Hey, I Can Swim!

This morning Fletcher discovered that he can swim! He was so proud as he  'retrieved' balls and discs thrown out into the middle of the pond by his 'admirers'! We need to work on him dropping the item somewhere close by so it can be thrown again. A 'work in progress'! (the Blue Coloring in the pond water is a harmless dye used to shade out the excessive algae growth that would take over during our summers if left unchecked. It makes for interesting photos, I think)
***Fletcher's DNA Test Results are in...
37.5% American Staffordshire Terrier (no big surprise there!)
25%    Jindo 
12.5% Boxer
12.5% French Bulldog
12.5% Labrador Retriever

In our area it would be unusual to find a mixed-breed dog with no Staffie genes. The 'Jindo' is a spitz-like dog from the Island of Jindo in South Korea. Since there are literally no other dogs on this island, the Jindo's genetic pool has remained 'pure' for many centuries. They are appreciated as guarding and hunting dogs. The breed is protected under the Cultural Properties Protection Act and is considered a 'National Treasure' of South Korea. By law it is illegal to take Jindos out of Korea, however some Korean-Americans have been exporting them since the 1980's. And since we have a large Korean-American Community here in Gainesville, it doesn't surprise me that Jindos show up in the canine gene pool. Fletcher's DNA Test shows that as far back as his Great-Grandparents one side of his tree is identified as a Staffie/Jindo mix. The test results also indicate that his 'Boxer' and 'French Bulldog' genes were discovered "at a lesser concentration" indicating that these breeds were most likely introduced further back in his ancestry. 
     I find the study of Genetic Testing fascinating! I especially enjoy finding out what breed my pups are. Hope you enjoyed my sharing! Wishing all of you a Very Peaceful Week! :)