Perhaps I need a “weird news/odd news” category as this would certainly fit the bill. Even the video link proves both.
Look, a Chow-Chow is a dog, and a Panda is a bear, or so we’ve always been told. However, a circus owner wants everyone, especially kids. to think what he alone has… are half dog and half Panda – a hybrid.
But what they are, are 100% groomed and dyed chow-chows made to resemble Pandas.
He succeeded, at least for awhile, even charging kids to have their pictures taken with these animals.
The video link provided below shows it well, but if that’s an actual image of the panda dog, well…
It wasn’t just some circus customers who were skeptical, officials in Italy didn’t fall for the scam and police have seized the dogs and charged the circus owner with animal abuse and defrauding of customers.
This AOL video on it, opens and plays in a new window.
Image from the “Panda Dog” video at AOL On
Still, it appears what he was doing was capitalizing on a trend in China that was reported in May by DogTime…
reporting that certain pet shop owners in China can’t keep up with demand for the groomed and dyed chow-chows, where they are sold, requiring continued “maintenance” by the pet shops to keep that panda dog appearance.
It is, after all, stuff that makes a circus a circus!
News to Share Brief sources:
- Video courtesy AOL
- Tweet courtesy Corriereit
- Related post at DogTime “Latest canine trend in China: ‘Panda Dogs’“
