A pet owner who was curious about his rescue dog's mixed-breed heritage was left surprised at what a DNA test revealed.
Max Matthai from Baltimore, Maryland, makes no bones about the fact he didn't know a whole lot about his dog Louie before deciding to adopt him.
"We found Louie on a Facebook page for a rescue group from Texas," Matthai told Newsweek. "They drive to Maryland where we currently live and all the way to Washington state once a month to get puppies adopted. All we went off of was a picture of him. We had no idea what his breed was or how big he was going to get."
A little under two years later, Louie comes in at a hefty 70 pounds and, from the sounds of it, likes to keep busy. "One of his favorite things to do is to go to the dog park. He loves playing with other dogs," Matthai said. "He's also a great swimmer. We take him hiking a lot and on our boat to go swimming."
Though he clearly has lots of energy that needs using up, Louie might have another reason for enjoying being out and about: the compliments he gets from passersby.
"We get stopped all the time and people ask us all about him," Matthai said. "They always tell us he's one of the most beautiful dogs people have seen. He gets compliments all the time."
Passersby often ask the same thing during these interactions. "People are curious because they have never seen a mix like that and/or want to know what he is."
That's what led Matthai to have Louie undergo a DNA test. "We literally got the DNA test done cause I was tired of telling people I didn't know what kind of breed he was."
Pet DNA testing is an increasingly popular option for those eager to find out more about their furry friend's background. A report by the business consulting firm Grand View Research in 2023 put the value of the global pet DNA testing market at around $365.34 million, with that figure projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.45 percent from 2024 to 2030.
Matthai went into the process with a clear idea in his head of what breeds contributed to Louie's unique look. "I initially thought he was a golden retriever collie mix or even a toll retriever mix," he said.
However, when they finally got the results back from Louie's DNA test, they revealed something significantly different and entirely unexpected.
"He's 30 percent German shepherd, 20 percent pit bull, 20 percent Great Pyrenees and a random mix of the rest," Matthai said.
There was one further twist in their exploration of Louie's origins. "We found his mom on the pet DNA test website because they matched and, by the looks of it, she is a pure German shepherd," Matthai said.
Despite the surprise, little has changed for Louie or Matthai. In fact, his human companion is more proud than ever of his unique pup, going as far as sharing his picture to Reddit under the handle Double-Oliver-2403.
Though he might not have been what they expected, it's clear Matthai wouldn't change his rescue dog for anything. "Louie is a wonderful dog," he said. "I love him dearly."
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