Imagine one day noticing your dog has been acting a little off. You will surely come up with a solid explanation for its changed behavior, and it probably won’t seem like a very big deal. Now the scenario takes a twisted turn when you find out it’s not even your dog you’ve been living with for the past 4 months. 121 days. 2904 hours.
This is a real story that happened to one Redditor and loving owner of a shepherd/Newf mutt named Emma. After getting Emma’s hair cut, the Redditor SecretSpud noticed she’d been acting very strange. “Physically, she was identical but mentally she was not there,” the author wrote.
“For four months I've been taking care of and loving this dog I was calling Emma who looked exactly like my dog but somehow different from the Emma I once knew,” the author recounted.
This is when the author’s mom got a call from Emma’s groomer and the truth, which seems stranger than fiction, came out.
Image credits: Farzan Lelinwalla(not the actual photo)
“A dog owner can confuse their own dog with a stranger’s dog if they share similar physical characteristics,” Yulia Popyk, an animal behavior expert from Petcube Emergency Fund, commented on the case for Bored Panda. “This can happen because the owner is not paying attention to the dog’s specific features or because the dog is a mix of breeds and therefore has more generic features. If the owner is not familiar with the dog’s breed, this can also lead to confusion. Dogs of the same breed often look alike, and it can be hard to tell them apart,” Popyk explained.
When asked how stressed a dog gets when it comes to live with a family it never met before, as happened in this incident, Popyk said it depends on the dog’s personality and previous experiences. “Some dogs may feel anxious and confused in a new environment, while others may be more curious and exploratory. However, all dogs will need time to adjust to their new surroundings and owners,” she noted and added that “some dogs may experience mild stress when living with new owners, while others may become extremely stressed.”
It’s also important to notice that identical dog twins can look very similar. “They may have the same coat color, eye color, and body type. However, they may have different markings or personality traits,” Popyk said.
The animal behavior expert said that there can be some physical differences between identical dog twins, but they are typically very small. “The biggest difference between identical dog twins is usually their behavior. One twin may be more outgoing and playful, while the other may be more independent and reserved.” Moreover, it also depends on the breed of the dog. “Some breeds have very distinct markings, like Dalmatians, while others have very little difference in markings, like golden retrievers,” Popyk concluded.
