Is Dog DNA Testing Worth it – My Experience with The Embark Dog DNA Test

Embark Vet Provided a test for the purpose of this review. This blog post contains affiliate links which means that I receive a commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Any pet owner will tell you that their dog has a unique story. But what happens when you don’t know what your dog’s story is? As a pet owner of two rescue dogs, I don’t know my dogs’ birthdays, much of their background, or have more than an educated guess about what breed(s) they really are.

Dog DNA testing is a new frontier and lets you discover the dog breeds your pet is mixed with, possible health concerns, and even find doggy relatives. I recently tested out the Embark Dog DNA Testing on one of my dogs and the experience was really interesting.

I like to know things.

I still sneak into presents if they are hidden in my house, I found out all my babies genders the very second that I was able to, and I spoil all surprises.

So not knowing my rescue dogs’ full stories bothers me.

I have two dogs, one that came into our lives when he was given up in a Facebook post and another that was discovered abandoned in the desert as a puppy.

I have more information on one than the other but I still don’t know basic things like their birthdays (including how old they are), what breeds they have in them and their health history.

It’s a mystery that’s an often discussed topic in my house.

We have our guesses.

We were told that our older dog Ted is an Australian Shepherd / Corgi mix … and that does seem to fit with his appearance.

Gracie, our little desert stray looks like a Golden Retriever and … something.

I’ve been really curious about both of them but especially Gracie since we didn’t have the luxury of talking to her previous owner

When I first heard about dog DNA testing I was really excited. I mean, I could finally find out what breeds my dogs actually are.

How to Use Embark Dog DNA Testing

Since we know so little about Gracie we decided to test her first. We decided to go with Embark Vet Dog DNA Testing so we were excited when they sent us a kit to try.

She was convinced we were up to something suspicious but the testing process was actually really easy.

The Embark Dog DNA test comes with really clear instructions. I appreciated how simple they made everything.

The box layout made the instructions very visual. My kids appreciated that because they were able to follow along with what we were doing pretty easily.

First, we activated the kit online with our unique code.

Once we did that we were ready to swab. The vial came with a dual-sided lid with the swab attached to the outside so everything we needed was in one piece.

We simply swabbed the inside of my dog’s cheek according to the directions in the box.

Gracie was 100% convinced we were up to something weird while we did that but she was getting snuggles so she just went with it.

Once that was done, we flipped the swab and closed the vial with the swabbing portion inside.

We packaged it up and shipped it off with the pre-paid mailer and now we are (not so) patiently waiting for her results.

What Breed is my dog?

What’s your vote? We are pretty sure Gracie is at least part Golden Retriever. What do you think she is mixed with.

Respond to the poll on Facebook and we’ll let you know when we get her results.

Embark Coupon Code

We’ll update you here when we get Gracie’s results. In the meantime, Embark is offering our readers $20 off a Dog DNA testing kit which is the lowest price they have offered all year!

Use the coupon code “BusyMommyMedia” to get $30 off your dog’s Embark testing kit.

Shop HERE

*This offer could end at any time so hurry and grab your test here.