Alisha Vianello is the Executive Director of Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis. A life-long animal lover, she was heartbroken to be taught of a tiny pet deserted on the freeway in Jefferson County, Missouri.
At simply 4 weeks previous, there was no approach the helpless child might be a runaway. Luckily, a very good samaritan discovered him and delivered the little ball of fluff to the native humane society the place Alisha was presently working.
“I saw the cutest puppy sitting in a kennel alone with a sign that said ‘needs foster home,’ so I scooped him up immediately!” Alisha advised iHeartDogs.
“I had fostered probably 50 puppies and always gave them up for adoption, but he was just so special and unique that I couldn’t live without him, so I adopted him.”
c/o Alisha Vianello
Alisha named him Bernie, and that distinctive pet grew into an adorably goofy grownup. With whispy black hair tipped with white, a curly tail, and silky-smooth ears, Bernie’s breed combine was a thriller and a subject of debate for 12 years. Then, earlier this 12 months, Alisha determined to ship Bernie’s DNA to Embark for testing.
With a easy saliva swab, Embark delivers a breakdown of a canine’s breed combine, genetic traits, and even potential well being situations. Results present that Bernie is 25.5% Miniature Schnauzer, 24.5% Beagle, 16.1% Pug, 13.7% Poodle, 4.7% Cocker Spaniel, 3.5% Pekingese, and 12.0% “Supermutt.”
c/o Alisha Vianello
For these questioning what the heck a Supermutt is, Embark explains:
“Many dogs descend from other dogs that were themselves mixed breed. The further in the past your dog has purebred ancestors, the smaller the identical segments matching our reference dataset are. In such cases, the best matches to our reference dataset are so small that they can no longer be confidently assigned to any one particular breed. Instead, these are assigned to the ‘Supermutt’ percentage.”
c/o Alisha Vianello
Bernie’s DNA take a look at additionally revealed one thing Alisha by no means anticipated—a long-lost littermate!
“I got an email from Embark stating that Bernie had new relatives for me to view,” Alisha stated. “Any other relatives I was shown were distant relatives but Molly was an ‘immediate family member’ and shares 53% of the same DNA and 89% of the same breed mix.”
Not solely does Bernie have a full-on sister, however Molly and her mother Leanne dwell shut by in St. Louis. Alisha reached out, and the 2 ecstatic canine mothers arrange an impromptu household reunion at an area park.
“Bernie and Molly were very excited and ran straight up to each other and were making the same shrill noise that they are famous for,” Alisha reported.
c/o Alisha Vianello
Bernie and Molly have rather more in frequent than their blissful squeals, which proved invaluable to Leanne. Unlike Alisha and Bernie, Leanne and Molly have solely been collectively for 3 years. Leanne’s sister discovered Molly on the aspect of the street in the identical county the place Bernie was found 9 years earlier. Before that, Molly’s historical past is unknown.
At the time of her discovery, a vet estimated Molly was about 4 years previous, so Leanne was beneath the impression that her canine was presently seven. Having had Bernie since he was a tiny pup, Alisha was capable of fill Leanne in on Molly’s true age of 12.
c/o Alisha Vianello
In addition to their senior standing, the siblings even have surprisingly comparable mannerisms and character traits.
“Both dogs love to lay on the back of the couch and watch out the window,” Alisha defined. “They love to go on walks and hikes and can go for many miles despite their age. They have the same reaction to other dogs walking by, which is to bark and screech and cry like wild animals. They like to chase cats and wildlife and love to play with toys. Both like to co-exist with dogs but not play, and both are very food motivated.”
c/o Alisha Vianello
Leanne and Alisha additionally found that each canine have the identical medical situations, additional proof that they’re true littermates.
“I was able to help them fill in some blanks because both dogs got warts and mild heart murmurs within the last year.”
Bernie and Molly haven’t gotten collectively since their preliminary reunion, however Alisha and Leanne plan to schedule a household hike as soon as the climate cools down.
Featured Image c/o Alisha Vianello
