A few years ago, we adopted a small two-year-old poodle-mix dog from a city shelter near San Antonio. He had curly hair like a poodle and a curly tail.  But, his nose and his chest were broad.  We thought he might be part Schnauzer because he seemed a bit headstrong.

We attributed quirks to his being a “street dog” for most of his life and having to protect himself from dangers seen and unseen. He settled down quite a bit after he was neutered and went to a month of boot camp.

Then, I learned about a DNA kit for dogs. Hmmmmm … it would be nice to know exactly what breed(s) are in Charlie. So, I ordered the kit and, when it came, took a cheek swab and sent the kit off to be analyzed.

Well … the results are in! And guess what!!  Charlie is mostly poodle but he’s also American Staffordshire Terrier and Lhasa Apso.   His genetics make-up estimates his age to be 42 (human) years and his adult weight to be 28 pounds.  Last time he was weighed, he was 26 pounds.

The good part is that he is not at risk for any canine genetic diseases or defects.