Published: April 23, 2008 01:28 am         

Checking the dog's DNA: Really!

An imposter dachshund

NORTH MANKATO — Her long legs made her a suspect, but it was a DNA test that proved Gidget was an imposter.

It all started when the Henricksens decided to add another dog to their family. “We had dachshunds before,” Gwen Henricksen said, “so we talked about getting another one.”

Viewing online photos on PetFinder, Henricksen saw a litter of puppies listed as a dachshund mix at a Twin Cities rescue center. “Oh, yes. That’s definitely a dachshund,” Henricksen said, deciding to adopt one.

Avid dog lovers, who include their dogs on holiday photo cards, the Henricksens added Gidget to their family. Henricksen said that when people ask her husband, Terry, how many kids they have, he jokingly responds with, “We have one daughter and six additional children.”

After Gidget settled in at Henricksen’s North Mankato country home, however, they started questioning her mix.

The wiener dog that was supposed to have the characteristic long body and short legs kept growing and growing, especially in her legs. “She had long, gangly legs.”

The family was mystified. They expected her to have some dachshund characteristics. Instead Gidget was looking and acting more like a terrier, somewhat resembling the movie dog Benji.

So when Henricksen learned she could have her mixed dog’s DNA tested, she paid $100 to have a small vial of Gidget’s blood sent to Wisdom Panel (developed by Mars, the candy company) to find out what breeds are in her dog’s family tree.



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