Pet DNA Testing Company Mistakenly Identifies a Human as a Dog

'A pet company has twice sent back dog breed results for human swab samples,' reports the Guardian, 'prompting doubts surrounding the accuracy of dog breed tests.'

On Wednesday, WBZ News reported its investigations team receiving dog breed results from the company DNA My Dog after one of its reporters sent in a swab sample — from her own cheek. According to the results from the Toronto-based company, WBZ News reporter Christina Hager is 40% Alaskan malamute, 35% shar-pei and 25% labrador.

Hager also sent her samples to two other pet genetic testing companies. The Melbourne, Australia- and Florida-based company Orivet reported that the sample 'failed to provide the data necessary to perform the breed ID analysis'. Meanwhile, Washington-based company Wisdom Panel said that the sample 'didn't provide... enough DNA to produce a reliable result'...

The global dog DNA test market, which was valued at $235m in 2022, is projected to grow to $723m by 2030, according to Zion Market Research. The industry's main players include DNA My Dog, Orivet and Wisdom Panel, among others.

But faulty results have cast doubt on the accuracy of the DNA tests.

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