For some of these dogs, Harpster severity categories have also been determined and a further association between these and the age of diagnosis is suggested Indeed, Meurs described the frequency of ventricular ectopy (Meurs and others 2010) and the DCM phenotype (Meurs and others 2013) to be associated with the STRN mutation, and possibly with homozygosity, and this equally accords with the ARVC locus being close to STRN. This evidence concerns the gene STRN and familial dilated cardiomyopathy.