Kiki’s Tail of a Lifetime

Professional photography by Tania Cholwich Photography  

MuttMix Input

After spending seven years in an animal rescue, Kiki finally found her forever home – just in time for her humans to plan a big move to Ireland. But with breed restrictions and red tape sniffing at their heels, getting her there was no walk in the dog park.

That’s where MuttMix stepped in, helping uncover Kiki’s unique DNA mix and turning “Pittie problems” into paw-sitive progress. Read on to sniff out Kiki’s results, and if this paw-some family are able to make the move!

Monique Keulemans shares...

At roughly two years old, Kiki and her sister came into the care of Charlene Barnfield and her NPO, the Compassion Club (CC). CC is a small organisation that cares for roughly 20 dogs full-time, while also assisting owners who have fallen on hard times by ensuring their dogs are fed, receive necessary veterinary care, and more. CC is changing the plight of animals in SA by educating and empowering communities and children about animal welfare.

I digress – back to Miss Kiki.

Kiki was owner-surrendered in December 2015, and in March 2023 it was finally her turn to find a home of her own – with us! It was no secret that I had a soft spot for Kiki and loved sitting with her, watching her play with her ball, and trying to cuddle her little busy-bee body. She never sat still! When we lost our Thandi (also a Compassion Club alum), we knew Kiki was destined to spend her golden years with us.

The transition wasn’t an easy one, and being in a home environment was a big adjustment for Kiki. She went from the loudmouth, mischievous little girl she used to be to insecure and unsure of all the new things she encountered.

She was nervous around people and decided that if I was going to be her mum, she wouldn’t be sharing me – with anyone. It took time, but we stuck with it, and eventually she rediscovered her independent nature and now rules the roost – exactly as she was born to do!

I’ve always wanted to travel, so when an opportunity arose for us to relocate to Ireland, the first thing we did was check whether there were any breed restrictions and if Pit Bulls were even allowed in the country. The prejudice Pit Bulls face is common all around the world.

My partner relocated in April, and Kiki and I were supposed to follow at the end of July once her paperwork was in place. Ireland is facing a severe housing crisis, so we knew it would be a challenge to find accommodation, but we seriously underestimated just how hard it would be. Spoilt for choice, landlords simply refuse to take dogs on the “restricted list”. Our plans came to a grinding halt. Kiki is family – if she couldn’t come, I wasn’t going.

As a last resort, I decided to do a MuttMix test. Having had Pit Bulls all my life, I hoped that Kiki’s unique build and quirks might mean she wasn’t a pure Pit Bull after all.

MuttMix were brilliant. When I reached out, they were in the process of changing owners, but they sent me a test kit the same day I explained my situation.

Guessing her genetic makeup was a lot of fun. We had some interesting guesses but only got about 50% right. MuttMix included a detailed report with background on the breeds that make Kiki who she is, and it was incredibly insightful – it even explained some of her quirks and behaviours.

Because of this test, we were able to update her paperwork to say that she’s a Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross, which is met with far less resistance than “Pit Bull”. I’ll never stop advocating for the breed, but in this instance Kiki would’ve been up against odds that were never meant to be stacked against her.

Check these out…

Kiki’s MuttMix Results:

       25%          American Staffordshire Terrier

        23%         Staffordshire Bull Terrier

        15%         French Bulldog

        14%         Boxer

        12%         American Pit Bull Terrier

        11%         Perro de Presa Canario

I cannot stop singing MuttMix’s praises. They were reasonably priced, incredibly understanding of my situation, and even notified me late on a Saturday night that her results were in. They asked me to send a photo so they could include it on her certificate, and by early Sunday morning I had it in my hands.

I genuinely think all dog owners should invest in a test like this. It helped me understand Kiki so much better – and it literally changed our world.

We’ve since found a home that welcomed Kiki, and we’ll be off on our new adventure in mid-October. Without the MuttMix test, our family would’ve been separated indefinitely.