Many people assume shelters only house mixed‑breed dogs, but one Reddit post is telling a very different story.
Shared by user WereBully, the post features images of a brown spaniel dog swimming, running, and loving life a pet. Without context, the dog’s glossy coat and confident demeanor could easily suggest he came from a carefully planned breeding.
But the reality, the poster explained, is very different. The photos caption states: “You never know what you’ll find at the pound!”
The original poster said their mom contacted them over a year ago to say there’s a cocker spaniel at the county shelter.
The user wrote. “I dropped everything and did just that.”
You never know what you’ll find at the pound!
by u/WereBully in DoggyDNA
The dog had arrived as a stray with no known history. While his curly coat initially pointed toward cocker spaniel heritage, his intense drive to retrieve and work quickly raised questions. Living in the Midwest, with an undocked tail, the owner suspected American water spaniel might be a possibility.
A DNA test later revealed the answer: the dog is 100 percent Boykin spaniel.
While purebred dogs may seem rare in shelters, many facilities are now caring for animals people would never expect to find there, including puppies, small breeds, purebreds and so‑called “designer dogs.”
Animal welfare experts say these dogs are ending up in shelters for the same economic, logistical and behavioral reasons as any others, from housing instability to unmet training needs.
In a national Shelter Animals Count survey, nearly four in five responding shelters said people would be surprised by the types of dogs currently in their care.
In the comments, the owner said his dogs “littermate is from the same city (rehomed to her current owner after she didn’t do a good job as a ratter on a farm), so I guess there might be an unreputable breeder in the area who didn’t keep track of the kinds of homes their litter went to. It’s a pretty crazy situation.”
Despite the uncertainty around his early life, the owner says the dog has flourished.
“He’s such a great dog,” the user wrote. “He’s never met a stranger and could run and play all day if I let him. He takes whatever job I give him very seriously and there is nothing he loves more than working.”
The post also touched on the dog’s health, after genetic testing revealed a mutation linked to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), a spinal condition that affects certain breeds. Since being adopted, he has suffered two flare‑ups that temporarily left him unable to use his back legs.
Knowing about the genetic risk ahead of time, the owner said, helped speed up diagnosis and management when symptoms appeared.
“He gets around great and still loves to swim and go for walks and use his brain,” the user added, urging others to take genetic testing seriously—particularly for dogs with long backs or short legs.
Reddit Reacts
The February 9 post sparked a wide discussion about purebred dogs in shelters, with many commenters saying the story challenged long‑held assumptions.
One user said: “More pure breeds end up in shelters than people realize! They’re bought from breeders, usually unregistered ones, and then don’t realize the commitment that such a high drive or working breed is. These aren’t calm at home companions, these are water fowl hunting dogs that enjoy being on the go all day. Then the breeder either doesn’t want them back or the owners don’t want the shame of ‘rehoming’ the breed, so the shelter it is.
“Boykins are growing increasingly rare because of the lack of knowledge surrounding breed differences, and they end up getting cross bred with other Spaniels and Hounds from what I’ve seen. You and the pup are lucky to have found each other!”
Others shared similar experiences after adopting dogs from shelters.
“We had assumed there were no purebred dogs in the shelter. Whoops. Embark showed my shelter puppy isn’t a GSD mix at all, he’s purebred (and very inbred, poor guy). Backyard breeders suck,” one user said.
Another commenter summed up the surprise felt by many viewers of the photos: “Wow!! Rare breed to find at a shelter. Looks like you got a grade A pupper right there!”
Newsweek reached out to u/WereBully for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.