Fidome Playing Cards

Meet the Breeds -The making of the Form Factor Deck PART 2 - Hearts

Big personality. Small package. Questionable sense of self-preservation.

Dogs hold the record for the most extreme size variation of any land animal, from rat-sized gremlins to actual small horses disguised as pets. But when it comes to why some breeds stayed snack-sized while others hit XXL mode, the answer is genetics—and one gene in particular, IGF1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) seems to play a big role.

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Big Genes. Small Dogs.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 stimulates growth in nearly every cell in the body - including skeleton muscle and bone.

And, although several genes have been implicated in canine size, IGF1 seems to account for a lot of the size difference between breeds.

Several small breeds contain a mutation within a stretch of DNA that is believed to inhibit IGF1 and restrict growth - resulting in several fun-sized dog breeds (along with some “miniature” and “toy” versions of others).

This little genetic tweak puts a hard stop on growth, turning once-mighty working breeds into miniature versions of themselves—some by accident, most on purpose.

If your doggo weighs less than 9kg (20 lbs), this might be why.

Fun Fact:

Larger breeds tend to have higher levels of IGF1.

That same IGF1 that keeps small dogs small may also be linked to longer lifespans.

Yep—while your Great Dane is busy growing at warp speed and aging like an overclocked time-lapse, your Chihuahua is sitting there, judging everyone, fully prepared to outlive your next three cars.

Now, I know: Correlation ≠ Causation. But bigger dogs not only grow faster (and larger), but the suggestion is that larger breeds may also age faster.

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For old times sake:

Two decks make up Fidome.

They're called “Coat Check” and “Form Factor,” and they group dogs based on the genetic mutations they share.

But Wait, There's More...

Coat Check is all about the genetics behind short coats, long coats, curly coats, and yes, those fabulous furnished ones.

Form Factor digs into the structural mutations that give us dogs with larger muscle mass, shorter muzzles, or that adorably stocky build we call dwarfism.

Together, these decks showcase 85 breeds, spread across the two decks. A few lucky dogs made it into both because some are blessed with tons of mutations (looking at you Shih Tzu).

So here’s the plan:

1. Share updates here so you can see how the project unfolds.

2. Introduce you to the breeds and mutations that made the cut.

3. Shamelessly ask for your input on additional breeds to include (yes, I want your opinion, dog nerds).

4. Finally, if enough of you are interested, post the project on Kickstarter.

Thanks for joining me on this wildly specific creative journey. If you’re as nerdy about dogs as I think you are, please sign up for deck-specific updates below!