Mystery Solved - sort of

After 2 long months of waiting, I have finally received the results of Bailey's (my dog) DNA Breed analysis test. The newly popular DNA test sparked my interest after several people continually inquired and guessed as to what breed my dog was, and then I found out some friends of mine were getting their dog tested, so I decided to go ahead and test Bailey too!



Having Bailey since she was about 5 weeks, my best guess as to her genetic make-up was a border collie/cocker spaniel cross. She is a very high-energy, super friendly, smart, quirky dog.







The results are categorized as follows:


Primary – If your dog has a strong match (50% or greater) to one of our 38 breeds, then it is categorized as primary. Most mixed breed dogs will not usually have a breed in this category unless one or both of their parents are purebred.
Secondary – This category reports breeds that are easily recognizable within your dog. While these breeds may have a strong influence on your pet, each breed listed makes up less than the majority of your dog’s DNA.
In the Mix – This final category identifies breeds that have the least amount of influence on your pet’s composition, however, they still appear, at a low and measurable amount, in your pet’s DNA.



Now finally for Bailey's results!


Primary - nothing came up
Secondary - Yorkshire Terrier
In the Mix - Cocker Spaniel

I was quite surprised because I would have NEVER guessed she had yorkie in her! And yorkie was more dominant in her DNA than cocker spaniel! I am very surprised to see that she does not have border collie in her though, as she seems to act just like one. But the cocker spaniel seems quite obvious.

Because she did not have many strong breeds listed, I am guessing that she has more breeds in her that were not included in their breed database. Soon they will be updating the database with more breeds, and perhaps we will test again to see if anything else pops up! So, while it is exciting to learn what is in Bailey, I'm not convinced she is strictly a Cocker spaniel/yorkie mix! although I could maybe see the resemblance between this spaniel/yorkie puppy and bailey as a puppy:

Strange thing though... I don't really see how these two below,

can equal this:

You might call me obsessed, but it is fun and interesting to finally learn what breeds make up my dog, and this test is a great idea for anyone who is ever so curious...

Lost in Transition?

The other night as I was walking through a college campus (for the first time since leaving college) I found myself feeling strangely at home - or perhaps yearning to feel at home. It was a strange feeling to have, considering while I was in college- and especially as I was nearing the end- all I wanted was to graduate and get a job. Now that I have done just that, I was surprised to feel myself almost missing being in school the other night. Perhaps I just find myself wanting to cling to my "college youth", having just had another birthday. School for me was an environment that provided unlimited opportunities. It was the catalyst for my passion and creativity in music.

Having a lesson every week to keep me on my toes or fellow classmates challenge me with some healthy competition kept my drive for improvement high. Don't get me wrong - playing in a professional orchestra has given me plenty of motivation - a desire to strive for the highest level of expertise and professionalism that I see exemplified around me everyday. But I do find myself wishing I still had chamber groups to play with, competitions to do, recital opportunities, etc... As I am starting to take auditions again, I am looking for the same drive I have had all my life to get that first job. You work your whole life to achieve one thing, in my case - win a job, how do you keep that same initial motivation?

I guess in my transition from a student to a "professional" I often feel lost as to where to see mself.