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Do You Know Your Dogs? Mystery Cache

Hidden : 6/26/2022
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


This is a puzzle cache - do NOT go to the posted coordinates!
Solve to find the Coords:  N 44*2a.bcd  W 123*1e.fgh
Placing this cache today in honor of my Dad's 89th birthday!
Some of these will be ridiculously easy, some will require a little trial-and-error. Please let me know if you think the difficulty rating should be changed.
There is a Geocaching badge for First To Find in the container.

Inquiring minds often want to know “where do I come from?” and, more recently, “where does my dog come from?” Following the rise of consumer genomics, came vast interest in DNA testing for our animal companions as well, with our beloved canines at the forefront of this movement. Knowing the breed/s of rescue dogs helps match them to owners who can handle the characteristics of the breed/s and provides information on risk factors for diseases. According to one research, DNA analysis has shown that 87.5% of dogs at an adoption agency who were identified as being of a certain breed did not, in fact, have the genetic profile associated with that breed. This can potentially lead to mismatches between dog and owner temperament and disharmony at home upon adoption.

Case in point, my four-legged family member came to me at about 7 weeks old from a rescue in Texas and he was touted as a “German Shepherd/GS mix.” (He didn’t look anything like a GS then and he doesn’t now!) I have always shied away from getting him DNA tested because I wasn’t convinced the tests were reliable, but recently I had a vet assure me that they have made vast improvements in the area of DNA testing, so I sent his (my dog’s, not the vet’s!) DNA in --- and was I surprised at the results!

My “GS mix” is 41.4% C (this working group breed was first recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1931) and 17.6% B (a spitz-type dog originally from northern China) and 9.6% American Pit Bull Terrier and 7.7% H (the AKC first accepted this breed for registration in May 1980 and it became eligible for show in the Working Group in September 1980, but was transferred to the Herding Group in January 1983) and 7.4% G (this breed was the most popular family dog in America for 31 years from 1991 – 2022) and 4.4% A (this breed has the most wins of the Herding Group in Westminster Dog Show history) and 3.6% E (a dog named Panda won best of this breed at Westminster in 2022). He is also 8.3% “Supermutt”, most likely comprised of D (the standard for this breed was approved by the AKC on June 10, 1936) and F (this breed won the Westminster Dog Show in 1947, 1949, 1951, and 1970). But no matter the breeds, I love my mixed-up mutt!

A: Breed – 7 = A

B: Breed – 5 = B

C: The first digit in the number of letters of this breed’s name + 1 = C

D: How many words make up the formal name of this breed = D   

E: The last digit in the number of letters of this breed’s name.

F: Number of letters in breed’s name.

G: Breed + 1 = G

H: Breed – 12 = H

Please remember, owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility.

 

Congratulations to Agent Loco on First To Find!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

CHMMYR: Ab fcnprf. Anzr znl be znl abg or nooerivngrq. UVQR: Haqre.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)