People Are Baffled by This Hairless Dog That ‘Looks Like Statue’

(TMU) — When we humans think of our animal companions we’re most likely thinking furry with a huge bunch of cuteness thrown in. A hairless cat or dog probably won’t fit the picture for most. In fact, some people are actually freaked out by the hairless Sphynx cat with their wrinkly skin, big ears, and eyes when they first meet face to face.

Despite its name, the Sphynx breed that resembles statues and drawings found in ancient Egypt actually started through selective breeding in 1966 in Canada.

There are also quite a few hairless dog breeds. One of which also resemble the statues guarding tombs in ancient Egypt. But this hairless canine has an ancient history on a different continent.

According to Wendy Scarborough, her new dog Fable is often mistaken for a stone sculpture.

Wendy, the 48-year-old full-time dog rescue volunteer from North Carolina, gets plenty of questions from dog lovers since the arrival of Fable, her Peruvian Hairless. The Peruvian Hairless, unlike the Sphynx hairless, is actually an ancient breed in Peru and shown in art and pottery prior to the Inca era.

“We get told Fable looks like a statue a lot,” Wendy said.

“Every time I go out with her I’m stopped at least five times and everybody says the same thing.

They all ask, ‘What type of dog is that? I’ve never seen an animal like that, she doesn’t look real,’ and ‘What does she feel like?’

Everyone wants to touch her and understand her origin.

They say she looks like an Egyptian statue and a lot of people refer to her as Anubis, the famous Egyptian god of mummification.”

Wendy’s interest in adopting a member of this rare breed grew when she fell in love with their elegant bodies and “expressionless” faces. Wendy finally got her wish last May when Fable arrived at her new home, having flown 3,115 miles from Peru.

“Fable has such an expressionless face but she’s actually a very expressive dog when you get to know her,” she added.

“She is so unique, even though she’s mine I take her home and I look at her and I’m fascinated by her.”

“Peruvian Hairless Dogs’ demeanor is very different to other dogs. They are very aloof with strangers, when Fable sees other dogs and their walkers she will stand still and often fixate on them.

She’s actually very silly and playful with me, she’s definitely not a statue at home.

“But people probably can’t imagine that when they see her looking so statuesque.”

Wendy and her husband Michael welcomed Fable into their home where she is now part of the ever-growing family of 16 dogs.

During her time volunteering at the Sighthound Underground Dog Rescue Center, Wendy built up a diverse mix of canines which include five Spanish Podencos, two Galgos, a Golden Retriever, a Husky, a Labrador, a Lurcher, a Persian Saluki, and now also a Peruvian Hairless.

Fable was by far the most difficult to source, with the breed teetering on the brink of extinction in the early 1990s, breeders were scarce. Wendy did eventually find a breeder in Peru and paid a total of around $2,500 (£1,935) to bring Fable to her new forever family.

“There are very few breeders in the world now and there’s very few litters a year of Peruvian dogs,” Wendy explained.

“I tried for many years to get a Peruvian hairless in rescue but they are extremely hard to come by.

All of my dogs are like family members, they are like another set of children to me, I can’t imagine my life without them, but Fable is by far one of the most fascinating.”

By Jade Small | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com