Notecard from Dogstuff
Lucey, who looks like a pit bull, was in trouble.
She hadn’t done anything wrong. She’s never acted aggressively or bitten anyone. But she lives in Salina, Kansas, which has a law against owning pit bulls or mixed breeds that are predominantly pit bull.
When animal control officers came across Lucey while responding to a complaint about another animal, they took her into custody. They told her owner, Angie Cartwright, that they were taking her to a vet to have her breed evaluated.
Cartwright, desperate, had another idea: what about DNA testing? She called her vet, and found out they did have a genetic test available.
The test revealed that despite her appearance, Lucey is no more than 25% pit bull (which the AKC defines as American pit bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier or any mix thereof). Her predominant breed, according to the test, is Bernese mountain dog.
So Lucey is back home, with a grateful owner. “Maybe this can save someone’s animal, hopefully,” she said.
