A LOS Angeles-based model was shocked when she found out the puppy she purchased was a wolf.
It’s illegal to keep a wolf as a pet in the US. However, the regulations on owning a wolf-dog - a canine produced by breeding a domesticated dog and a wolf - vary by state.
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Amanda Hamilton (@issafablife) is a model and content creator who regularly shares updates about her life with her wife Amanda on their shared TikTok account and YouTube Channel, The Fab Life with Shannon & Amanda.
Amanda revealed the shocking breeder scam in a TikTok video on May 24.
The video has gone viral, receiving 2million likes and more than 17,000 comments.
At the beginning of the video, Amanda said she thought she was getting a Pomeranian for $50.
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This is a lot cheaper than most breeders charge for this type of dog.
The Pomeranian is one of the world’s most popular toy breeds.
They are described as fine watchdogs and perky pets by the American Kennel Club.
The cost of a Pomeranian can range anywhere from $600 to $6000 if you purchase it from a reputable breeder.
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The price will vary based on the dog’s age, the dog breeder’s location, and its appearance.
They can rarely be purchased from a dog breeder for less than $600, which is the first indication that Amanda was being scammed.
“I bought this Pomeranian at the Mexico border for $50 only to find out it was a wolf,” she said in the TikTok video, which was filmed in a car.
The adorable black and white wolf look-alike puppy can be seen sitting comfortably across her lap in the video.
It nibbles gently on her hand as she films and even gives the camera a big yawn at one point.
In the 32-second clip, Amanda has given viewers a look at the dog's various puppy stages.
In one clip, the puppy is seen toddling happily across her hardwood floors.
Plenty of time had passed in another clip, where the puppy has grown significantly bigger and looked eerily similar to a wolf.
The dog has a gorgeous black and white fur coat and didn't resemble a Pomeranian in any of the clips.
Several people noticed the drastic difference between the dog’s appearance and a Pomeranian.
One person commented: “Girl but have you ever seen a pomeranian?”
“How did you think that was a Pomeranian???” a second person wrote.
A third person said: “You deserve a wolf if you genuinely thought that dog was a pomeranian,” and added a laughing face emoji at the end.
Many viewers suggested the dog looked like a husky, and several people wanted to know where she got the dog from.
One person wrote: “suh um which part of the mexican border you buy this cuz I need to get me one.”
Others tried to make light of the breeder scam.
“She thought it was a Mexican Pomeranian,” one person wrote, adding four hysterical laugh emojis at the end of their comment.
“I thought it was a Dalmatian,” another person joked.
There are plenty of online sites that help the public avoid breeder scams.
You can also visit the AKC website to get information on breed standards, and sites such as the Humane Society of the United States offers plenty of tips for those opting to use a dog breeder.
“Responsible breeders only sell puppies to people they have met in person—never through pet stores or online to people they haven’t met," the organization says on its website.
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“Responsible breeders will show you individual records of veterinary visits for your puppy and the parents,” they added.
The organization also suggests that anyone in the market for a new pet consider a local animal shelter, as one in every four dogs in a US shelter is purebred.
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