MNN - Mother Nature Network

Kevin Bacon's love for his family's rescue dog is no secret. The actor and his wife, Kyra Sedgwick, have saved several mutts from shelters, with his daughter Sosie even rescuing one off the streets of Brooklyn, N.Y. Back in 2005, the family volunteered with Animal Rescue New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. Bacon also narrated “New Orleans Animal Rescue,” a story about animals in the aftermath of Katrina.

 

So it comes as no surprise that the 54-year-old star of the new drama "The Following" would be curious about his dogs' origins — going so far as to order one of the canine DNA tests available to consumers. 

 

"We did DNA testing, which is fun and something that just became possible," he tells People. "What you do is swab the cheek of a mutt and you send it in. What comes back is what breeds are in the animal, which is really cool."

 

"The strange thing with my daughter's dog, it turns out he's a purebred. A purebred Staffordshire terrier."

 

Kevin enjoyed digging into his dogs' heritage so much that he decided to share his new hobby with family over Christmas.

 

"[My sister] wrote me back this email that listed probably six or seven breeds in her dog," Kevin shared. "Her dog's name is William and she said, 'I'm so disappointed to find out about William's slutty past!'"

 

There are currently three doggy DNA testing companies on the market, with costs ranging from $70-$100 and results varying depending on the number of breeds the labs are able to screen for. MNN's own Russell McLendon recently shared his own mixed results with testing his 2-year-old rescue mutt, Otis. 

 

"The main challenge with both tests was swabbing Otis' cheeks, which he tolerated only because there were two of us restraining/reassuring him," he writes. "BioPet and Widsom Panel each warned us to wait a while after he ate so food crumbs wouldn't contaminate his sample, and they also sent multiple cotton swabs to ensure accuracy. The kits included envelopes for stashing the DNA-laden swabs, and after that it was just a matter of filling out forms, sealing it all up and putting it in the mail."

 

Jump here to read the rest of Russell's in-depth report on this growing niche in the world of DNA testing.