Woman adopts ‘chihuahua’ puppy but finds it’s actually something else
It was quite a surprise (stock) (Image: Getty)
A woman got the shock of her life when she brought home what she thought was a tiny chihuahua, only to discover she had adopted something completely different.
Madison Austin explained how she got a puppy during the pandemic after researching “apartment-friendly little dogs” knowing the pup would live in New York City.
After spending hours looking at different breeds, she came across Henry online and immediately contacted the seller.
“They introduced him as a four-pound male chihuahua. But from the moment we got him, we thought, ‘Hmm… his paws sure look big,'” she said.
Just a few weeks after taking him into her home, Madison noticed the puppy was growing bigger every day.
She added: “We still thought he was at least part chihuahua. I remember talking to my husband about whether his ears would eventually stand up.”
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However, Henry soon experienced a rapid growth spurt and quickly outgrew what could be considered a “big chihuahua”.
She said: “He started gaining two or three kilos a week and then it went up to five kilos a week. Within two months our vet said, ‘I’m sorry, but this dog is definitely not a chihuahua!’ He had to say it.”
“We bought an expensive electronic toilet pad thinking we’d train him on it. That didn’t really work! And then of course we spent way more money than we planned on dog food.”
Fortunately, the couple eventually moved elsewhere and subsequently had two children.
Henry currently weighs approximately 95 pounds and his breed has been determined to be a Labrador retriever.
Madison said: “We thought we wanted a small pup because of our lifestyle, but we are so happy he ended up being this big.
“We have so much fun with him and he has a heart of gold. He was definitely meant to be ours.
“Sometimes we don’t even know what we need in our lives until he finds us. I have no doubt that Henry was meant to be ours, and I can’t imagine life without him in our family.”
Commenting on her Instagram page, where she posts updates about Henry, one follower wrote: “Girl, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but have you ever seen a chihuahua?” he said.
Another added: “Little Henry wasn’t even little. What were you thinking?”.
A third user said: “Ma’am, I have bad news. I don’t think he’s a Labrador either… mix, sure, but pure? No.”
Another user noted: “It looks like someone might have handed you a raccoon and you would have thought it was a chihuahua. This dog didn’t look like a raccoon at all.”
One recent user said: “Little Henry looks like every Lab pit mix I’ve ever met.”
