Genetic H2O sidestepper

It's been been clear to us from day one that Casey has always had a natural aversion to water. He would just as soon watch his Frisbee float downstream than to even get his pads moist. It so happens though that this trait was identified in an early 1990's genome project.


In 1996, 37 genetic traits were identified and isolated from the offspring of Border Collies and Newfoundlands by researchers Jasper Rine and Elaine Ostrander at the University of California, among these the Newfie love of H2O and the clear cut aversion to it by Border Collies.  By the third generation of this project the resulting grandchildren demonstrated genetic traits of both breeds, very sociable, medium-sized black and white dogs that gave "the eye", fetched on command, and eagerly took to water, to name a few of the more obvious. 

All very impressive, but in the mean time, Casey's not having any part of getting wet, preferring dry sand to romping with Labs.