[pstinard]

And Bella tested out to be purebred Yorkshire Terrier, as expected. Bella was tested under MARS' program to expand their database of Yorkshire Terrier DNA samples. I had to submit Bella's AKC registration and 5 generation pedigree certificate in order to participate, and MARS performed their traditional breed purity analysis to make sure that Bella's sample was kosher. In the PCA analysis, Bella falls smack in the middle of other Yorkshire Terrier DNA samples. Interestingly, the two other most closely related breeds to Bella's specific DNA sample are Saluki and Pug. The Saluki is a primative breed and probably reflects Bella's ancestral roots that are shared with many other dog breeds. The Pug is a toy breed, and probably represents DNA segments that distinguish toy breeds from other dog breeds. In the PCA analysis including Yorkshire Terriers, Salukis, and Pugs, Bella clusters solidly with the Yorkshire Terrier group. Finally Bella's homozygosity (degree of inbreeding) is within the normal range for Yorkshire Terriers. Images of the most important parts of the MARS report are below.