Question:
How will dogs be identified using the Forensic Dog DNA Database?

Once your dog’s DNA has been profiled, it will be automatically stored securely on the Forensic Dog DNA Database, together with some information about your dog as well as your contact details.  This means that if the police recover an unidentified dog they can arrange to have it DNA profiled and the profile of the unidentified dog compared to all the dogs held on the database.  A match will then be reported to police and the dog owner. 

The search algorithms on the Forensic Dog DNA Database will allow any matches to be identified and reported to police and the dog owner.  The DNA system provides excellent discrimination - so far our studies have allowed the individual identification of all the dogs we have tested including siblings in pedigree litters.