Which side of the family tree is mom and which is dad?

It is random which parent is reported on the left or the right side of the family tree. Embark does not standardly report which breed mix is mom and which is dad for mixed-breed dogs. However, by reading the descriptions for haplogroup and haplotype, you may be able to infer which is the maternal or paternal side.

Female dogs are XX and male dogs are XY regarding their chromosomes. Male and female dogs inherit an X chromosome and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from their mothers. Only male dogs inherit a Y chromosome from their fathers. We use the Y chromosome information, along with the mtDNA, to figure out where your dog's ancestors came from and report haplogroup and haplotype. Because females do have the mtDNA from their mothers but no Y chromosome from their fathers, we are not able to report the paternal haplotypes (not to be confused with recent paternal ancestry) for female dogs. This tab will be inactive on a female dog's report. 

If you would like further clarification on maternal or paternal breed mix, please contact us at howdy@embarkvet.com.