a pugle (pug + beagle).
As the cost of DNA analysis plummets, the new test is the second to promise owners an answer to the most frequently asked question in the vet’s office: “What is my dog?” With up to 50% of all dogs in America mixed breeds, it’s a big question, and one that is often impossible to answer just by looking.
[...]
The tests might help owners and veterinarians watch for breed-specific problems, says Marty Becker, author and veterinarian. For example, corgis, dachshunds and basset hounds are prone to obesity. Boxers tend to get cancer. Golden retrievers have skin problems. Knowing a dog was a certain breed that was at risk would help “prevent rather than treat, which is always preferable,” Becker says.
Which reminds me: Did anyone guess Quixote’s parentage right? Gotta figure that out.
I’m not sure Dr. Becker’s been completely honest with us, though. From the picture, it looks as if Quixote is part bird, too. (Note: No ChiPomYorkie mix would EVER be harmed at Dr. Becker’s Almost Heaven Ranch. Or any other pet, of course!)
Update: From people who love their dogs to … well … columnist Christine Brennan of USA Today writes about the NFL and the culture of dog-fighting:
Michael Vick’s alleged off-the-field hobby, the one that Washington Redskins Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels found so funny the other day, can kill a dog in as little as seven minutes or as long as three hours.
[...]
No one yet knows if Vick is going to be charged for animal cruelty and dogfighting at a house he formerly owned in Virginia after a raid found 60 pit bulls and similar breeds, some scarred and in poor shape, along with items associated with dogfighting.
No one yet knows if the NFL will flex its new disciplinary muscle further by suspending Vick, whose highlight reel over the past six months includes flashing an obscene gesture at fans and having a mysterious water bottle with a secret compartment confiscated at airport security in Miami before the authorities came to his old property and found that he wasn’t exactly harboring Lassie.
But this we do know: Today’s professional athlete can be so over-entitled, so misguided, so, well, bored, that almost nothing he does should surprise us anymore.
Here’s the rest. I like what the Westminster Kennel Club’s David Frei has to say about it in the piece:
Anybody who is involved in dogfighting as a sport is a coward. Michael Vick is a guy who is supposed to be a leader and warrior, but if the allegations are true, he’s taking advantage of the courage, the bravery, the protective nature, the loyalty of dogs for his own sick pleasures. If you need to have a macho dog to show that you’re macho, you’re not.
Oh Gina – I have been very fortunate to share my life with 6 extraordinary dogs after I left my parent’s home. Besides being Much Loved and Very Handsome, Puck is the second love of my heart at only 2 years old, and I suspect she will soon surpass the first love of my heart (Ambrose). By all indications, Puck is apparently boxer crossed with some kind of terrier and something else (Humane Society provenance, beard and chest). I probably needed to know (but was pained to hear) that boxers are on the cancer list. This is the only reason I would ever care what mix Puck is. I know how bad losing the first dog of my heart was, and I already know it’s going to be very bad when Puck goes. I want that to be as far in the future as possible, and will get her DNA tested.
Comment by Carol PW — May 24, 2007 @ 8:01 pm
the DNA thing has a lot of people worried with regards to BSL. there’s been talk of insurance companies requiring DNA testing of all mixed-breed dogs to ensure that they aren’t part “black listed breed” (zomg not teh evil pit bulls!!) and stuff like that.
Comment by elegy — May 25, 2007 @ 4:22 am
These people who like dog fighting need to go to war and be put on the front lines so they can get a taste of it for themselves and leave the poor pets alone.
Comment by Linda — May 25, 2007 @ 5:13 am
These professional athletes must have no understanding of how influential they are or the way their words & actions impact young people. Otherwise, there would be no excuse for this behavior being tolerated by the NFL.
Comment by slt — May 25, 2007 @ 5:22 am
Hi elegy!
I wondered about that point. This could be used to support BSL rather than to eliminate it - a bad, bad thing indeed!
For those unfamiliar with the term, BSL stands for “Breed Specific Legislation - passing measures wholesale against entire groups of dogs without regard for the behavior of the individual animal.
A much better approach is Dangerous Dog legislation (“Blame the Deed, Not the Breed”) which bases punitive measures on the behavior of the DOG itself - whether it is a Cocker Spaniel, a Rottweiler, or anything else doesn’t enter into the equation.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — May 25, 2007 @ 5:27 am
Surely there must be better things in life than to cause pain and get kicks from bloody wounds and defeated spirits - our poor dogs only want to please their owners to give and receive a pat on the head.
Comment by Linda — May 25, 2007 @ 6:43 am
btw, I meant to ask if the approximate cost of this DNA testing for mixed breed dogs is known.
Comment by slt — May 25, 2007 @ 6:51 am
Around $100, with regional variation. (Costs of running a veterinary practice are higher in urban areaa, so prices are, too>)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 25, 2007 @ 7:03 am
Thanks Gina. One more thing for the lottery winnings list of expenditures. I’d be interested in finding out what my little dog Emily is - just so we could make up more names to tease her with, hehe.
Comment by slt — May 25, 2007 @ 7:08 am
I called my vet to get a DNA test on one of my dogs and was told, after the gal at the front desk asked the vet, that they don’t do that. They suggested I call UC Davis, in fact the vet said they had never heard of anything like that. So I guess Pet Connection is cutting edge - time for some more investigation…..
Comment by Linda — May 25, 2007 @ 11:22 am
New Dog Fighting article in Newsweek! (Ugh)
http://tinyurl.com/yscf64
Comment by Linda — June 5, 2007 @ 10:18 am