You get a dog. You spend almost a decade with him playing, having fun, going on adventures, and just genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Then you learn your beloved pooch is not what you thought he was.
This is exactly what happened to Breanna, a dog owner from Texas. After spending more than nine beautiful years with Bear, her supposed ‘Border Collie mix,’ Breanna was shocked to learn that the dog’s breed was something else.
He’s Not What She Expected
Ten years ago, Breanna thought she knew exactly what she was getting: a red tri-color Border Collie mix with a dash of Australian Shepherd. According to the breeder from Arkansas, Bear’s mom was a Collie and his dad was an Aussie.
“This is Bear. He is almost 9 years old and the person I adopted him from told me his mom was a Border Collie and his dad was an Australian Shepherd,” Breanna wrote in a Reddit post that sparked interest online.
For years, the Texas owner never once questioned his heritage. But when her husband decided to do a DNA test for his dog Prince, Breanna ordered an extra kit for Bear, too. After all, it might be fun to confirm what she’d been told all those years ago.
Then came a real shocker: Bear was actually a purebred Aussie!
The revelation left her shocked. As it turned out, Bear’s mom was an Aussie too, something the breeder must have overlooked.
“I just got his results back and was shocked to see he is 100% Aussie. It’s got me speculating. Is it more likely that the person I got him from didn’t know mom was an Aussie? She looked like a Border Collie after all,” the owner from Texas added.
Bear, who is a working type Australian Shepherd, has a slicker coat that resembles one found in Collies, hence the confusion. Based on their appearance, it’s easy to see how someone could confuse the two breeds.
Still, none of that mattered much to Breanna. Bear was just perfect the way he was!
The Sweetest Dog
As Breanna describes it, Bear’s personality fits his Aussie heritage perfectly. In the comments, the Texas owner described him as “the sweetest dog,” right next to the photo of Bear cuddling with a tiny kitten.
So, what the DNA revealed wasn’t, in fact, disappointment. It was just another layer in Bear’s nine-year-long story.
The post sparked dozens of similar stories from dog owners who had also been surprised by DNA results.
“Our Chloe found on a rottweiler rescue site is Aussie/ACD/Rottweiler born with a naturally bobbed tail,” one user wrote.
“I have a test in for our chocolate lab. We were told she’s all lab. But she was from a farm and you just never know. I’m going to guess she’s got a bit of collie or something because it seems to hard to have a purebred dog without papers. I’ll be shocked to see she’s 100% lab. Looking forward to my results,” another added.
One thing is for sure: whether Collie, Aussie, or something else, Bear has always been exactly who he was meant to be: the perfect companion.