Monday, January 22, 2007

Bloodline Bingo

Ok, I realize how relatively pointless it is to try to figure out Kirby's vast and varied lineage, but for some silly reason I think it's rather fun. And I guess there are some practical applications, such as the ability to look for genetic traits that may manifest themselves at some point in his life. Personality-wise, I've already determined he's a terrier...but "earth dog" doesn't narrow it down very much. So occasionally I'll peruse the Internet looking for a picture of a dog that looks like Kirby in some way and I'll read about it, just to see if anything sounds familiar.


For review, here's what we know: Mom was a medium-sized German Shepherd mix. The shelter says they think dad was a "terrier-dachsund mix of some sort." Whatever he was, he was short compared to Mom.




Here are a few interesting possibilities, along with Kirby's photo for comparison:
















Jack Russell Terrier (Irish Jack): While his coloring isn't common for a Jack Russell, this face is the closest I've seen...and that expression... I wouldn't have thought Jack Russell immediately, but when we stopped at a gas station during the recent holiday trip, a man and his two daughters stopped to say hello to Kirby. They asked what he was. I said "terrier mix of some sort." The man responded emphatically: "That's a Jack Russell, I can see it." I had always thought of Jack Russells looking like Eddie on Frasier, but apparently there are some variations that don't make it into the dog shows...

Schnoxie: I found a picture of a schnoxie (dachsund/schnauzer) online and it looked almost exactly like Kirby, except it had one blue eye. Adorable. Now if only I could find it again... He could pass for a schnoxie, no problem.

Schnauzer: Yep, the coloring's right, the size is a bit small and the coat's a bit different, but cross it with a smooth-coated dachsund and you might get a Kirby...




Wirehaired Dachsund: He actually looked more like one of these as a younger puppy than he does now. His legs have grown some, so he doesn't have that dachsund proportion anymore. But he's definitely longer than he is tall, and that moustache...






German Shepherd: One would never guess this is pretty much the only breed we're pretty sure about in Kirby's parentage. The pointy ears (although floppy) and the coloring are there, but the size and shape, well, I think Kirby at six months is about the size of a 10-week-old German Shepherd.
The mystery continues...

6 comments:

Melissa said...

Hey gal! Just stopping by to check up on a favorite buddie's favorite dogs! Looks like Baxter and Kirby are doing well.

It's so funny that there are so many possibilities for Kirby's heritage. Looking at those photos, it looks like it could be any one of those, literally. I'll vote for Jack Russell, though. ;)

Hope you're doing well! Take it easy!!

Anonymous said...

hello,

my family recently adopted a stray that looks EXACTLY like kirby. what did you ever determine he was?

ScruffyDog said...

We haven't yet determined Kirby's genetic heritage...but I'm tempted to send in one of those DNA kits just for grins. There are a lot of little dogs that look quite a bit like Kirby. I think the "black and tan" coloring runs through so many breeds, it's hard to pin down that way (plus Kirby's siblings all looked like him, but different colors). Still, just based on his body shape, I'm sure there's some dachshund in there. His bark sounds like a schnauzer (and moustache, eyebrows and ears would suggest the same). His hair is turning silkier and more gray as he gets older, and looks a bit like Yorkshire Terrier. His behavior suggests a bit of some kind of collie at times (crazy about fetching, likes to herd people). His mother looked like she might have some collie in her. Such a mystery!

Unknown said...

Hi there. Came across your blog when I was looking for pictures of our dog!! Now, our puppy looks very similar to you kirby and he is 1/2 Schnauzer, 1/4 poodle and 1/4 Jack Russell. You can see the JR and the Schnauzer but not so much of the poodle.

ScruffyDog said...

This post has been getting quite a few hits, so I thought I'd pass along links to the results of Kirby's DNA test...a few surprises!

http://scruffydogs.blogspot.com/2009/05/kirbys-dna-results-are-in.html

http://scruffydogs.blogspot.com/2009/05/dna-update.html

lizzie said...

i have a schnauzer jack russell mix that looks like kirby im pretty sure that if u look up that combo on google that u will find alot more dogs that look like him the dachshund mixs dont look like that