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Zippy

Mixed Ancestry

“I adopted Zippy from a rescue. His photo showed him as they found him as a stray: covered in one huge mat with his tongue hanging out. It hangs out all the time. Short and shallow muzzle, very few teeth. He is lovely, sweet, friendly, snuggly, and independent. Very soft. Hates when I get boxes or big envelopes in the mail, empty ice cube trays, or use the blender. Based on the rescue's estimate, he should be about 8 years old, Shih Tzu Lhasa mix. Maybe Tibetan Spaniel? Can't wait to find out!”

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Genetic Breed Result

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Shih Tzu

This ancient breed is the perfect lapdog. Sweet and easygoing, they want nothing more than to be close to their humans.

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Lhasa Apso

An independent breed, the Lhasa's goal in life is not necessarily to please their master. The Lhasa Apso is a small, hardy breed with a beautiful cloak of hair that parts down the back from head to tail. Their temperament is unique: joyful and mischievous, dignified and aloof. Popular in the show ring, the breed also excels at activities that provide constant challenges, such as agility.

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Shetland Sheepdog

Shetland Sheepdogs are a lively, smart and athletic herding dogs that also makes a great family pet.

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Dogs Like Zippy

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Discover dogs who share a similar breed mix to Zippy. A higher score means the two dogs have more of their breed mix in common. A score of 100% means they share the exact same breed mix!

Click or tap on a pic to learn more about each dog and see an in-depth comparison of their DNA, breeds, and more.

DNA Breed Origins

Breed colors:
Shih Tzu
Lhasa Apso
Shetland Sheepdog

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Here’s what Zippy’s family tree may have looked like.
While there may be other possible configurations of his family’s relationships, this is the most likely family tree to explain Zippy’s breed mix.
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Through Zippy’s mitochondrial DNA we can trace his mother’s ancestry back to where dogs and people first became friends. This map helps you visualize the routes that his ancestors took to your home. Their story is described below the map.

Haplogroup

B1

Haplotype

B1b

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B1

Zippy’s Haplogroup

B1 is the second most common maternal lineage in breeds of European or American origin. It is the female line of the majority of Golden Retrievers, Basset Hounds, and Shih Tzus, and about half of Beagles, Pekingese and Toy Poodles. This lineage is also somewhat common among village dogs that carry distinct ancestry from these breeds. We know this is a result of B1 dogs being common amongst the European dogs that their conquering owners brought around the world, because nowhere on earth is it a very common lineage in village dogs. It even enables us to trace the path of (human) colonization: Because most Bichons are B1 and Bichons are popular in Spanish culture, B1 is now fairly common among village dogs in Latin America.

B1b

Zippy’s Haplotype

Part of the large B1 haplogroup, we see this haplotype in village dogs across the world, including those from Central America, the Middle East, South Asia, and the French Polynesian Islands. Among the 31 breed dogs we see it in, we see it in Poodles, Otterhounds, and Labrador Retrievers. It is also our most commonly-sampled Golden Retriever haplotype!

The B1 haplogroup can be found in village dogs like the Peruvian Village Dog, pictured above.

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Through Zippy’s Y-chromosome we can trace his father’s ancestry back to where dogs and people first became friends. This map helps you visualize the routes that his ancestors took to your home. Their story is described below the map.

Haplogroup

A1

Haplotype

Ha.1

Map

A1

Zippy’s Haplogroup

A1 is the male lineage in several breeds that aren't very closely related to each other. Gordon Setters, Newfoundlands, and Miniature Schnauzers all had male founders from this paternal line, and now many males in those breeds carry their Y chromosome. Each of these breeds started in the past 200-300 years, and their founders must have included dogs that trace back to the same male ancestors deeper in dog evolutionary time, stretching all the way back to when dogs were first domesticated in Central Asia about 15,000 years ago. Unlike many Y chromosome (male) lineages found in European and recent American breeds, only one village dog (in Alaska) carries an A1 Y chromosome, indicating that the breeds from this lineage probably didn't travel around the world with European colonization as much as some other breeds.

Ha.1

Zippy’s Haplotype

The lone member of the A1 haplogroup, this haplotype occurs in Newfoundlands, Miniature Schnauzers, Gordon Setters, and village dogs in Alaska.

The Newfoundland is from the A1 paternal line.

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