Scam

[cathy sparta]

This site is clearly a scam. They have had our dog’s DNA sample since August 2017. It was supposed to be free for them to run it I just had to answer a bunch of questions. Now it says if I want to pay $99 they’ll give me the results. SCAM!!!!!!!

[brittney logan]

Hi Cathy,

I can promise you this is not a scam, it is Citizen Science with the best intentions to better understand canine behavior and genetics. We have a full team of behavioral scienticst and genetisist working day and night on this project. Dr. Karlsson has done, and continues with this incredible work in the dog world.

With that said, we are not a business like many other genetic tests out there, this purely research running off of grant money.

Yes, we began the study as free participation and it still is! 🙂

Since grant money has become tight, and our team works constantly to keep apply for more. We wanted to provide participants with another option so that they could get their results faster without waiting for our grant money. This option, the Explorer Lever, allows you to fund your dogs sample so that it gets sent out for sequencing quickly and therefore participants received results much faster. This option eliminates the wait time of the Free Participation option. We still plan to sequence the free participation samples, it just takes time, since we rely on limited grant money. Unfortunately that is just how research works, but we are determined!

Please check out our FAQ page, where it explains the new participation options, which you can choose on your dogs profile.

[kate battista]

I got my results and others have too. This isn’t a business run by a giant corporation like Wisdom Panel. This is scientific research which is relies on funding and takes unpredictable twists and turns.

[kristen johnson 2]

Yes. I received my dogs DNA test too. There was a lot of confusion when they started taking donations. Essentially it is like a donation to help the study and in return you get to be moved up to the top of the list. Now that they are able to take donations they have more money to be able to process all the DNA they have. They have so much of it because so many people are participating……which will be awesome for the study!

[kristen johnson 2]

Well I received one of my dogs tests. The other one hasn’t been tested yet. I think it matters also what behaviors they’re studying…..my little Dexter has all the behaviors. Seriously he’s a handful so I’m not shocked they wanted his DNA to test. Lol. I’m still waiting to test Luna. I would much rather donate to this study than buy a test from a corporation who is just making a profit. I’m just not able to afford it at this time.

[dawn miller]

I sent in my kits way back near the beginning of this project. It took a long time but we eventually got our results. No surprises since both of my dogs are purebreds. I took part to add to the pool of knowledge that might help our dogs have longer healthier lives. For quicker results I bought two kits from Embark. And shared their findings here with the Darwin staff.

[kristen johnson 2]

Dawn that’s awesome you took part even though you have a purebred dog. I feel like so many people are only participating because they get something out of it…..the DNA test. But without purebred dogs it seems like they can’t really do what they want to do. I was going to have my parents take part with their dogs….one is a Newfoundland…..but unfortunately she didn’t make it. I have been pushing everyone I know to take part though. Lol.

[Lori K.]

It’s not a scam. I sent them both my dog’s DNA in the spring of 2016 and just received the results for my second dog. The first dog’s results came back a few months ago. It takes time but it was free and whenever I emailed questions I received a courteous reply.

[brittney logan]

Thank you all for your wonderful support and participation!

We are very excited to have the project moving right along, and as Lori mentioned, it does take time since this is purely research based citizen science.

[katie scott]

NOT a Scam. I have five dogs in the project – four had their DNA sequenced. I was an early adopter and none the less it took them 2 years to get me my results. I have had a great laugh in seeing them because 3 out of 4 of them were unexpected. The 4th was spot on! I totally believe the results because this is a project that is about getting GOOD results and NOT QUICK ones I hope that my 5th dog can get a kit but I understand that the demand is high.

Have patience. It’s worth it!

[brittney logan]

Thank you Katie for having your entire pack of pups participate in our research!

We really appreciate your patience. Grant money certainly slows things down, but our dedicated team of scientists are constantly applying for more to keep moving this research along.

Since there is a wait time, we wanted to provide our participants with more options, so we made Darwin’s Ark into a non-profit. This means that owners now have the choice to either remain participating for free or fund their dog(s)! By funding a dog, the sample can be sent out ASAP without having to wait for our grant money to support it, and that means faster results! 🙂

We have information about our participation options on our FAQ page, and articles about how this citizen science works on our stories page.

FAQs

The Timing and Process of Citizen Science

Again, thank you to all of our owner and doggy participants!

[kristen johnson 2]

Katie I’m so jealous of you! My dream would be to have a whole pack!

[kate bohn]

Nope. Not a scam. I sent my dog’s DNA in about 2016, and it took until last year to get it analyzed because so many have taken part and they use grant money to analyze UNLESS you spend your own money to help things along.

If you’re patient, you’ll see it’s legit. Even if you aren’t patient, they’re still gonna send you your results. But no, not a scam.

[kate-leber]

not a scam. We just got our results after around 1-2 months (surprisingly quick compared to what I had been reading). It’s not a huge company like Embark or Wisdom Panel, its a citizen science project. The only reason I can think of that you would choose to get your dog tested here is if you actually want to contribute to science (a great reason to join!). You could have gone with the usual route if you were only interested in fast results instead of contributing.

[brittney logan]

Thank you everyone for all of your support and contributions to our research! Each day we are working hard, making strides towards better understanding your beloved furry family members!

[Author]

Posts