The wait has ended! Tuesday the long awaited DNA test results came in the mail. But, before I spill the beans, I would like to share some of the breeds that some people thought might be in Cura's make-up. All of the guesses come from people who have frequent contact with Cura so they have quite a bit more to go on than just pictures. Unfortunately, there were no guesses from anyone who was only going by the pictures -- or maybe I should say fortunately, because you would have been at a SERIOUS disadvantage given the results of the tests.
Watermelon Mountain Ranch listed Cura as a Black Labrador Retriever Mix. I suspect that this was not their determination, but the classification that came with her from the City Animal Shelter that she was (fortunately for us both) whisked away from in February of 2008 -- thank you AGAIN Lady Liberator! And, she certainly IS Black -- well sort of (more on that later). She has the folded/V-shaped ears that are associated with Black Labrador Retriever, webbing between her toes, short, straight and wiry fur, and a tail that could beat the living daylights out of you if it didn't curl. If her tail was straight, I might have welts on my thighs -- as it is, it tends to move in the canine equivalent of the traditional 'Float Wave' (elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist) when she gets particularly happy. Even so, she did manage to knock over a wine glass at a recent dinner party we had -- fortunately, the glass was mostly empty AND she knocked it over onto a tray, making clean up VERY easy! My Sychic Syster was one of those lovely souls who voted for the Black Lab -- well, to get to the point -- according to the DNA test NO Black Labrador Retriever (or Yellow Labrador either)! Am I surprised -- nope! Why? She is too tall and slim and the characteristics that were being identified with Black Labs were not UNIQUE to that breed -- though I will admit that I also would not have been surprised if Cura DID have Black Lab in her make-up, I just had a hunch that that was not what was giving her the characteristics that were associated with Black Labs. Now, take a look at some of Cura's pics (sorry, blogspot is being persnickety - you will have to check out various photos that have been posted on the site and in past blogs) -- while I do not yet have a picture of her in a similar pose without her equipment -- she is simply not as 'compact' and 'bulky' as a Black Labrador Retriever tends to be.
So, what were some of the other attempts at identification? Greyhound (that was me because of the way she runs), Plott Hound -- this actually was a pretty good guess -- take a look (photo to the left)! Cura's tail is more curled and her ears are not quite as long, but she has the long legs, deep chest, and general facial features of a Plott -- but, there was no Plott Hound listed in the Cura Recipe (BTW: Plotts also have the long toes and webbed feet that Cura has -- though you can't see it in this photo).
Doberman Pincher was also put forward as a possibility -- you can't tell from the pictures, but Cura has a brown undertone to her Black fur -- especially on her legs (hey, and notice that the above shown Plott has a kind of Black and Tan coat -- how deliciously CELTIC is THAT!?). Another suggestion was a Boxer -- again with the whole Black and Tan motif combined with Cura's tendancy to use her front paws when playing/wrestling (no, she doesn't wrestle with me). Surprise, surprise -- neither of these were identified by the DNA test either!
SO WHAT IS CURA, you ask!? Well, as annoying as it may be, I have it on good authority of someone who has managed to have a successful blog that brevity is the key -- so, tune in later for Cura's ACTUAL results!
Luv to you -- official, unofficial and frequent, AND occasional visitors ALL!
Check back soon! You will be amazed at the way genetics can blend!
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