Woman shocked when dog she raised turns out to be a fox

A woman named Ms. Wang went to a pet store to buy a Japanese Spitz puppy, but quickly discovered the creature was a fox. (Shanxi Television)

A woman in China was stunned to discover her $190 pet Japanese Spitz was actually a domesticated fox.

The woman, identified as Ms. Wang by Chinese media, had purchased what she believed to be a Japanese Spitz puppy from a pet shop in China.

Wang thought she was purchasing a Japanese Spitz (pictured) for $190. (iStock)

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For months Wang raised the pup, but kept noticing odd behaviors, like the animal never barked and at three-months-old, the furry pet started refusing to eat dog food, she said. She also noticed some physical signs that seemed off.

Instead she discovered her puppy was a white-haired domesticated fox. (Shanxi Television)

"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 reportedly told a Chinese media outlet.

"Other pet dogs seemed to be scared by my pet so I walked it with a leash,” she added.

Wang said she started to think something was off around 3 months where her pup's face started to become more pointy. (Shanxi Television)

Eventually Wang gave in to her suspicions and took her pet in to Sun Letian, an expert in animal epidemic prevention at Taiyuan Zoo, for advice.

"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,” Letian told Wang, The Mirror reported.

While the white-coated fox is currently only 12 inches long, it is expected to get bigger.

Wang also said during that time the animal stopped eating dog food and never barked. (Shanxi Television)

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Once Wang learned her pet dog was actually a pet fox, she opted to give it up to the zoo, where she said it could receive a more suitable diet and “better living environment,” The Mirror reported.

The fox will be placed in quarantine for a month before it is put in an enclosure at the zoo.