When we decided to get a dog, there was no question that we would do anything but adopt. My husband would search online, find a dog he liked, and show the photos to me. We went to the local shelters on several occasions but never felt like we had found the right pup.

We didn’t connect with any dogs until we saw a photo of Hemingway’s brother, Nico. When we went to the foster home to look at Nico, he had a brother and sister there. Hemingway (Lokie at the time) was one of them. We were torn between Nico and Lokie. They looked very similar and seemed to have similar personalities. The foster home had a few kids and one of the daughters pointed to Lokie and said, “he’s the lazy one” and we were like yep, he’s the one.

We ended up going back the next day and picking up Lokie. Nico and Lokie looked almost the same, and were both sweet, but we loved Lokie’s chill demeanor.

We were thinking about names prior to getting a dog. We didn’t agree on anything until right before we got him. I, of course, was thinking of names related to great artists and writers and none seemed to stick…until I thought of Hemingway. Hemi for short. My husband was instantly like, yes.

He was only 8 weeks or so when we got him so changing his name was no big deal.

We’ve had him now for almost two years and we constantly get asked what type of dog he is. When we adopted him, we saw a photo of his mom (which he looks NOTHING like) and were told he was a mix. So basically no information. We assumed he was some type of terrier/hound mix.

After getting to know him he will sometimes howl, he likes to smell everything, way more than your average dog (which is why we thought hound family), and he’s very agile and can run really fast. He’s the sweetest thing. He’s curious, and used to be really friendly, but as he got older he started to develop some anxiety.

Now that he’s settled into our new home and has gotten used to the sounds and other dogs in the neighborhood, he’s a little less anxious, but loud noises and thunderstorms still scare him a lot. And anytime anyone comes through our front gate he starts barking like crazy, while is annoying, I don’t hate it for the safety factor. His bark is bigger than his bite!

I always wanted to get his DNA tested to find out what type of dog he is, so when Royal Canin approached me to do a Genetic Health Analysis (GHA) test, it was the perfect collaboration.

The process is super easy, you just order one through your vet, make an appointment with them once they have the kit, they will take a little blood from the dog, and then they send it off for you. You get your results in just a few weeks.

I personally thought he was a terrier/hound mix — a mix of Jack Russell, Greyhound, and maybe Beagle or Coonhound, and a little Pointer. I asked all of you to comment on an Instagram with your guesses, and you all overwhelmingly guessed Greyhound, Whippet, Jack Russell, Coonhound, and a few Foxhound and Italian Greyhound.

Our test said that Hemingway definitely has two specific breeds in him, and then that he has some of three other breeding groups. So basically, he’s mixed! But I still liked knowing a little more about him.

Honestly, I was pretty surprised at the two specific breeds.

Turns out the two specific breed mixes they could tell from his DNA were Boxer Mix and Border Collie Mix. Both I never would have guessed. His mom, we were told, was a rat terrier mix, but again, he looked NOTHING like her and I almost think there was no way that was his mom, but both of his parents were mixed breed.

For mixed breeds they also listed breed groups with the strongest statistical likelihood. Those three breeding groups, starting with the most likely, are the Sporting Group, Terrier Group, and Asian Group. Out of the Sporting Group, I definitely think he has a little Pointer in him. He does point a lot. Obviously I already thought he was part Terrier. The Asian Group only showed up a little, and honestly I haven’t the slightest idea what type he would be from that group.

He still could be some sort of hound but he’s so mixed it’s too hard to tell for sure. So while we don’t know too much more about him besides he has Boxer and Border Collie in him, we do know that his is definitely a mix. One of a kind! Doing his DNA with Royal Canin was a fun experiment and I’m really glad we had the opportunity to do it!

Have you had your dog’s DNA done? Did it surprise you?

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This post was sponsored by Royal Canin. All opinions are my own.