Caitlyn Revealed: DNA test shows mixed ancestry of ‘America’s Dog’
A DNA test on Caitlyn, the abused dog whose story was repeated around the world last year, establishes her identity as “America’s Dog,” according to the Charleston Animal Society.
The online version of the issue of Carolina Tails that includes Caitlyn’s DNA test results is at issuu.com/traveler-comm/docs/carolina-tails-2016-q1.
Shortly after the dog was found with her muzzle painfully taped shut in North Charleston in May, the staff at the shelter labeled her a Staffordshire bull terrier mix.
That never seemed fully satisfactory to those who knew her as she recovered from her injuries, so the staff decided to look a little closer. They used one of the $60 Wisdom Panel 2.0 DNA tests that the shelter sells on a sample of her saliva and sent it off to a lab. The results were published in the society’s magazine, Carolina Tails, which will be available in supermarkets Wednesday. The DNA test traces her lineage back to her great-grandparents. She’s a mixture of American Staffordshire terrier, border collie, boxer and German shepherd, according to the test.
The results “show she truly is ‘America’s Dog,’ with a combination of breeds that we, as Americans, love,” Animal Society Director of Community Outreach Kay Hyman said.
Caitlyn has recovered and is living with foster parents. The man who taped her muzzle shut — William Leonard Dodson, 42, of Quitman Street in North Charleston — is in the jail awaiting court proceedings on various charges, including felony animal cruelty, possession of cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm.