A sheep in dog's clothing?

perry · 04-26-2007, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Japanese fooled in poodle scam
26th April 2007, 18:49 WST

Thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles.

Flocks of sheep were imported to Japan and then sold by a company called Poodles as Pets, marketed as fashionable accessories, available at $1,600 each.

That is a snip compared to a real poodle which retails for twice that much in Japan.

The scam was uncovered when Japanese moviestar Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food.

She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep.

Then hundreds of other women got in touch with police to say they feared their new "poodle" was also a sheep.

One couple said they became suspicious when they took their "dog" to have its claws trimmed and were told it had hooves.

Japanese police believe there could be 2,000 people affected by the scam, which operated in Sapporo and capitalised on the fact that sheep are rare in Japan, so many do not know what they look like.

"We launched an investigation after we were made aware that a company were selling sheep as poodles," Japanese police said, the The Sun reported.

"Sadly we think there is more than one company operating in this way.

"The sheep are believed to have been imported from overseas - Britain, Australia."

Many of the sheep have now been donated to zoos and farms.
AAP

Bommando up to his dirty tricks again???

ednos · 04-26-2007, 06:23 PM

Oh... my. These people have been... victimized?

Trooper · 04-26-2007, 06:43 PM

First thing i thought of was the loony toons skit with teh sheep dog and coyote...

**CingularDuality** · 04-27-2007, 12:39 AM

OK, my only question is whether or not there are any animals in the world that I'm unfamiliar enough with, to be fooled into thinking that they are some other more common type of animal. I just find that difficult to imagine...

**TheFeniX** · 04-27-2007, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

OK, my only question is whether or not there are any animals in the world that I'm unfamiliar enough with, to be fooled into thinking that they are some other more common type of animal. I just find that difficult to imagine...

How common are poodles in Japan?

This is Jake, my family's now deceased Toy Poodle we had since I was 5. He's ugly and old in this picture, but you get the point. When you think about the dog's species, there are so many variants as to make one wonder.

Think about it: people may share aesthetic differences. Even as far as heights ranging from 4' to 7' tall. But all are definitely human. But even at that amount of size difference, our masses rarely range outside of 5-6 times of mass. Jake weighed 5 pounds most of his life. And some dogs can reach upwards of 150. That's a multiple of 30 when comparing mass (yes, I know weight doesn't always equal mass, but you get my point). Also, compared the build differences between a poodle and say a Mastiff. Yes, the size difference is the most notable, but also physical differences like muzzle size and width along with torso proportion.

Jake has a long, narrow snout (really unable to be seen in the picture I posted), short gray curly hair, and a slim body and legs.

Now, look at a lamb.
The lamb (aesthetically) has more in common with Jake than a Mastiff or Great Dane when a person who doesn't understand common traits among species is involved.

Seeing a few pictures of poodles combined with the knowledge of how much different breeds of dogs differ could have lead to the mix-up. Or these people could just be on the left side of the bell-curve.

Kerostasis · 04-27-2007, 03:09 PM

So, supposedly this whole thing was a hoax put forth by a British tabloid, and never really happened. Apparently the Japanese news media has never even heard of the story.

**TheFeniX** · 04-27-2007, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerostasis

So, supposedly this whole thing was a hoax put forth by a British tabloid, and never really happened. Apparently the Japanese news media has never even heard of the story.

Yea, I had heard the same thing on another forum. But I can honestly see how some people who did no research on their pets could be fooled.

Kerostasis · 04-27-2007, 03:27 PM

Well, far be it from me to doubt the power of gullibility, but I would imagine that the Hooves would be a pretty good give-away, even for someone who had never seen a sheep before.

Trooper · 04-27-2007, 06:45 PM

"Him a making a Ba sound and likes to eat a grass"

**CingularDuality** · 04-27-2007, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFeniX

How common are poodles in Japan?

About as common as they are in America or Europe...

Cal Worthington could sell a TON of cars in Japan...

I still don't think there's any animal on this planet that I would confuse for such an unrelated species. Confusing a wolf with a german shepherd dog is a bit more believable, but confusing a sheep with a dog is ridiculous.

04-26-2007, 06:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
ednos Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,773	Re: A sheep in dog's clothing? Oh... my. These people have been... victimized? __________________ The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. ~ Bertrand Russell I have a tendency to key out three or four things and then let them battle for supremacy while I key, so there's a lot of backspacing as potential statements are slaughtered and eaten by the victors. ~ Magna Centipede

04-26-2007, 06:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trooper Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In my wifes house......if she says i can Age: 25 Posts: 8,637	Re: A sheep in dog's clothing? First thing i thought of was the loony toons skit with teh sheep dog and coyote... __________________ that sounds like a good idea trooper. -Vulcan

04-27-2007, 12:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
CingularDuality Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas, USA Age: 33 Posts: 16,806	Re: A sheep in dog's clothing? OK, my only question is whether or not there are any animals in the world that I'm unfamiliar enough with, to be fooled into thinking that they are some other more common type of animal. I just find that difficult to imagine... __________________ Become a supporting member! -- Shop at the Tactical Market! Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage." TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

04-27-2007, 06:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Trooper Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In my wifes house......if she says i can Age: 25 Posts: 8,637	Re: A sheep in dog's clothing? "Him a making a Ba sound and likes to eat a grass" __________________ that sounds like a good idea trooper. -Vulcan

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