A shelter adoption meant to bring home a small, sweet puppy quickly turned into a genetics guessing game after the dog’s new owner shared some surprising DNA results that left even a veterinarian unconvinced.
The Reddit post, shared on March 11 under u/smorgan17, shows the fluffy, wide-eyed puppy alongside a screenshot of Embark DNA test results indicating a complex mix of breeds—prompting discussion among dog owners and professionals alike.
“So, we adopted a puppy with GIANT rear double dew claws. He’s gaining 2 lbs/week,” the owner wrote in the post. “His embark didn’t list any type of LGD [livestock guardian dog], but the rear double dews are a huge marker for those. My vet (and friend) does not think the embark is accurate. Honestly, I wasn’t prepared for a herding dog, but I guess it’s the risk you take with a shelter dog.”
According to the Embark results shared in the post, the puppy is 40.5 percent American pit bull terrier, 39.3 percent Australian shepherd, 14.1 percent beagle and 6.1 percent German shepherd.
The owner added that the dog’s mother “was a pittie for sure,” describing her as brindle and seen at the shelter, while noting that they are “definitely seeing the Aussie peeking through as [the puppy] grows.” Even so, the rear double dew claws—often associated with livestock guardian dogs—raised doubts.
“Even the vet is questioning this one,” the post read.
Commenters Side With Embark
The viral post quickly drew more than 140 comments, with viewers weighing in on whether the DNA test or the veterinarian’s skepticism should carry more weight. Several commenters pushed back on the idea that the results were inaccurate, arguing the puppy’s appearance aligned closely with the mix identified by Embark.
“Respectfully to your veterinarian friend, they should maybe refresh themselves with a dog breed book, this looks just like a pit/Aussie puppy to me lol [laugh out loud],” one commenter wrote.
Others stressed that, while veterinarians are highly trained, genetics is a specialized field.
“No offense to veterinarians…They are not geneticists; much like the people working at shelters, they can only make educated guesses,” another viewer said.
A commenter identifying themselves as a veterinarian weighed in with a more-nuanced critique of the profession’s limits. “As a vet I 100 percent agree,” they wrote, explaining that breed education is limited during training and often reduced to broad groupings tied to health predispositions. “Honestly most of my colleagues think that every black and white dog is a border collie.”
Several viewers also addressed the specific concern about rear dew claws, noting that they are not exclusive to livestock guardian dogs.
“Embark is extremely accurate,” one commenter wrote, adding that “tons of breeds outside of LGDs/pyrs have double dew claws.”
Another shared personal experience, saying Australian shepherds can have rear dew claws that are often removed shortly after birth by breeders.
Other viewers focused less on genetics and more on appearance, with multiple commenters agreeing the canine looked exactly like what the DNA results suggested.
“He looks like a fluffy pit bull to me,” one wrote, while another summed it up more succinctly: “Naw, this is what I expected. Looks like a lot of Auspits here.”
Newsweek reached out to u/smorgan17 for more information via Reddit.
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