Things will different this year when adopting a four-legged canine companion from McKamey Animal Center.
MAC is no longer labeling dogs in their care by breed, but rather is focusing on the personalities, behavioral traits and circumstances unique to each dog.
Studies prove every dog is an individual and should be judged based on its own unique characteristics rather than on the perceived traits of their breed or how they look, MAC notes in a news release.
A University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School study of more than 2,000 purebred and mixed-breed dogs suggests behavioral traits in dogs are not specific for breed.
What’s more, studies show even experts like veterinarians guess wrong 75% of the time when attempting to identify mixed breed dogs.
Dogs have roughly 20,000 genes that make up their entire genome, but only 50 of those – less than 1% – make up the way they look.
Because breed labels are often incorrect or misleading, removing them will allow potential adopters to make more objective decisions about which dog is the best fit for their home and family, says MAC Executive Director Inga Fricke.
“Rather than focusing on how a dog looks or is labeled, adopters will be able to choose a new family member based on more relevant factors like size, energy level and compatibility with other pets and children,” continues Fricke. “We believe this will not only make better matches between people and pets but will ensure that wonderful companion dogs are not overlooked simply because of labels that are often educated guesses.”
Over 100 dogs are available for adoption at MAC. View them at www.mckameyanimalcenter.org.
Source: McKamey Animal Center