Sent to the back of the line after being sent out for sequencing months ago

[Lori K.]

My reply to this mornining’s email explanation of the new ‘pay to play’ fee rules:

I’d given up long ago. I sent both my dog’s samples in way back in the spring of 2016 and have completed each survey for each of my dogs as soon as it was posted.

All of your explanation doesn’t change the fact that I sent in my dog’s samples in good faith and was told there was a strong possibility that they would be sequenced and that I was doing a good thing for dogs everywhere. One of my dog’s samples was sent out somewhere but now that you’ve got the pay to play rule it’s back in limbo because I live on a fixed income and cannot afford the cost.

Your explanation that the people who pay and get their sequencing done first won’t make it take any longer for those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to have the funds to pay for sequencing with you or someplace else is disingenuous I believe. If you’re already having trouble finding the time and money to sequence the dogs that are already waiting in line then how would sequencing these paying customers first not make it longer for the rest of us to wait.

If this had been explained upfront at the very beginning of the study I think many of us would not feel pushed to the side as we do. Calling yourselves citizen scientists does not excuse the poor handling of this.

Good luck I hope it all works out for you. I’ll keep on loving my dogs and and I guess their genetic history will remain a mystery to me.

[kristen johnson 2]

I think the issue wasn’t so much they didn’t have the time but they didn’t have the money. Those people who pay for their dogs DNA tests to be analyzed will now come out of the line of samples waiting. The grant money will still be used for testing samples and the same amount will be tested but there may be less samples to choose from because some people might pay for their own. Also now that they can take donations they will have more money to use on testing and not just have to rely on the grant money alone.

[Lori K.]

I have since received a reply and the matter of my dog’s sample being returned after being sent out for sequencing is being addressed.

I am quite impressed by the immediate response to my concerns.

Thank you.

[kristen johnson 2]

Oh that’s good. I’m glad to hear that. I have found they do seem to be very responsive. Most forum posts seem to get answered very quickly.

[brittney logan]

We fully understand you concerns, especially with the long wait. This is purely science, and unfortunately is can be unpredictable. We are alway doing our best to work on grants and get more money to research our furry best friends.

We so greatly appreciate your participation and patience with this study!

[Lori K.]

Feb. 2019:
Both my dog’s DNA have finally been sequenced. Mostly ‘unknown’ but I’m curious to see what updates will come along as more samples are added to the database.

Again, The response to my previous concern was prompt and courteous.

[kristen johnson 2]

Lori,
That’s awesome. I have found them to be very responsive. I’m kinda surprised sometimes how much so.

[elaine l]

Glad your kits were sequenced! I too have been waiting since 2016 and have gotten prompt and polite responses to my private messages that my dog’s sample will be sequenced (the last message in Feb indicated it was “on the list to be sent out”) but so far no sequencing.

[cassandra goldschmidt]

Im glad to hear that they are still doing to ones that don’t pay. When I originally did all of this in 2017 the wait time seemed to be about a year (based on forums) but since they received my dogs DNA in 12/2017 and I hadn’t received anything I thought maybe it was hopeless.

[mary iovino]

Lori, don’t feel bad… I gave them $130.0O almost 2 yrs ago and they still haven’t gotten back to me … Nice …. well they gave me 47 % what they THINK she is…they said that they where STUMPED!!! REALLY???they where basically guessing at her breed ….lol not even close… what a JOKE!!! I’m ready to Dispute this charge with my credit card company!!!!

[mary iovino]

Lori, don’t feel bad… I gave them $130.0O almost 2 yrs ago and they still haven’t gotten back to me … Nice …. well they gave me 47 % what they THINK she is…they said that they where STUMPED!!! REALLY???they where basically guessing at her breed ….lol not even close… what a JOKE!!! I’m ready to Dispute this charge with my credit card company!!!! Actually I’m going to submit this to the BBB

[marjie alonso]

Hi Mary,

I’ve just returned from quite some time away, and am trying to catch up.

I see that you joined Darwin’s Dogs on February 14th, 2018 (for Valentine’s day I assume!).

You generously donated $30 to the general fund, and then paid $99 for sequencing on September 26th, 2018. Your results were uploaded on December 21st, almost exactly three months after your payment was received.

You have one of our special dogs, whose ancestry is a mystery in so many ways. It’s going to be fascinating to see what further results we get each time we receive an update. I’d have put my money on Cattle dog, for sure, if I’d been asked to guess.

As we’ve responded many times, we don’t have a purebred APBT sample completed yet, nor can we guarantee what mix your dog’s ancestry includes, no matter how much we believe something to be true, or count on results. But we’ll get there, and when you do get further results from us, they’ll be carefully measured and as accurate as possible. This isn’t a quick process, but it is an interesting one – that’s the science part of it, and we’re doing all we can to push that farther along each day.

I’m unsure where your satisfaction is arising from, but I’m closing this thread to comments, and I’ll be taking down this thread tomorrow. You’re welcome to write to me directly at marjie@DarwinsArk.org if you have any further questions.

Anyone else with concerns, please do write and I’ll do my best to resolve the issue.

Marjie
Project Contributor

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