A couple in China's Guangdong province were shocked to discover that the dog which they had decided to adopt was actually a fox, the media reported on Tuesday.
The man found the animal sitting outside his house on a rainy day last week and decided to offer the shivering creature a shelter, China.org reported.
His wife gave the animal a bath, but she noticed something out of place -- the animal's tail was unusually fluffy for a dog.
It also had a ferocious-looking set of teeth and a pungent scent that would not go away even after being washed.
The animal even managed to escape after biting open the iron cage, but luckily it was recovered on the house's balcony.
On examination, authorities said the animal was actually an Arctic fox and was abandoned after someone tried to raise it as a pet.
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