Cute ‘Puppy’ Bought and Raised for a Year Turns out a FOX, Pet Owner is Actually Shocked
A Chinese woman was surprised to discover that the ‘pet dog’ she has been raising is actually a fox.
Ms Wang, who spent £140 buying a fox-like dog breed, Japanese spitz, said her dog stopped eating dog food and started to grow a long, fluffy tail after reaching three months old.
A staff member from a local zoo recently confirmed to Ms Wang that her pet was a domesticated fox.
Ms Wang bought a ‘Japanese spitz’ puppy from a pet shop in Shanxi Province, north China last summer (left). As the pooch grows, it develops a pointy face and a thick coat (right)
Ms Wang noticed her dog had not barked once since she bought it almost a year ago.
Ms Wang, from Jinzhong of Shanxi Provicne, told Shanxi Network Television that she bought what was said to be a Japanese spitz puppy from a pet shop last July.
She fed the long-haired pooch fruit, chicken breasts and dog food. When the pet was three months old, it stopped eating dog food.
But Ms Wang noticed her dog had never barked once.
‘The fur got thicker when it reached three months old. Its face became pointy and its tail grew longer than that of a normal dog,’ she told the reporter.
Ms Wang got told by park-goers that her pet was not a dog but a fox.
‘Other pet dogs seemed to be scared by my pet so i walked it with a leash,’ she added.
Ms Wang said onlookers suggested that her pet was actually a fox but not Japanese spitz.
She also mentioned that her pet dog stopped eating dog food when it’s three months old.
She took her pet to Taiyuan Zoo in order to seek advice from experts.
Sun Letian, an expert in animal epidemic prevention at Taiyuan Zoo, confirmed Ms Wang’s pet is a fox.
‘Based on the size, it is a domesticated fox. It carries a smell in their body and the smell can get stronger as it grows older,’ explained Mr Sun.
Measuring 30 centimetres (12 inches) long, the white-coated fox is expected to grow bigger.
A Japanese spitz has long fluffy hair that is similar to a white fox.
The medium-sized dog breed is popular among dog lovers with its adorable features.
Ms Wang decided to send her pet to the zoo to receive suitable nutrition and a better living environment.
Mr Sun said the fox will put in a quarantine zone for a month as workers carry health checks on the animal.
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It will then put in the fox enclosure after approval.
‘If you miss it, come by and have a visit,’ Mr Sun told Ms Wang.
