When her friend purchased a puppy advertised as an “AKC registered purebred Labrador Retriever” for $900 from Craigslist, Sara Barrow instantly had her doubts.
Five years later, Barrow’s friend and her husband have agreed to get a DNA test on their dog Callie, and while waiting for the results, Barrow, who lives in Katy, Texas, shared the story on Reddit.
Described as “tall but light and skinny” Callie weighs under 42 pounds and has a slightly fluffy tail that curls upwards—a far cry from the stocky physique typical of purebred labradors.
“My friend and her husband were looking for a Labrador Retriever on Craigslist. They saw a post about a female ‘purebred Labrador’ that was ‘last of the litter’ and decided to buy her,” Barrow told Newsweek. “Honestly, I have been peer pressuring her to get a DNA test for quite a while. I feel so adamant that she is not what the sellers claimed.”
Curious to hear others’ thoughts, Barrow shared Callie’s story and photos in the Reddit community r/DoggyDNA. The post quickly gained attention, with many users chiming in to speculate on Callie’s possible breed mix.
User, pb0atmeal said: “Poodle lab mix maybe? Idk the only reason I say that is I feel like a lot of poodles I’ve met had longer snouts.”
Another user, OpalOnyxObsidian, suggested Callie could have coonhound ancestry based on her distinctive ears and face shape.
Others agreed, with framedjunction expressing doubt about the existence of AKC papers at all. “If you haven’t seen the AKC papers, I would bank that they don’t exist,” they wrote.
Barrow’s own guess was that Callie could be a mix of pointer, labrador, and a type of hound. But when the DNA results came through earlier this week, everyone was stunned.
“We are ALL shocked! My bff is, I am, and all Reddit users are shocked,” Barrow said. The DNA test revealed that Callie is indeed 100 percent labrador.
“We’re wondering if she may have a genetic condition or possibly be inbred, making her look funny? It’s strange. We’re all so flabbergasted,” Barrow said. “From what people are saying, she most likely a really poorly backyard bred field lab.”
This isn’t the first time a doggy DNA test has captured attention. Earlier this year, a man had his rescue dog tested by a DNA company and was shocked to discover the results.
The dog, which looks more like a golden retriever and collie, turned out to be 30 percent German shepherd, 20 percent pit bull, 20 percent Great Pyrenees and a random mix of the rest.
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