Abby Alten Schwartz is a Philadelphia-based writer whose work appears in The New York Times, The Washington Post, WIRED, Brevity, Hobart, Scary Mommy, Next Avenue, The Manifest-Station and elsewhere. She recently learned through DNA testing that her Smooth Collie-Shepherd mix is actually 34.1% Chow Chow. Find Abby on Twitter @abbys480 or visit abbyaltenschwartz.com.