There are moments when you believe you know someone well, only to find out you could not have been more mistaken. In a similar vein, there are occasions when you raise what you believe to be a Japanese Spitz but are really caring for a white fox.

Well, that second instance might not be as frequent, but a Chinese woman experienced just that.

Ms. Wang was thrilled to welcome and spoil her gorgeous Japanese Spitz puppy, which she had bought from a pet shop in China.

She loved her new furry friend for about a year, but as time went on, she began to notice more and more oddities about her.

According to the Daily Mail, at three months old, the pup started refusing to eat its dog food, and its fur grew much thicker.

Its face also grew pointier and its tail grew longer than on a normal dog.

The dog never barked, which was another peculiar detail.

Ms. Wang thought everything was somewhat weird, but she did not anticipate learning that her cherished puppy was not a Japanese Spitz at all, but rather something quite different.

According to the Daily Mail, it was people from the park who finally suggested to Ms Wang that her “Japanese Spitz” was actually a domesticated fox.

Ms Wang had noticed that the other dogs at the park tended to avoid her pup, and so she decided to take her pet to the zoo to find out whether the other park-goers were correct.

It was determined that Ms. Wang’s pet was, in fact, a tamed fox when she brought it to the Taiyuan Zoo.

After spending over a year caring for her pup, Ms. Wang was devastated to learn of this. Although she loved her pup dearly, she knew the fox wouldn’t be content living as a pet.

Ms Wang decided to hand her fox over to the zoo in order to give it a better life.

It was a tough decision, but now the fox is able to receive the correct care and get to live in an enclosure with other foxes and Ms Wang is welcome to come and visit.

All in all, that’s probably the best way that this strange story could have ended.

This, for the record, is what an actual Japanese Spitz looks like. It really does look a bit like a white fox!