Cooper’s parents used the Wisdom Panel DNA test, Cooper is a mix of several breeds of course but his DNA test state that he is primarily:

1. Akita

2. Airedale Terrier

Followed by very small trace amounts of Chihuahua, Dachshund, Shetland Sheepdog, Tibetan Terrier.

Wow, huh ?  I wouldn’t of guessed Akita at all !  Now, Cooper’s Mom and Dad, aware of his breed(s) can be on the look out for known breed specific diseases.  DNA tests on mixed breeds are an excellent tool in managing your pet’s health, although primarily thought of as satisfying curiosity the truth is all pets can benefit from the hard work being done by the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation.  We think of the AKC as only serving “show dogs” and “pure breeds” but did you know that large amounts of research done for specific breeds has human benefits as well ?   Currently students at MIT/Harvard are researching Shar Pei’s who suffer from Mucinosis which is also found in Humans so they have teamed up with students at the U. of Uppsala in Sweden to study the disease in both Shar Pei’s and Humans – the study is funded by the American Kennel Club and the Shar Pei Club of America.   In Cooper’s case he might benefit someday from the AKC’s Akita Health Club’s work !

Kudo’s to Cooper’s Mom and Dad !

However, as this technology becomes so popular media is becoming tailored to those devices.  In 2008, the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation released bi-weekly podcasts called “Genome Barks Podcasts”.

The Genome Barks podcast series features lectures from the highly successful AKC-CHF Breeders Symposiums and provides responsible breeders and pet owners an inside look at the work being done by the AKC and the AKC Canine Health Foundation.

New podcasts are released every two weeks and can be accessed from either the American Kennel Club website at www.akc.org or the AKC Canine Health Foundation website at www.akcchf.org — click on “Podcasts”. They will also be available on Apple’s iTunes® and at www.genomebarks.com.

Since I am without an i-phone or i-pod,  I download them and play on my desktop but I must admit having them on an i-pod so I could listen while out on a walk or cleaning kennels would be great.  So, if you have a suggestion on which i-pod is most durable, available in pink, wireless and reasonable let me know

In the meantime, visit the Genome Barks site and have a listen and learn.

Have a paw slappin good day !