doggone it - a very bad idea and a tempting one

It seems it's all animals all the time around here today.

I can't stop thinking about an excellent post over at BlogHer about a service that rents out homeless dogs to people who don't want to make a longer term commitment. I think this is a very bad idea, as does Laurie, the author (and, when I last checked, every single commenter).

In contrast, I am finding myself sorely tempted by another doggy enterprise - a new service that allows you to send in a sample of your dog's saliva for DNA analysis, in order to learn about what breeds your dog has in his ancestry. I have written a fair bit about my lovely, lovely dog of uncertain parentage and I'm very curious as to his origins. If it weren't for the fact that my spouse is far, far saner on doggy matters than I (most people are, frankly), I might be seriously considering it.

Note to self: Nurture is a big factor in a dog's (or a human's, for that matter) disposition. A dog with the same DNA would not be a clone of my dog.

Note to self (2): Feeding the kids is more important than DNA testing for my dog.