I love guessing the breeds of dogs. Maybe that’s one reason I love mixed breed dogs so much…it’s just so much fun to try to figure out which breeds went into their creation. (If you, too, really enjoy guessing breeds, two fun books are The Underdog by Julia Szabo and The Mutt Book by David Alderton.)

But onto our mutts. Both Irie and Tiki are mixes of mixes. Below you’ll find photos of both along with appearance and character descriptions. I’d love to hear your guesses as to their heritage. After you’ve left your guesses, have a look at what DNA tests say about each dog’s lineage…the results were definitely surprising to us, especially for Tiki!

TIKI

Tiki’s Description:

Weight: 60 pounds

Fur: double coat on hips only. Very long hair on her tail and feathers. Medium shedding.

Tail: holds her tail up and loosely curled over her back.

Personality: Very smart (she learned to ring sleigh bells to ask out the front door in just two training sessions). Doesn’t like to fetch but loves to wrestle with Irie and makes lots of fighting noises when playing. Somewhat stubborn on occasion. Enjoys meeting other people and other dogs. A picky eater. Gets along well with our cats. Very loving. Wants to sit on the porch from dinner until bedtime to keep an eye out for coyotes. Enjoys playing in the creek.

IRIE

Irie’s Description:

Weight: 72 pounds

Fur: single coat. Somewhat oily feel to her fur. Medium to heavy shedding.

Paws: Paws are very cat-like with long toes. The quick of her nails grows very close to the end so we clip her nails weekly to prevent bruising.

Personality: Very eager to please and to learn. Very easy to train. Extremely shy with new people. Very loving with us. Likes to sit and sleep near you, the closer the better. Likes to sit in laps. Loves to chew. Loves to eat. Enjoys sitting in the sun and playing in the creek. Likes to fetch. Gets along well with our cats (but is sometimes a little intimidated by them). Hates fireworks, gunshots, thunder, and other loud noises. An extremely loud barker. Looks to Tiki for guidance in most situations.

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Paris Permenter

Paris Permenter is the award-winning co-author, with John Bigley, of over 30 pet and travel books including The Healthy Hound Cookbook and Texas with Dogs, both available through Simon and Schuster. Paris is also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America.

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