A woman has amazed the internet after sharing a video of the supposed lost "dog" she found, only to later realize it was actually a wolf.
The viral video was posted by Jasmine Quinonez on her TikTok account (@jazzyq0) showing the enormous shaggy creature she came across in California. At one point in the video, the animal even played with Quinonez and her friend like a dog would, leading them to believe it was someone's pet.
However, Quinonez soon came to realize that this was no ordinary "lost dog," as she later saw a post on social media that said: "beware of wolf on the loose."
Since the video was posted on August 1, it has been viewed more than 20.4 million times and received over 4.2 million likes. Many social media users have been left shocked and horrified at the discovery, while others suggested it could be someone's pet wolfdog.
A wolfdog is a hybrid between a dog and a wolf, and the website Fetch by WebMD explains that they look and behave incredibly similar. However, if a wolfdog isn't looked after correctly, they can become aggressive.
Wolfdogs are very expensive pets to keep, as their extensive dietary needs alone can cost thousands of dollars a year, and they aren't good to have around children.
Owning a wolfdog is undoubtedly a challenge because wolves haven't been domesticated. Fetch by WebMD suggests that, while these hybrid animals might look majestic, they are hard to manage when they exhibit their wolf traits.
It isn't clear what happened with the possible wolf after Quinonez found it, but TikTok users have continued to share their perspective on what she should have done.
There are more than 20,000 comments on the post already, with one person writing: "Just by the lil trot, I would have ran the other way."
@jazzyq0 Memeber amiga @sashaeason #wolf #dog #fyp
♬ original sound - Jasmine Quinonez
Another person commented: "I can confirm, I would have done the same thing!"
Many TikTokers have also commented on the post to suggest it's someone's pet, and possibly a large dog, rather than a rogue wolf. As one person responded to the video: "He had a chain collar on. He belonged to someone for sure."
"It looks like a wolfdog, not a full wolf. Full wolves are insanely dangerous to keep as pets," replied another user.
Newsweek reached out to @jazzyq0 via TikTok for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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