Mimi Padmabandu

The Pilgrims weren’t the only ones who arrived at Plymouth in 1620. They brought dogs on the Mayflower with them. These Pilgrim pups might have been present at the first Thanksgiving. How do we know there were dogs on the Mayflower? Thanks to journals the Pilgrims kept, we know that there were at least two...

Fanny (@fannyasfresh) is a Bernese Mountain Dog who tells a unique story about vitiligo in dogs. Fanny might have a rare condition called vitiligo. Her owner shared on Instagram that Fanny’s black fur started changing color when she was 3 or 4 years old. The color change started on her head, gradually at first, and...

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, meaning that Embark may receive a small commission if you make a purchase. All linked products have been reviewed by a veterinarian. According to a Rover.com survey in 2020, nearly 70% of dog owners say their dog has a Christmas stocking. If you’re one of them, you know you’ll...

Did you know that we can trace dogs and Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, all the way back to ancient civilizations? Day of the Dead has roots in Aztec and Maya traditions. Today, it’s an important part of Mexican culture. Modern Día de los Muertos takes place on November 1–2. It...

DNA is just one of the things that makes every dog unique. Dog behaviors can be as diverse as their breed mix. We know that our dogs can be a combination of a little mischievous and very sweet—and we love them for it! We surveyed over 176,000 Embark dogs to learn about their behavior at...

What’s better than unwrapping a holiday gift to find out it’s a dog DNA test for your beloved pup? Finding out you already have your dog’s DNA answers and can start exploring their breed mix, health results, and relatives! This year, take the waiting period out of the process with a Swab Surprise. Give the...

100% of online guesses got this wrong! As his Instagram handle suggests, Bernyk looks like a Yellow Labrador or Golden Retriever. Are you surprised to find out that, genetically, he is 50% Poodle? So are we! Bernyk’s dominant breed is 50.0% Poodle, followed by 39.6% Labrador Retriever and 10.4% Golden Retriever. That means that one...

Embark offers the world’s first and only canine relative finder, so you can further explore your dog’s DNA story. Our Relative Finder shows your dog’s relatives based on how much DNA they share. It also gives you the ability to connect with their owners. In fact, it has already led to several family reunions, like...

People are often surprised to learn their dog has some Chow Chow ancestry. Why are Chows common in mixed-breed dogs, but uncommon as purebreds? Learn more about this surprisingly common breed result with Embark’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Adam Boyko. Chow Chows were popular in the 1980s Although we don’t see as many purebred Chows...

Did you know that most of the dogs in the world are not descended from modern breeds? There are about a billion dogs in the world, but only a fraction of them are purebred or mixed-breed pets. The majority of dogs in the world are a unique kind of dog, called village dogs.  Here, with...

You may have heard of the widely held belief that dogs look a lot like their owners—or vice versa, that people look a lot like their dogs. This idea has shown up in many different ways in pop culture, from the movie 101 Dalmatians to the game “Do You Look Like Your Dog?,” featuring matching...

Take Your Dog to Work Day officially occurs every year in June. But here at Embark, every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day. We’re fortunate to have a pet-friendly workplace, with several dogs running around the office at any given time. If we could, we’d bring our dogs everywhere with us. More and...