Human DNA Quantities and Cell Counts on Dog Hairs, Forensic Study

A preliminary forensic study evaluated human DNA recovery from the hair of three patted dogs. The dataset includes cell counts, hair length, DNA quantities, and success rates for generating human DNA profiles from 89% of samples. Authored by Heidi Monkman and last updated in April 2026, the data is shared under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Use Cases

• Estimating the number of dog hairs needed to produce a human DNA profile based on hair length and cell count data.
• Assessing the predictive value of targeted cell counts (500, 1000, 5000) for subsequent forensic DNA analysis.
• Evaluating the potential for generating high-value inclusionary Likelihood Ratios from alleles recovered from animal hair.

Strengths

• Quantifiable DNA was detected in 89% of the hair samples analyzed.
• DNA profiles were generated from 78% of the samples where DNA was detected.
• 44% of hair samples provided ≥12 alleles, suitable for high-value inclusionary analysis.
• 14% of the generated profiles were suitable for database upload.

Limitations

• The predictive power of cell counts for DNA analysis success was reported as limited in this study.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• The dataset is small (26.5 KB), indicating a limited scope from a preliminary study.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Heidi Monkman.

Collection Method

Experimental study evaluating the use of Diamond™ Nucleic Acid Dye to estimate cellular content on dog hair samples.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-23 04:54:48.