Couple Try To Guess Rescue Dog's Breed—Unprepared for What DNA Test Reveals

Nothing could prepare one Arizona couple for the results of their rescue dog's DNA test.

Zira has been a part of Michaela Hyle's life ever since she rescued them during her freshman year of college.

"I found her in a kill shelter with her litter and mom," Hyle, from Gilbert, told Newsweek. "By the time I got to the shelter, she and one of her brothers were the only ones left. They were scheduled to be put down the next day, so I actually took both of them."

While Zira's brother ended up finding a home with a father and daughter desperate for a puppy of their own, Zira has been by Hyle's side ever since.

In most ways, Zira is like any typical dog. "She loves cuddles, she will snuggle all day if you let her and for being 11 years old she is surprisingly active and loves to play with her brothers [fellow dogs Buckeye and Kasson]," Hyle said.

"She is a big fan of any toy that squeaks but only when she is the one playing with it. If another dog has a squeaky toy she will get annoyed and take it from them and lay on it so they can't squeak it anymore."

However, there is one thing that's different about Zira: her appearance. Zira is a mixed breed but, for the longest time, quite what breed was something of a mystery—and often led to some gentle teasing.

"My dad would always tease me that she was part coyote, and when I met my husband the first thing he said when he saw her was 'oh you look like a coyote,'" Hyle said.

That is what led to Zira undergoing a DNA test. "I wanted a DNA test to prove she was not only not a coyote, but to see what breed she was," she said. "The shelter told me she was Rottweiler and German shepherd and she just never looked like either of those breeds to me."

Hyle said it was her husband who surprised her with the DNA test as part of a Christmas gift. "I was so excited cause I've talked about wanting to do it for years but never got around to getting them," she said.

It's hardly a surprise to learn Zira is a mixed breed, given that she came from a shelter. A previous study by the National Animal Interest Alliance found that mixed breeds accounted for around 95 percent of all shelter dogs.

What was surprising to Hyle and her husband, was the breed Zira turned out to be a mix of. In a video posted to Hyle's TikTok, @hadmeathyle, they took turns predicting what the dog would turn out to be.

Hyle's husband predicted him to be a mix of Coyote, Carolina dog and Siberian husky. Hyle herself went for something a little more straightforward, predicting Zira to be a mix of Carolina dog and cattle dog.

The results revealed something more startling. Zira was revealed to be 19 percent rottweiler, 16 percent Australian cattle dog, 14 percent pit bull terrier, 7 percent Siberian husky and 5 percent American Staffordshire terrier.

She was also part Border collie, German shepherd, Alaskan Malamute, Chow Chow, Golden retriever, Chihuahua, Dalmatian, Labrador retriever, Cocker spaniel, English Springer spaniel and Airedale terrier.

The results were quite a shock. "She was 20 different breeds, most all small percentages but the biggest percentage was 19 percent which was for Rottweiler which really surprised me," Hyle said. "Also based on pictures I thought for sure she would have some Carolina dog in her, but nope. None!"

Despite the surprising results, Hyle has no regrets about getting the DNA test done and would encourage others to try it out. "I just hope people had fun watching it and maybe are inspired to get DNA tests for their dogs, it was a fun experience for us," she said.