Pet DNA testing company identifies human as dog, reports she is 25% Labrador

A pet DNA testing company is under fire after it identified a human as a canine. As per reports, the Toronto-based company reported that the sample they tested is "40% Alaskan malamute, 35% shar-pei and 25% Labrador". In reality, it belongs to a reporter from WBZ News.

Reporter Christina Hager sent her DNA sample to various pet testing facilities, reported WBZ-TV News. Among them, a company called DNA My Dog identified Hager as a dog. She shared a swab sample from her cheek with three other companies based in Melbourne, Florida, and Washington. While the first two companies "failed to provide the data necessary to perform the breed ID analysis", the last facility shared that they were unable to produce a "reliable result" because of lack of "enough DNA".

"I personally do have concerns about the fact that, from a consumer standpoint, you don't always know what you're getting when you work with those companies," Elinor Karlsson, a geneticist working with the Broad Institute and UMass Chan Medical School, told WBZ-TV News. "There's not a lot of rules in this space," added Karlsson.

The Guardian reported that according to Zion Market Research, the global dog DNA test market was valued at $235m in 2022. The market is projected to grow massive - about $723m by 2030.

How did netizens react to this news on dog DNA testing?

As the news made it to social media, it sparked chatter among netizens, and they shared varied comments. Just like this Facebook user who wrote, "The results for my dog were totally inaccurate."

Another added, "Just got our results back on our rescue. It says he's a Heinz 57 and has 19 different breeds. I agree on a few, but not so much on the rest."

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A third wondered, "It would be interesting to see the results if they sent dog DNA to one of the human DNA genealogy testing sites!"

The investigation was launched by Hager from WBZ News after a pet owner from New Hampshire received results declaring that the swab sample he sent to DNA My Dog belongs to a "40% border collie, 32% cane corso and 28% bulldog," reported the Guardian. He shared his own sample instead of his dogs.