Buffy's adopters initially took her for a Labrador-type rescue puppy. Once she was fully grown, though, features such as an upright ear, a pink nose, and her adult appearance made it obvious that the first impression had missed the mark.
What happened?
On June 5, Buffy's owners shared the shelter listing that first introduced them to her on Instagram. As Newsweek reported, the couple saw the light-brown puppy and assumed she was a Lab.
But as Buffy got older, her owners began to question their assumption. One of her ears would stick straight up rather than staying floppy, and her pink nose became another clue that she was not the Labrador retriever they had expected, since Labs usually have black or brown noses. The shelter had also stopped short of naming a specific breed, identifying her only as a "mongrel," a term used when a dog's ancestry is unknown.
The post pairs Buffy's original shelter photo with more recent images of the fully grown dog. The caption reads: "Safe to say she wasn't a Lab…" Buffy's owners love and cherish their dog nevertheless, saying at the end of the post that they "wouldn't change a thing."
Why does it matter?
As Newsweek noted, citing the American Kennel Club, guessing a puppy's breed from appearance alone can be difficult.
As Newsweek noted, citing the American Kennel Club, a young dog's ears, coat, build, and size can all change significantly in the first year. Some breed-linked traits do not fully emerge until adolescence or adulthood, meaning a young mixed-breed puppy can end up looking very different later on, according to Newsweek.
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Newsweek reported that a 2018 PLOS ONE paper on more than 900 shelter dogs in Arizona and California found frequent mismatches between visual breed guesses and genetic testing, especially when multiple breeds were involved. Breed labels can shape expectations about a dog's size, behavior, and care needs.
What are people saying?
This post drew lots of attention and discussion from fellow dog lovers on Instagram, many commenting on his unique appearance and sharing their thoughts on what breed she looks like.
"That's the most 'dog' looking dog I've ever seen, I think. Doesn't get any doggier than this," one user commented.
Another commenter provided their opinion of what kind of breed Buffy might be related to: "Gotta be mixed with a Jindo, Shiba, or something. She's got that fluffy cheeked look those dogs have." Another user provided a humorous reaction to Buffy's changing appearance as she grew up: "We call that a Labrador deceiver."
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