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“Mentally, She Was Not There”: Person Gets Their Dog Back From The Groomer, Realizes It’s Acting Weird But Keeps Living With It For Four Months Until The Truth Comes Out
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“Mentally, She Was Not There”: Person Gets Their Dog Back From The Groomer, Realizes It’s Acting Weird But Keeps Living With It For Four Months Until The Truth Comes Out

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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)


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Image credits: kmatija (not the actual photo)



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“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.

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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.

Many people found the incident totally insane, others expressed their concern for the author’s dog who was away from home for four months




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Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Author, Community member

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Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Author, Community member

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Denis Tymulis

Denis Tymulis

Author, Community member

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Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

Read less »

Denis Tymulis

Denis Tymulis

Author, Community member

Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

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Anna Snorrepot
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel sorry for Bear, he clearly isn't happy at his owners. Also, this story is from 7 years ago :)

Rebecca O’Donnell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thanks, Anna, for the update on how old this story is. I, too, feel sorry for Bear.

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would’ve offered to keep both dogs. If Bear’s owners are so bad he didn’t want to go back to them, I would’ve paid them so I could keep him too. Poor Emma for being forced to endure four awful months with a pair of people who should never have pets. Poor Bear, having a s**t life, then thinking he’d won the lottery being sent to a different home, having it good for four months, then being forced to go back into the s**t life he had before. Which brings up a good point. How did you not notice that Emma had suddenly grown a paid of balls?

howdylee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Random fact of the day: dogs & cats can give birth to identical twins!

Fifth313ment
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do you not know your own dog? Come on. I have four shih tzus which is a popular breed. I know every little spot, mark, hair on their little bodies. I can even smell them apart. I would have returned in the first hour (if I wasn't paying attention) but sure as heck not four months. They all have different personalities, they walk different, stretch different, bark different. The way they eat, sit up on the window when driving, get my attention. They arent robots that are all identical. This just sounds like someone who has a dog, to have a dog. Four months! Insane!

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Anna Snorrepot
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel sorry for Bear, he clearly isn't happy at his owners. Also, this story is from 7 years ago :)

Rebecca O’Donnell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thanks, Anna, for the update on how old this story is. I, too, feel sorry for Bear.

Load More Replies...
Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would’ve offered to keep both dogs. If Bear’s owners are so bad he didn’t want to go back to them, I would’ve paid them so I could keep him too. Poor Emma for being forced to endure four awful months with a pair of people who should never have pets. Poor Bear, having a s**t life, then thinking he’d won the lottery being sent to a different home, having it good for four months, then being forced to go back into the s**t life he had before. Which brings up a good point. How did you not notice that Emma had suddenly grown a paid of balls?

howdylee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Random fact of the day: dogs & cats can give birth to identical twins!

Fifth313ment
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do you not know your own dog? Come on. I have four shih tzus which is a popular breed. I know every little spot, mark, hair on their little bodies. I can even smell them apart. I would have returned in the first hour (if I wasn't paying attention) but sure as heck not four months. They all have different personalities, they walk different, stretch different, bark different. The way they eat, sit up on the window when driving, get my attention. They arent robots that are all identical. This just sounds like someone who has a dog, to have a dog. Four months! Insane!

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