After being found as a stray in Lafayette, Louisiana, Maggie was transported to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, New Jersey. One year later, Murphy was picked up in Lafayette and—by a stroke of luck—also transported to St. Hubert’s.
Both dogs tested with Embark to find out they’re not just related; they’re actually parent and offspring. Maggie is Murphy’s mom!
The duo reunited for a playdate at the private dog park at St Hubert’s, the shelter where they were both adopted.
Maggie discovers her surprising breed mix
After a long search for a dog, Dawn was nearly ready to give up when she found St. Hubert’s. Her previous dog, Tess, had passed away. Dawn was looking for an older dog she could train to be a therapy dog, just like Tess. That’s when a volunteer at St. Hubert’s animal shelter connected her with Maggie.
It was a perfect match. Dawn soon brought Maggie home to live in Manhattan with her.
“She had to go through heartworm treatment when I adopted her, which takes four months,” says Dawn. “She survived it. We survived it together.”
Maggie settles into her new home with Dawn.
The shelter estimated that Maggie was about three years old at the time, which Dawn’s veterinarian confirmed.
“She’s a great dog,” Dawn says. “She gets along with my cats and loves playing with other dogs. We did a lot of hiking in the Rocky Mountains together this summer. I took her to several obedience classes and trick classes—she just loves them. I’m still hoping to train her to be a therapy dog later.”
Dawn and Maggie on a hiking trip.
“Everyone thinks Maggie is a miniature black Labrador Retriever,” Dawn says. “She looks just like one. So I was very surprised when her Embark results came back and she had no Lab in her ancestry!”
Maggie’s Embark results revealed that she is 27% Doberman Pinscher, 19.4% Beagle, and over 50% Supermutt! Her Supermutt ancestry likely contains small amounts of DNA from these distant ancestors:
But Maggie’s breed mix wasn’t the only surprise. When Maggie arrived at the shelter, it was clear that she had recently given birth, so Dawn knew that Maggie probably had a litter of puppies out there somewhere. It turns out that one of her puppies—now a young adult—lived only a 45-minute drive away in New Jersey.
Maggie’s Embark results showed that she had an immediate family member, Murphy. Dawn messaged Murphy’s owner, Carolyn, through Embark’s Relative Finder to arrange a playdate.
Murphy has a case of “FOMO”
Carolyn and her husband Vincent had wanted a dog for a long time when they spontaneously decided to stop by St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter. There, they met Murphy, and decided he was the one.
“He walked in with the most calm demeanor,” Carolyn says. “He came right up to us and felt right at home. We knew we couldn’t leave there without him.”
Just like Maggie, Murphy had heartworm and had to undergo several months of treatment. “We fell in love with him so quickly that we knew he was going to be worth the wait,” Carolyn says.
Now living in New Jersey, Murphy has settled into life with his humans. He loves snuggles and attention. “We joke that he has FOMO—fear of missing out,” Carolyn says. “No matter what room we’re in, he’ll settle down a few feet away just so he can be part of the action.”
Murphy enjoys a snow day in New Jersey.
“Murphy loves sitting by a fireplace, playing with dogs of any age, shape, or size, and any snacks with cheese in them. He especially loves playing in the snow!”
Murphy loves to cozy up next to the fireplace.
“We were so curious about his breed mix, so we ordered an Embark Dog DNA Test the same week we brought him home,” Carolyn says. “We really thought Murphy was a Lab or hound mix. He weighs about 50 pounds and looks like a black Lab puppy, but his big floppy ears and his deep howling bark had us convinced that there was some hound in him.”
Murphy’s Embark results revealed that he is 19.2% American Pit Bull Terrier, 16.8% German Shepherd Dog, 13.8% Doberman Pinscher, 10.3% Labrador Retriever, and 9.5% Beagle.
“We were shocked that there was no hound in his DNA and that he’s only 10% Lab!” Carolyn says. “We were also surprised by his Supermutt percentage, but since he’s a stray, we knew there was a lot of mixing in past generations.”
His Supermutt ancestry likely contains small amounts of DNA from these distant ancestors:
“What we did not expect with Embark was the opportunity to connect with Murphy’s relatives. Right after we got Murphy’s results, we got a message from Dawn. We were so excited to hear from her!”
After discussing their dogs’ backgrounds, Carolyn and Dawn soon realized the likelihood that Maggie was actually Murphy’s mom. An email to Embark confirmed their relationship. “When we saw pictures of Maggie, we knew we had to get them together,” Carolyn says.
Maggie and Murphy reunite
After Murphy finished his heartworm treatments, Dawn and Carolyn met up at St. Hubert’s so Maggie and Murphy could run around in the private dog park on their campus. It was clear they got along right away.
Murphy and Maggie play together at St. Hubert’s.
While Maggie is usually wary of larger dogs she doesn’t know, she warmed up to Murphy immediately. Dawn was surprised. “Maggie accepted Murphy within seconds, which was much faster than she would have gotten along with another big dog.” They ran off together to investigate the park and then played nonstop for an hour.
Both Dawn and Carolyn were surprised to see that Murphy is almost twice Maggie’s size.
“To me, their story is amazing,” Dawn says. “They were picked up at the same shelter in Louisiana and adopted from the same shelter in New Jersey, but a year apart. And now they live just 45 minutes away from each other.”
“It warmed our hearts to see them together—whether they realized the significance of the occasion or not,” Carolyn says. “We are so grateful to Embark for bringing them together. We hope to have them meet up again in the future!”
Get started with Embark
Join Murphy, Maggie, and millions of dogs like them by testing with Embark. Our Relative Finder might introduce your dog to family members they never knew they had.
Embark Breed + Health Test
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Embark Breed ID Test
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Interested in more relative reunions? Read about other Embark dogs who have reunited with their immediate family, like Vardis and Brunch, Rowan and Milo, and Diego and Dixie.
