Some dogs can be deceptive in appearance, making it difficult to identify their true breed. Mixed breeds often confuse even experienced owners, and occasionally, a dog can look exactly like one breed while actually being something entirely different.
A Texas man discovered this firsthand when he took in a stray dog he believed to be a West Highland White Terrier, only to learn later that her genetic makeup told a completely different story.
A Case Of Mistaken Identity
The dog, later named Zelda, appeared shortly after a hurricane had passed. Lost and frightened, she captured the attention of a kind man who decided to provide her with shelter.
He brought her to a veterinarian to scan for a microchip, discovering that Zelda had no registered owner. Realizing she was a true stray, he decided to take her in. Based on her appearance, he assumed she was a Westie.
Although Zelda closely resembled a West Highland White Terrier, the man wanted confirmation and decided to run a DNA test. The results were surprising.
Zelda was not a Westie at all. Instead, she was 50% schnauzer, with the remainder of her genes coming from mountain cur, a portion of Golden Retriever, and some Supermutt. Her looks were deceptive, and her behavior hinted at her mixed heritage.
Reddit Reacts To The Surprise
The Texas owner shared Zelda’s story on Reddit, where it quickly drew attention. Many users expressed their astonishment at the unexpected results.
One person commented: “Welp, should we ever run out of Westies we now know the recipe to make more from scratch. What an adorable little deceiver!”
Well, now that we have the recipe, it’s time to save it in storage and be ready to use it in case something like this happens.
Another person said: “This sub needs a Deceivers Hall of Fame, and I nominate your Westie deceiver as one of the first members to be inducted into that hall of fame.”
The responses reflected widespread surprise, with people marveling at how convincing Zelda’s Westie-like appearance was despite her varied ancestry.
Lastly, somebody commented: “It’s so rare to be this shocked, WOW. Totally unexpected. What a unique cutie!!”
These reactions just keep coming. Pretty much everyone on the internet had some kind of a guess as to what the dog could be, but nobody really expected this.
It’s interesting to see how even people who are familiar with breeds didn’t guess this dog’s DNA results correctly.
Despite the confusion over her breed, Zelda is thriving. Her true DNA is now known, but what matters most is that she has a loving home, a caring owner, and a bright future ahead.