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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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A dog owner and his girlfriend adopted a tiny puppy from the shelter convinced it was a Chihuahua mix, with possibly some pug due to his curly tail and floppy ears—then they took a DNA test and found out the shocking truth.
In a viral Reddit post shared on Monday under the username u/RexyRexHD2016, the pup’s owner, Robert Huntington explains that the puppy, Whiskie, was only 7 weeks old when they adopted him in January of this year; he looked just like any small dog, but he soon grew much bigger than they thought he would.
His behavior was also not what they expected a half-Chihuahua to be like, and they were completely right. Ten months after his adoption, the couple decided to DNA test him, only to find out that he wasn’t a Chihuahua at all.
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"The results came back 50 percent Belgian Malinois, 45 percent Pug, and 8 percent Boston terrier! We are super exited to know more about him and his results totally line up with his behavior we’ve seen," he writes in the caption.
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"Now that we know he’s half Malinois though we are going to make extra sure he gets all the activity he needs!"
Huntington told Newsweek that, after the loss of their senior Chihuahua, they soon went to a shelter to get a new pup to fill their hearts with, and immediately fell in love with little Whiskie.
"We had always suspected that he had some pug DNA just based on those physical features of his tail and ears, but we weren't guessing that the other half of his genetics would be Belgian Malinois," he said.
"Whiskie is definitely one of the smartest dogs I have ever owned, he is super driven when learning tricks and commands and he has figured out how to open any of the push down door handles we have in the house."
According to his owner, like any good Belgian Malinois, Whiskie picks up on new things very quickly, and he's good at remembering them too.
"We taught him down and high-five in one single training session and it has stuck with him as we reinforce it. He is incredibly food-driven, we started him out early when he was a couple of months old practicing sprints in the backyard for one or two pieces of his daily portion of kibble as a reward for each lap and he can seemingly go forever playing that game."
Another clue that he is a Malinois is his endless enthusiasm for play, especially with his 2-year-old flat-coated retriever sibling, Rosie.
Despite his high drive, Whiskie also embraces his pug side. "He really knows how to relax and can be a total cuddlebug," Huntington added. "He sleeps with my girlfriend and I in bed every night, and when he's in our room on his bed during the day he melts into his squishmallow and goes into full relaxation mode."
Now that they know exactly what Whiskie’s breed mix needs to thrive, Huntington and his girlfriend are tailoring the pup's care accordingly. "I’m going to be stepping up his activity regimen … much longer walks and more frequent sprinting activities in the yard," he said. The couple is also considering a beginner introduction to agility training.
"He is a very good boy and we are so lucky and grateful that we stumbled into the opportunity to raise him up from being a puppy," Huntington said. "He is an important part of our family and we are going to love him and take care of him forever."
The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 881 upvotes and 56 comments on the platform.
One user, Electronic_durian287, commented: "Ahhhh, I thought I won the dumbest malinois mix with my malinois shih tsu, but I think pug has gotta top that!!"
Framedjunction said: "Omg [oh my God] I would’ve never guessed this. What a sweetie! What is his personality like?? I’m so curious being that pugs and mals are soooo different."
HalloWeiner92 added: "What a wild mix. Pic 2, he's surprisingly leggy. Honestly sounds like a strange, but great combo. Hope no one ever intentionally does this lol."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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