Ancestry DNA Proved My 'Purebred' Shih-Tzu Is an Adorable Little Imposter

For nearly 11 years, I've been the proud pet parent of an adorable pint-sized Shih-Tzu named Tito. And when I say pint-sized, I mean pint-sized, as he weighs in at a measly 7.5 pounds. (He's small but mighty).

I adopted him on Petfinder when he was just 6 months old from a foster mom in Arkansas, and while he was advertised as "purebred," I always knew this probably wasn't the case. Given his small size and the fact that he doesn't have the "traditional" Shih-Tzu face, I figured there were likely some other breeds thrown into the mix somewhere along the way.

A few weeks ago, I took a pet DNA test from Ancestry.com, and lo and behold, my suspicions about his true genetic makeup were confirmed. Drumroll, please...

He's mostly Shih-Tzu, but not even by half! While I wasn't exactly shocked, I was a tiny bit surprised to learn he's only 45%! He truly is a little purebred imposter! Coming in at 16% is Lhasa Apso, which I also anticipated before I did the test. After all, Shih-Tzus and Lhasas share a lot of the same physical characteristics.

But here's where things took an interesting and highly unexpected turn. In a million years, you'll never guess what his third highest percentage of breed is at 10%.

Um... Cretan Hound! What the what?!

My first thought upon seeing that was, "How in the heck?!" However, based on the characteristics of the breed, it totally makes sense. That's one of the coolest parts of taking this DNA test. They list out common breed characteristics based on your results.

My tiny Tito is most definitely "stubborn," and he's also "reserved with strangers." (Translation: until he really gets to know someone, he assumes they're here to unalive me.)

But the surprises didn't stop there. My little guy is also made up of:

Maltese
American Eskimo
Pekingese
Portuguese Water Dog

So I guess it's safe to say he's a mutt - even though he's the most precious little mutt I've ever laid eyes on.

Of course, just as any pet parent feels about their own baby, I couldn't care less what breed my beloved Tito is or how many breeds he's made up of for that matter. He's my soul dog, the love of my life, and my legit second child.

And while I'll probably still refer to him as a Shih-Tzu since I've been doing it for almost 11 years, I've already affectionately started calling him "my little Cretan Hound," simply for the humor factor.

If you're on the fence about whether or not to order an Ancestry DNA test kit for your own pup, I'd say definitely go for it. It's so fascinating to read about their genetic makeup and history, plus, the site offers another pretty cool perk. On your profile page, it shows you "matches" with other dogs who've taken the test. While Tito only has 21% matches, some pup parents might be able to find full-on siblings, cousins, parents, and everything in between.

The kits are on sale for $79 for a limited time in honor of National Pet Day, so now's the time to scoop one up!

Hmm. Now that I know where Tito came from, I can't help but wonder how spot-on my own genetic makeup is versus what I've been told thus far.

Something tells me a human kit just might be in my near future.

*I was provided with a complementary kit from Ancestry DNA for reviewing purposes. I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions about the test and my experience are my own and were not influenced by Ancestry.com.