Dog DNATesting Takes Off, and Generates Debate

A rescue dog owned by Lisa Topol is seen New York. on Jan. 31, 2019. Topol recently had the DNA tested on both her mixed-breed dogs. Genetic testing for dogs has grown rapidly in recent years, fueled by companies marketing kits that offer to decode dogs’ heritage and health as simply, or laboriously, as owners can swab a canine cheek. Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

NEW YORK—As people peer into DNA for clues to health and heritage, man’s best friend is under the microscope, too.

Genetic testing for dogs has surged in recent years, fueled by companies that echo popular at-home tests for humans, offering a deep dive into a pet’s genes with the swab of a canine cheek. More than a million dogs have been tested in little over a decade.