Adopting a rescue dog is a huge commitment - especially when you don't know much about their background. But one man has revealed how he almost adopted a laughing hyena cub from a breeder thinking it was a cute 'puppy'.
Recalling the moment on Instagram, user @Infared_Savage2 explained how he came across an online advert for what looked like a puppy - and got in touch with the breeder for more information.
After messaging back and forth, he went to visit the pooch ahead of taking her home - but the man quickly realised something wasn't quite right with the 'dog'. He said: "She looked like a wombat. The guy brought the mom and dad (dogs) out and I'm looking at them and looking at my puppy and I'm like 'Nah bro'.
"He kept saying that the puppy would grow up and look just like them.
"I tried to name her and said 'Come here Nina', and the god damn dog just looked at me and laughed – I was so scared, I was like 'What the f*** is he laughing for?'
“This is a hyena, like a dog-cat-wolf. I was trying to play with it and it was just laughing - it gave one big laugh and then bit me on the leg."
The man went on to explain how the animal's littermates started to appear - and they all began to laugh in unison, freaking him out even more.
"The moral of the story is to watch out for these dog breeders - you might get ferrets," he added.
While most users couldn't help but laugh at his unusual situation, others compared the animal to the hyena's in Disney's The Lion King.
One said:"[You] bought one of the enemies from Lion King."
While another user added: "Did you whisper Mufasa? That's the only way to tell for sure."
A third user said: "This is so funny - I have been laughing for three days."
One more user said: "It's a dog cat wolf."
Although the man is yet to confirm whether he ended up taking the animal home, he has been contacted for a comment.
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