Striped Dogs: A New Breed of Dog?


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Last Updated on January 21, 2022 by Audrey Scott

Dogs with tiger stripes?

Is it the next new Chinese dog breed coming your way? An experiment in genetic modification that escaped from the lab with the help of an ambitious entrepreneur?

Or do the stripes wash off after the first bath?

Tiger Striped Dogs in China
Tiger striped dogs in Urumqi, China. A new breed of dog?

Just a few of the many unanswered questions from our time on the streets of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Province.

Has anyone seen dogs like this before?

About Daniel Noll
Travel and life evangelist. Writer, speaker, storyteller and consultant. Connecting people to experiences that will change their lives. Originally from the U.S. Daniel has lived abroad since 2001 and most recently has been on the road since 2006. When he's not writing for the blog you can keep up with his adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about him on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

127 thoughts on “Striped Dogs: A New Breed of Dog?”

  1. I have a similar pic( including the duffel bag!) and video clip from Nanjing last week (October 1st?). My wife is a vet tech and had never seen anything like this. There was one in the litter that was shaved or hairless so you could see it wasn’t painted. One of the litter was lighter striped and one was almost white with no stripes, I was trying to identify them and found your post. My thoughts went to genetic manipulation too, more disturbing than cute.

  2. Ian: Amazing that you saw the same thing a few weeks ago! It’s hard to believe without seeing it. The woman selling these dogs got annoyed at us when she saw us taking photos and packed up shortly afterwards. Don’t know if she was selling illegally or maybe just didn’t want the attention. Please let us know if you get to the bottom of the stripes and this new breed…or trend in dog modification.

  3. I can’t find any other info about these but our Chinese translator told us about Chows that are painted like pandas. I’ve seen some of those pics and the dye job is very realistic. Seems like the entrepeneur we saw had dyed the skin of the dog too. Using a simple airbrush and vegetable dyes would be within the resources of a street vendor so I’m guessing, and hoping, that this is what has happened here. Probably not all that traumatic for a puppy although I doubt that duffel bag puppies are well loved. BTW your site is amazing and inspirational. I thought a trip to China, staying in a hotel, was an adventure but…WOW!

  4. Like you, I prefer to think that these striped dogs were the result of some creative entrepreneurs rather than mad scientist. I can’t imagine that dogs sold on the street are treated that well by the vendors, but hopefully the buyers think these dogs are pretty special – like a fashion item – and take good care of them. Thanks so much for your kind words about our website!

  5. We saw dogs like these in Shenzhen yesterday. Shenzhen is just over the boarder from Hong Kong. They were also on the street being sold by a vendor and we could not believe our eyes, so I googled “dog with tiger stripes” when I got home which lead me to your site. We were unable to stop and take a closer look, but it was for sure exactly the same dogs as these on your site! Very strange!

  6. I have seen this kind of dog more than once in China. I live in Macua right across the border from the city of ZhuHai. I saw exactly the same kind of dog in ZhuHai last fall and then in the city of Guangzhou at Christmas time. Both times the dogs were for sale from a street vendor and were not all the same colour, but they were all striped.

  7. @TJS and Maureen: The only thing I can think is that the stripes are spray painted on, but these dogs are still an amazing sight. Wonder why they are a big thing in China and no where else. At least, I haven’t heard of any striped dog sightings from other countries.

  8. I am currently working in Xiamen China and saw one of these puppys that was fortunate enough to be purchased for 50 RMB = $7 us dollars by a woman who adored the puppy. I know that particular puppy got a good home. I held the dog for about 15 mins if its dye i would think the dye would come off on my clothes. The stripes had the same texture as the rest of the fur. The stripes went all the way down to the skin. Unless it was dyed that day (she had the dog several wks) id think there would be roots or faded portions within the stripes. Furthermore the dog is the same breed shown in these photos. Could they be dying this same strain of dog? It would seem that somebody would dye the wrong breed and there would be variation in the dog’s body shape. I used to breed and show bull terriers in the USA and have seen many dogs and dye jobs on dogs (pink poodles). I really dont think this is a dye job if it is I need them to dye my hair this thoroughly. Im wondering what breeds you would combine to acheive this over sucssive generations. Im as baffled as the rest of this group.

  9. @Tanya: So far, you’re the person who has gotten the closest to one of the dogs – you actually held one of these cuties! That the stripes went all the way down to the skin and the texture of the hair is the same seems to indicate that maybe they aren’t dyed. But I can’t think of any breed combination that would produce this result. These dogs seem to stupefy everyone! If you find anything out, could you please let us know?

  10. I have shown the pictures to the native Xiamen people at work and asked them if they have seen or heard of this breed. It was new to everyone I asked. I did ask them to keep me informed if by chance it is to show up in Chinese news as hoax or new breed. I have seen panda dyed Chows here and they just dont have this kind of “throughness” to the dye job. Ive put my feelers out and book marked this sight to keep track of the topic. I am going back tonight where i saw the dog in hopes of finding her again to get my own picture. I was out ordering food and didnt expect a “photo opp” to arise. Tonight I will take the camera. I know this isnt a dog breeders website but I will keep track of the thread and report any new information Im able to aquire.

  11. Tanya,
    Thanks for keeping up with this. My wife has told her co-workers and some breeders about these and we are all interested in your findings.
    You mentioned ordering food. Have a jian bing for us, definitely our favourite street food from our time there. My wife may have a chance to go to Beijing in May. I’ll ask her to keep the camera handy.
    Ian
    (Ottawa, Canada)

  12. Hi my parent’s are in china now and they also seen these puppie’s for sale in the market. They asked me to research what breed they are cause they want to import them to the US.

  13. Hello Everyone! A few years ago, I was in New Orleans for my brothers graduation from Tulane University (it must have been about 2006), when I saw a woman with a dog JUST LIKE THIS at our hotel. I was amazed, obviously, and went right up to the woman and started asking questions and attempted to pet the dog. The woman told me it was a “chinese peasant dog” and then grabbed the dog and walked away in a very dismissive manner. It was definitely a puppy and it is stunning how much it looks EXACTLY like these puppies. I remember trying to search for “chinese peasant dog” on google to no avail and just now I remembered the incident (don’t ask why my brain remembers these things) and googled “looking for striped dog china” and I happened upon this website. Pretty weird indeed! I would love to get to the bottom of this mystery, because if this dog was bred in China and then moved to the United States, several days must have elapsed in the least, and there is a chance that the stripes could be real and not dyed.

  14. @Marcia: Great story. Thanks for the links to Chinese peasant dogs, tiger dogs, striped dogs, dyed dogs…whatever they are. Looks like the mystery continues as to exactly what breed they are and how they got that way.

  15. Hey a couple i know has one of these in america, bought in china.

    I live in China and i haven’t seen any around, but they had pictures of when he was a puppy and looked like this. Eventually the stripes disappeared but they said that on some of them they stay through adulthood.

    I forget the breed name though, sorry 🙁

  16. @Jason: Thanks for the tip. If you find out the name of the breed of these striped dogs, please let us know. Or, if you have some photos, send us a link.

  17. Well, I sure hope someone gets to the bottom of this. Too interesting.

    Dye job? Possibly. I don’t see any reason why these dogs can’t be bred over time to look the way they do as well? They have bred the Toyger cat to look almost perfect striping wise like a real tiger (2010 is projected date of completion) through a breeding program over the yrs.
    http://www.hicats.com/breeds/toyger.html

    Then we are back to the genetically engineered thing. When they can do this: http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/05/16/south-korean-oddity-cloning-creates-neon-dogs/
    anything is possible I suppose.

  18. Wow this seems to be the closest I’ve come to finding out what a rather old animal pelt I have could be, about 6 years ago I bought from a guy that lived in Scotland an old aniaml skin which he hais was Chinese dog I’ve always been interested in strange animals and have taxidermy in my house but had never seen anything like this before so had to buy it. A few months after having it I took it to the museum and saw the head of the natual history department and he had also never seen anything like this before, he took some measurements and photos of it but I’ve never heard anything back from him although he did comfirm it was not a dye job.
    A few of the photos of the pelt have been posted on a cryptozoology website

  19. I took the following photo with my mobile phone while walking along a major road in Huizhou, Guangdong. China this March 2010. A litter of these striped puppies was being sold by a peasant-type fellow alone by the side of the road. I had never seen anything like it. I did not pick one up, but the stripes seemed real. I was about one metre from the pup when I took the photo. The man didn’t mind and put the pup down for me to get a better shot. It is possible, I suppose, for a really good faker to do it. But why would you, if the local people know they are fake? There would be no premium on the price for your efforts.

    http://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae48/bernard3842/stripeddoginHuizhouGuangdongChinaMa.jpg

  20. considered good luck especially in Year of the Tiger, our dog is a brindle and has been admired by Chinese here in Los Angeles. BTW just discovered your site and am exploring and really enjoying. You all sure are comprehensive! Loved the food stories. This site is amazing.

  21. @Sue: Fascinating!

    @Bernard: Great shot. Looks like similar — if not the same — dogs. Raises an interesting question, particularly in the context of China: “What is fake?”

    @Yvette: Thanks for the added bit of information…and clarification.

    @Cardie: The brindle is certainly close to the dogs with tiger stripes, but their “stripes” are a bit more marbled.

    Thanks for the compliment and glad you are enjoying the site!

  22. If the coat color was something genetic its unlikely due to genetic manipulation. Theres a great deal of variety in phenotypes in dogs and new traits in something like coat color can pop up all the time. Especially if theirs genetic drift or artificial selection are involved once a new trait is discovered. Many dog breeds and lately cat breeds have arisen this way. Lots of dogs already have tiger like coat patterns.

    But it could also be a dye job since they are highly uniform and thick.

    http://www.greatdogsite.com/watermark/Greyhound-2%20year-Tiger%20Striped-1183928386.jpg

  23. @helendragon: We’d seen tiger-like patterns in dogs before, but nothing quite this pronounced. Genetics or dye jobs in tiger-striped dogs? That seems to be the unanswerable question.

    @Robin: What a terrific story. Tiger-striped dogs on the rise in popularity because it’s the Year of the Tiger. Come to think of it, dogs (or at least eating dog at the proper time of the month/cycle) in Vietnam are supposed to bring good luck in business. So a tiger-striped dog in Vietnam during the Year of the Tiger sounds like hitting the mother lode of good luck.

    Everyone who has commented on this thread would’ve loved to hear your report on whether or not the tiger stripes were skin deep.

    As for whether or not tiger-striped dogs are good for children, I have no idea, but I’m guessing and hoping someone will chime in soon.

  24. I live in Vietnam and saw these tiger-striped puppies for the first time in a Saturday market. Even the nationals were intrigued by them. And b/c this is the Year of the Tiger, they are even more inclined to give them a 2nd look. The vendor said they are from Lang son Province. I have not researched yet. I held one and the coat was very soft. I didn’t check to see if the stripes were skin deep. Very interesting. Does anyone know about the nature of these “Bengal dogs”? Are they good around children?

  25. Whether natural or dyed… it appears it must fade as the dog ages? Hmm – of interest is that nobody has mentioned anything about ever seeing an adult dog with these markings.

    Robin: Have you seen an adult? What size do you think this puppy would be as an adult (sm, med or lg breed)? Is there any chance to inquire about it further at the market about the lineage of these dogs? You seem to be the closet to the source at the moment.

    Anyone have any idea how many other countries this critter is turning up in? Seems we have both China & Vietnam now. I would just venture a guess it is in a number of different areas in SE Asia. I never saw one during the time I lived in Korea though.

    I hope everyone is doing well. Maybe one day we will get to the bottom of this mystery.

  26. After having held a BEngal dog two weeks ago outside Hengli, I’m fairly convinced the stripes were dyed, not some genetic modification. Who knows with what.
    The man had half a dozen puppies and all the stripes were placed in pretty much the same location. Most telling though is he had one that had white paws, or “socks”, that he was clearly born with. I’m sorry I did not get a picture of that one.

  27. @Yvette: We are headed back to Southeast Asia, so I’ll keep my eyes out for more tiger striped dogs. We’ll probably be in Thailand, though.

    @Gretchen: When you say the dog’s stripes were placed in pretty much the same location, do you mean that they are placed in the same pattern or that they originate from the same position on the body?

    I’d love to see the one with socks. A dog with tiger stripes and socks. That’s difficult to beat.

  28. I am currently Living in Donguang, it is just outside of Shenzen. Afew days ago was my daughters 4th birthday and my husband bought her one of these puppies. He is very young, not old enough to be away from the mother I think, but we are taking very good care of him.

    When my husband first brought him home he was dehydrated and very hungry and slept a lot. He also had a mild case of fleas, so I gave him a flea bath. If these stripes are indeed dye, they are a very powerful dyes because they did not come off when I bathed him. Which also arises my next question…if he was dyed, how could they dye so close to his eyes and nose and not leave any permenant damage?? As I said he is very young maybe 6 wks, so I would think harsh dyes would blind or aggrivate his skin.

    He is doing much better now, he is alert and looking healthy, his eyes are bright and shinny and he is very affectionate, but just to be sure we are taking him to the vet today.

    If anyone has more information about how my little pup got his beautiful markings I would love to hear from you.

    Thanks,
    Tiffany

  29. My wife is a veterinary tech with over 30 years experience. When we saw these in Nanjing she handled one and is convinced they were not dyed. We have not seen anything about these in mainstream dog breeding info and find it strange that they seem to be found exclusively for sale on the street. 2 years later and we still enjoy the comments.

  30. @Tiffany: OK, more data. This is good. I’d love to see a photo if you have one online.

    And your question is right on. This is why I asked @Gretchen the question I did. The pattern of the stripes should indicate whether it’s really possible that the dogs were dyed.

    In any event, congratulations on your new puppy. We’ll look forward to hearing about his progress…and seeing photos of him as he grows up!

    In the meantime, hopefully someone will write in with a definitive answer as to where these dogs come from and how they got their tiger stripe markings.

    @Ian: More good data and from an expert.

    We, too, enjoy following this thread and reading the comments. Although I look forward to an answer one day, the mystery has certainly made for interesting and humorous discussion.

  31. Tiffany,
    We all look forward to info on your newest family member. It will be interesting to see if he retains the markings as he grows. Since you are over there and taking him to a vet,, I’d be curious what the vet has to say about the breed.

    Sad that he was allowed to be in such sad shape when you got him. So glad you are caring for him. Poor little thing.

    Would be interesting to note the export laws on dogs to the US. Any thoughts there. I’d love to get one of the little guys myself. Love the body style.

    Thanks for your inputs.
    YO (Yvette)

  32. Found more of these remarkable puppies INCLUDING the ones with the white socks.
    They are seemingly not painted or dyed. With closer inspection this litter appears to be a single sole litter from one ‘mother’ hence the colour changes and the one or two recessive gene puppies are, as it appears, included in the litter.

    I have a friend in China right now, and hopefully I can have a little more insight for you later. I am desperate to find these pups and am more than willing to import to where I am with them just to raise their health as it is seeming more and more that it looks like a vendor puppy mill. Which is so very heart breaking.

    I’ll follow up with more as I dig more into it. It shouldn’t take long. I’m rather good at ‘detecting’ things I’m interested in.

    Good luck to all, hopefully we can at least establish breed at some near point in the future

  33. Lorna – hmm, interesting, the one looks like it is very short furred (or is there a problem w/ that one?) Wonder if we were able to get one back to the States if they could do a DNA test to try to determiine if what breeds may be existent in them (of what is on record so far anyway).

    I am rather surprised if a puppy mill system, that they do not look “malnourished” & thin. Many countries do not care well for animals health wise anyway.

    We look forward to data from your research investigations.

    Thanks for your efforts.

  34. hi
    im live in china and saw this dogs few time
    here on the streets
    i also saw a mature dog skin for
    sale in one of the farmer bout at the market
    i was really interesting
    and it dose not look like a dying job
    its look very realistic down to the small detail
    ill try to track them and upload some more pictures
    or get information
    also never seen this breed big size alive.

  35. @DORE: Where in China are you?

    I’d love to see more pictures if you can get them and upload them. Please keep us informed as to what you find.

  36. Dore,
    Any further activity on investigations/pictures on these wonderful dogs? Have you noticed if there are (live) adults that retain the striping coloration as they mature?

    I almost hate to ask, but what is the main purpose they utilize these dogs for? I would love it if you could find out how to export a couple from China to the US.

  37. Hi
    Wow I saw the video on utube of one of these puppies. He’s called Wuxi and I fell in love! I have a chow chow and I have feeling they have to be some sort of “family” breed ad they have curly tails! Please keep us updated! I’d love to see if you actually get one imported to the states or to uk as I’d live one as a pet! What a beautiful creature! Xx

  38. bhupinder singh saini

    this is a beautygful dog i have a rotweiler,a e,german sheperd,doberman i think that if they have this strips they will look nice

  39. Soon as I get it figured out, I will holler Laura. Need to track down a Chinese friend I lost touch with, maybe she can find out. hmmm.

  40. @bhupinder: Please don’t dye your dogs or give them stripes. Hopefully someone on this forum will find out where you can get a real striped dog so you can just add it to your collection.

  41. Hi every one
    I have seen the tiger stripe dogs today in Xujuihu shanghai , I wanted to buy one, I had a long hold of them, and a good look at the fur.
    It would be really difficult to spray the dog and get it so perfect against the skin, I was required to sew fur in my job training a long time ago and learnt a lot about pelts etc, and this dogs coat is real.
    Tiffany Glascott I read that you had brought one for your daughter, can we see pics please I would love to see how they grow and how big, the seller called it a Japaness dog ???

  42. These dogs are genetically engineered and have been recognized as a breed for around two years now. The coat patterns are real, not painted. Like I said they have been been an established breed for about two years.

  43. @Karen: Excellent account. Thank you for adding to this thread. So Shanghai striped dogs. Like you, I’m hoping to see some more photos from people who own them! Would be interested to see what one of these striped puppies looks like fully-grown.

    @Kylie: Thanks for your comment. Any idea what the name of the breed is?

  44. @Yvette: Thanks for the all the information and links. I’m sorry about our commenting system. Looks like a bunch of posts (probably because the length of the website address of the striped puppy photos) got caught in the spam filter. Hopefully, your comments are now all posted.

  45. @Ian: Excellent point. Why haven’t we seen anyone toting around a striped puppy or two? (Next thing you know, Brad and Angelina will adding one to their ever-expanding family.)

  46. Love to see the mystery slowly unraveling after all this time. I am concerned about the genetic manipulation aspect of this. It seems strange that this breed has not made the jump into Western dog breeding circles. I would have thought that some celebrity-of-the-month would have picked one up and had the breeding world go crazy. Do we have any pics of adult dogs yet?

  47. Its under google as “wuxi china bengal dog”.

    Not sure if thats the official breed’s name but that’s what it seems to go by.

  48. @ Kylie: If you look back at post 23, you will find that has already been given, along w/ a youtube video.

    @Daniel: Thank you. Wonder what happened to those link msgs, I thought they had made it through last I looked. Thanks for the site. I think we are all loving it.

  49. @Yvette: You are very welcome. Am glad that one of the discoveries from our journey around the world has offered continued mystery and conversation!

  50. Still waiting for someone to post where in the U.S. I could possibly get one of these. Any info would be much appreciated. Would love to have one of these pups

  51. @Gabe: U & me both. 1st thing to determine is IF they are allowable to export to the US from China. I also await someone posting pics of some adults. Would be neat to see how they change in color/structure/etc…
    @Tiffany: Any chance of some updated photos of your pup??? You’d have to ask Daniel how to put them on. I suppose placing them on facebook or snapfish or some such & then giving a link would work.
    @Daniel… thoughts???

  52. @Gabe: I have no idea where to find striped dogs in the U.S. Maybe it’s possible to contact one of the dog breeding associations and work your way from there. I have a feeling these striped pups are still a bit of an underground thing, however. But I imagine they’ll be arrived on the shores of the U.S. on ships from Shanghai one of these days.

    @Yvette, Tiffany: If you email me a couple of photos, I’ll be glad to add them to this post. Our general email address is listed on our Contact Us page.

  53. I recently bought one of these dogs in Beijing China. I was worried about its health because I figured the lady had dyed the dogs skin. I bought the dog for 60 yuan to save it, 10 dollars in U.S. dollars.

    I got it home and it was very dehydrated. I’ve been taking care of it ever since. I took it to the vet today and they confirmed that its hair had been dyed. It is a black dog, that gets to be about medium sized. They dye the orange part, that’s why the orange is never around the eyes, or nose, and the stripes are so uniform. The vet stated that the dye would wear off in about 2 months, and that the dog would be healthy unless we continued to dye the dog. We were never going to dye it, but we found it like that so we told him that would not be happening.

    Luckily, the dog did not have any diseases and was healthy whenever I heard from the vet. I’m currently finding it a home in Beijing because it is to costly to take back to America.

    I would suggest people stop buying these dogs, now that we know what they are. They are adorable and sweet little puppies, but if we continue to buy them then the farmers will continue to mistreat animals so that they can sell them. It’s similar to how the beggars work over here. If they can cripple themselves for more coins they would do it.

    Thus, in conclusion, this is not a new breed of dog. It is officially dyed. There are other dogs that are similar called brindle besajanis that are the closest dogs I’ve ever seen to actually being tiger stripped. But this dye job is not the real coat of this dog. Hope this helps solve the mystery.

  54. Wow. Thank you Kurt.

    Pretty amazing run to get to the truth. Interesting to find they are a Basenji background. As I was researching they appeared as though they might be of the shiba variety.

    Sad that people are exploiting the dog at the expense of their health. Too bad China does not have the oversight to put an end to such things.

    Out of curiosity… how much IS it to get certification and ship a dog back. Please let us know how your little black dog does and about his new home.

    thanks
    YO

  55. Well Daniel… looks like it is on to a new mystery.

    How about a suggestion of the “ropen” of Papua New Guinea (potential Pterosaur/flying dragon)?

    Perhaps we might get people from there/going to there to weigh in on their knowledge.

    Just an idea.

    Take care and thank you for this thread.

  56. It was going to cost 20,000 yuan to get to the states, 3000 dollars using globypets. However, this was because my puppy would have had to stay an extra 30 days because it had to wait until 3 months old to get its rabies vaccination before it could travel.

    If someone was going to be in China for several months they could get one of the puppies home by actually carrying it on to the plane, as a carry on. That wouldn’t cost hardly any money at all.The only stipulation is the dog must have it must be 30 days after the dog had its rabies shot.

    Hope this helps! I appreciated this thread because it helped me in finding out the conclusion of my puppy. Thanks!

  57. Yes, definite characteristics of the Basenji. The only thing I notice is maybe it is a variant… as most basenji pups are very smooth (short) furred and these guys are fluffylike. Course their ears aren’t yet upright, but that would occur as they mature. Shape of face/body is right.

  58. @Kurtis: Thank you for a long, thoughtful comment relating your experience. What a terrible story. Cruel, really. Sounds like your pup is on the right path now, though. Safe travels.

    @Yvette: You are welcome. I suspect we’ll see some other information and experiences yet to come on this thread. At the very least, we’ll keep the conversation open so that others may know what’s going on with these dogs, whether they stay in China or somehow end up in Europe, North America, etc.

    Papua New Guinea. Now that’s an interesting idea/thread. Our hope is to get there in the next year or two on our travels. Who knows what we’ll find.

  59. I’m sorry to bring down the vibes a bit here, but striped dogs fetch the highest prices at restaurants. My close friend, who is fluent in Mandarin and lived in Peking for two years, explained to me that many Chinese believe that dogs give more “potency” (not necessarily sexual) depending on their color, ranging from white — the lowest– to blue: the maximum, and rarest, are striped dogs, so much so that unscrupulous purveyors will dye dogs striped.

    I never quite believed her until I saw this thread and others like it

  60. @Ese: I’m enlightened, but not at all surprised, to hear that striped dogs fetch higher prices than their non-striped, ordinary cousins. What an economy. I never considered this dimension of the striped-dog story.

    The talk of eating dog in China (and less generally in East Asia) is a hot topic in the news recently. Coincidentally, we recently posted a 360-degree panorama from a rural market in southern China and wouldn’t you know it, there was a dog vendor in the scene.

    @Yvette: I agree totally. Anyone who buys one of these dogs for enhanced potency is really being duped. But the trade in fakes and fibs (in the world in general, and China especially) is alive and well.

  61. Surely, even these people must understand it is a sham then. Horrible enough to eat dog, but to actually think a coloring makes a difference, especially if created, is ridiculous.

  62. Be confused no more! A few years ago my grandparents purchased one of these dogs (the exact same one from the phote) from an underground bridge in Beijing, China. Like most of the people who’ve seen the dog, they are both amazed by the coloration of the fur, and decided to purshase it. For the first several weeks the color stayed the same, so they were convinced that the color is real. However, after about half a year, the color started to fade with the washes, and the dog finally revealed it’s natural color: black. The dog was completely black exept for his four white feet, proving that once again we’ve all been fooled.

  63. @Beatrice: What a story. Not sure if they have any photos of the dog when it was a puppy (or when the stripes began to wash off), but those would be great to see. At any rate, thank you for sharing!

  64. what are the breeds of this .. and thank god they was rescued from labs.. those places should all be shut down!

  65. @janice: Basenji (or a basenji mix?) seems to be the prevailing guess, but I’m really not certain.

  66. These puppies are dyed that way to look more appealing to potential owners. It’s the new fad for dogs in some parts of China, people are dying them to look like tigers, pandas, etc. There are some serious health concerns for quite a lot of these pets, as it’s not certain if the dye is healthy for them. But, no, these pups aren’t genetically enhanced or bred that way… it’s a money making strategy.

  67. @Kiongozi: Dogs that look like pandas?! No way. And we all thought dogs that look like tigers were bad enough. Where does it end?

  68. This is a pretty cool thread… Only thing is, I have gotten pretty confused. I saw an ADULT dog once that was striped. Thick, black stripes on its back, about an inch or two wide each and tapering, looking like triangles. The fur color was the same as the brown part of brindle-coated dogs. This was in the middle of Indiana… I don’t know what to think of it. It was a mid-sized dog, I think the size of a boxer. I cannot remember if it was a boxer, but while they can come in brindle they don’t come in such a marked contrast.

  69. @Colleen: Well said, this has been a wild (and sometimes confusing…because of limited information) thread about striped dogs. I’d love to see a photo of the one you saw in Indiana. For sure, there are the subtle striped brindle-coated dogs around (if you look up brindle on wikipedia, you get to see a brindled great dane) but the marked striped like the ones shown here…they apparently cannot be for real.

  70. One of my students at my school in Shanghai brought one of these puppies into school today. Its nose looked really banged up. She said it was a friend’s dog.

  71. Ha. I can’t believe I found this string. Our son just finished his semester abroad at Shanghai University. He saw one near the Bund for sale by a vendor, felt bad for the puppy…and of course bought it. I and wife were heading over to tour, so we made plans to bring it back…after modest paperwork etc., we are pleased to said striped puppy is now a permanent resident of Mobile, Alabama.

    Short is…he is now about 4 mo old, and stripes still there. Though it does appear that his hair had been bleached with peroxide and perhaps re-blackened the stripes. Still, we are not sure at all what breed mix this is. Ear flop at tips and tail curls a bit so we think some shar pei, but does not have the folded skin of that breed.

    I don’t see how to post a pic to this string, but anyone really interested in seeing it can reply and we can figure how to email a pic.

  72. Wooohooo. Way to go Graham family. I would love to see a pic of the little guy.

    I have thought perhaps they were some version within the (Japanese) Shiba family. Seems to be in that group from what I can ascertain. (3 variety, with the Akita being the large, then there is a med and a small one)

    @ Daniel – is there a way they can send you pics to post for everyone???

  73. I sent some pics to the [email protected] address. Maybe he can find a a way to share them. Our vet is also stumped, and all thought it was just a mix. Perhaps including some Shiba Inu. However, looking at the images and stories in this blog, all dogs being sold by this vendor appear to have remarkably similar features, so now I am less sure of his muttness. Would really like to hear more about this.

  74. It makes sence that any given asian mix would be some type of spitz (aka sheba, akita,chow,ect) and not entirely impossible that a new color variation would appear in common mutts however I am a little skepticle that there would appear to be so much uniformity of type appearing so suddenly in the street markets and during the year of the tiger. I have been grooming dogs since 1986 and I have done dye art since before it was popular, and even food coloring lasts a really long time and stains the skin underneath. Though I would never attempt it myself for the sake of the animal, it wouldnt be that difficult to creat very realistic coloration with dye on a very young puppy. As a dog enthusiast I would love to find out this is a true anomily, but as they say seeing is believing.

  75. @Amy:  Kids are bringing striped dogs to school?  Show and tell, maybe?

    @Monty:  Looks like Shanghai is tiger striped dog central.    But now he’s in the United States!

    Thanks for sending the photos.

    @Yvette: Please find the links to photos above and thumbnails in the post.

    @Kris:  Tiger-striped dogs and the Year of the Tiger — another vote to an interesting thread.

  76. Whoa – thanks you 2… Monty via Audrey.

    What an awesome looking little guy. I would have thought the markings would have faded out by now if a “dye” job. Interesting that the skin coloration is pretty much pinky-white. I would have thought perhaps some pigmentation as w/ say a leopard dog or something. But perhaps it is more like a black lab that way. What a nice specimen of a dog.

    @ Monty: How many pounds is he @ the 4 mo mark? I am curious how difficult it was to get him set up to take out of China and into the US? They did not give you any problems about taking it out of the country? (unlike an Anatolian out of Turkey – won’t happen.)

    @Kris: as you can see, on this site, we have been tracking this dog for a while, so I don’t think it is “new” to the area/market or just for the year of the tiger. I have also talked w/ people who were there a number of yrs back and saw them.

  77. Ya know… it really reminds me of a Thai Ridgeback, only w/ fur. I wonder if there is a furry version.

  78. @Y He is 12.5 lbs in those pix. I think he will end up black, and the orange really looks like they used peroxide on him. So the dye would wear off, but rather his coat would need to grow in. It wasn’t too difficult to get him back (other than a restless puppy in a small carry on kennel for the 13 hr flight). My son found a good vet in Shanghai, we got his rabies 4 wk before the flight. Went back 3 days before flight and got final check up and docs that he was healthy. He has a little Chinese doggie passport. US customs asked to see the papers, and he is home quarantined for 30 days. I think the extra cost of him coming from china added $300. I wouldn’t recommend going to china to find a dog, and I agree whole-heatedly with the comment above about not supporting these vendors by buying them. We didn’t find out until post-purchase! Any way, he’s an awesome and very bright pup, and we are glad he’s in our family. BTW his name is Shao Lao Hu Gou…Little Tiger Dog. We call him Hugo.

  79. aaaaaaah – so it appears, he won’t be all that big, hunh? Were you able to get any info from the “vendors” about the use of this dog? Pet or hunting or ratter or ??? Curious as to what function they utilize them for. Would be interesting to know to find out what his “motivation/aptitude” is.

    Are you starting to see black roots in his fur then?

    Cute name. He has a wonderful face/body structure. Looks to have bright, intelligent eyes. Glad you guys “rescued” him and he has a great home.

  80. OMG! these dogs are so cute! I was skimming videos on Youtube and came across it… so i googled it and came here. Well anyways they remind me of jack russel mixes, only because i have a jack russel mix. They have around the same face shape.
    Anyone know about how they behave? Or if there are any adult pictures of them? I know you’ve been trying to get them from people as it is already…
    ~Going to add to Favorite~

  81. Even though the are in China and possibly could be an genetic experimentation. All I got to say is I want one. Wish there was more information so i can purchase one for myself because I love tigers and dogs but put them together and its awesome to get this type of dog is amazing. Hopefully soon there will be more information.

  82. Hi. Y and Melissa: he is definitely growing out his stripes. Soon will be either dark choc brown or, more likely, black with white chest and toes. He still has stripes on top of his head and looks a bit funny. As far as temperament, he is very active, alert and smart. I agree that he is a bit like a jack russell.
    George: my wife bought one of those DNA kits, so we shall see soon what odd mix of critters he is. Actually, we really do want to know his breed before having him lose his manhood. Just in case he really is something special. Sounds like if we found a female and some hydrogen peroxide, we could start a business (I’m kidding!). Will let you know what he is in a few weeks.

  83. ooooooooh, can hardly wait. This is waaaay awesome.

    He has such a good look to him (and probably perso, er, dogonality to him), the stripes were cute of course, but the essence of who this dog is, that is what we are after, right?

  84. Hi, I ‘ve got one dog like this right now:) I live in Xiamen, we bought it on street , he is very cute, but we thing it is not really dog, can be something mixed, we think maybe with cat, because hid or back legs seems to be more like cat or from other animal also ass, only upper body looks like a dog by structure. And another wired thing, he was one of more stronger …looking more like dog and bigger with less colour of stripes , but rest was smaller , strong stripes and hoof doesn’t looks like dog..???? does anyone know what is it?

  85. Hi. Suspense is over and DNA test is back. Hugo is a mix of four breeds: Akita and shar pei on one side. Shitzu and jindo on the other. He’s a shitzusharpeijindoakita. He has officially lost all stripes, too. Very soft black coat with white chest.

  86. Wooohooooo. Thank you Monty.

    I can see the Jindo there (looks most like that I think)… even the Akita & Shar pei, but Shitzu?, how the heck did THAT get in there. haha.

    Ok, next question folks…
    Is it possible these critters are naturally born w/ stripes that later disappear rather than being dyed… just as a Lipizzaner horse is born black & often turn white or other animals that change color as they mature too. And although based on diet, flamingos change from white to pink. Sooo, just wondering… if it isn’t possible, this little guy does the same??? Would seem odd for a dog, but who knows.

  87. @Trisha: Can you buy striped dogs in Canada? I suspect not, unless they happen to sneak in on a flight from mainland China.

    @Monty: Incredible. Thank you so much for sharing! When we first published this article, I never imagined that we’d end up with a comment about a DNA test on a striped dog. Although I’m not as dog savvy as some of the other folks on this thread (I’m thinking Yvette, especially), I’m a little surprised at the Shitzu.

  88. The fascination behind these intriguing striped puppies is warranted – there is no dog breed out there quite like it. Unfortunately, as Audrey has already stated, these dogs are not born with stripes. It is artificial.

    I think it’s difficult for people to see these dogs and wonder about anything other than the brown fur being dyed black. But I think it’s time people considered the fact that a BLACK dog’s fur could be BLEACHED a golden brown. This would account for the skin and fur not feeling dyed, and the befuddling manner in which the black fur “goes all the way to the skin.” This is because the black fur is the natural fur.

    An ingenious trick, I must say! I only hope that people will become wise to it. These are average street mutts, not a new breed.

  89. Is it a puppy yet or does it appear full grown? If adult, are the stripes distinct?

    Will the priests answer any questions about it?

  90. it appears full grown the stripes are very distinct i see it nearly every day when i take my dog for a walk its quite scary realy

  91. Hmmm, does it appear to be the body of a jingo (akita type styling sort of)? Are you thinking they use it as a guard dog? About how big is it?

    Is there any way to communicate w/ the peoples of the temple for additional info on him/her.

    Would be interesting to see if it is a different breed than what we have ll been pursuing here in our researches. Can you get a picture of it? Would they be ok w/ that?

    This is the place fro questions and answers… thanks to Dan & interested parties.

    Looks like we may have a new pursuit Dan & fellow sleuths.

  92. We just got one 3 days ago! I’m in Ganzhou, China. And yes, she was sold on the street and we carried her home in a plastic bag nonetheless. Such a beautiful animal. She’s about 6 weeks old and lovely. I hope her stripes don’t fade out, but she has no black on her except for the stripes. She has a white blaze on the chest and the other main color is a reddish brown, not orange, so it’s not from bleached out with something. I’m a science teacher, and I can tell you that I’m 100% convinced this is genetic, not dye or bleach, but I’m just hoping she doesn’t loose her stripes as she gets bigger. Very gentle. Very happy puppy. She will be well loved and taken care of and we want to know if anyone can help us find out how to get her back to the U.S.A. some time in 2014.

  93. @ Daniel Noll – I’ve very carefully examined Misha. The hair colors are intermixed. There are black hairs in the brown and brown hairs in the black stripes that are not solid black. As a biology/science teacher, I’m 100 convinced she’s authentic. I’ll try to post a picture, but I’m not “techy” at all. I have to figure out how to download pictures to this Chinese computer first. 🙂 Her base color is not black, of that I’m certain. No black on her body except the stripes. We just met a friend today who also has a puppy like this, but its base color IS black. I will watch both over the next year and report back about their striping into adulthood. I wish I could have also got her sister which was basically white with cream colored stripes nearly invisible, just like the light colored puppy in that one litter that is a common picture on this thread. I suspect that some of the puppies might be “enhanced” or dyed, as that is quite possible, but I also think there is a rare “authentic” that they might be trying to imitate. I also suspect Misha will keep her stripes but the blacker one will loose its stripes as it ages. As for the health of the puppy: cold nose, active and happy–all good signs she’s not been exposed to any chemicals or even harsh treatment before we got her.

  94. We’ve now had Hugo for 1.25 yrs. He is fully black with white breast. Beautiful, albeit funny shapped, dog. VERY long logs, skinny and long, flopped ears and a beautiful bushy curled tail. Very active and playful, and still has puppy soft hair. He is an absolute gazelle, too. Very very fast and runs with a long bounce in his gate.

    As for genetics? No way his coloration was genetic. It was all dyed…though it was an impressive dye job, but it eventually faded with new black hair. As for health? He was very healthy when we got him, but when he got to the states, he had an incredibly difficult time. He did have a bout of mange that took a while to fix, and he was very susceptible to infections from flea bites (that did not affect our other dogs). et’s of steriods and medicated baths. Glad to report he is all over that now, but I am convinced the dye of his hair compromised his immune system when he was little.

    I’ll try to email a pic to Dan so you can see what a beauty he is now! (although we do miss the stripes)

  95. @Charles and Ness: Sounds great! Look forward to hearing updates.

    @Monty: Sorry to hear his stripes disappeared, but glad that hear that Hugo braved the rough patch!

  96. @ Monty: I wouldn’t dismiss genetics that quickly. I looked at his pictures and I would think the stripes would be “wider” at four months if they were bleached like a balloon with letters that just stretch out. His stripes were fairly narrow until they disappeared. That is more indicative of a coat change during a given life cycle (very natural for many animals, including dogs). Misha is brown based and I bet she’ll keep the stripes. Hugo was a black dog with orangish stripes. Misha is a brownish/redish dog with black strips–not the same. But, she certainly has some Char pei but like Hugo has silky smooth fur, but lots of skin, but she looks short to me. Trying to upload pictures somewhere–not an easy task in China.

    They mystery will be solved soon: Misha is getting bigger (will she keep the stripes?) but my friend Fred has a dog that looks like Hugo as a pup (from what I’ve seen from a picture). I need to carefully examine the pup with my magnifying glass to look for intermixing of colored hair, and/or dye damage. We’ll see. Or, have you tried breeding Hugo? He might sire some striped pups–mystery solved to why there are so few adult dogs and whether or not they are genetically that way. Time will tell.

  97. Hi all! I’ve tried to put a montage of Misha’s pictures online. It’s not easy from China. Let me know if this works, please. Otherwise, I can e-mail it to whomever wants to see the montage.

    Also, please help us pray for Misha. She’s pretty sick and is passing worms and has stopped eating and has diarrhea. I’m quite upset. Nothing is easy here, so I dread if we must actually try and take her to a vet tomorrow.

  98. If it is reassuring, my son lived in shanghai for a semester when he adopted Hugo. He had a vet that was very good and helped Hugo through a similar bout of worms. You must get him in good health to bring him back, so please don’t wait to have him begin treatment. Also keep watch for signs of mange. It started as hair loss around one of Hugo’s eyes.

    FYI the process to bring Hugo into states was relatively easy, but does require some documentation and clearance from a vet. Hugo was still a pup when we brought him back, so we carried him in the cabin. It’s a long flight for any dog if they travel in the hold, so really important they are strong and healthy. Good luck!!

  99. Misha update: Doing better. Thought we might loose her to some kind of cold/flu/worms/runs, but seems 99% better at about 10 weeks of age, playing happily. Still has very distinctive black stripes, but is “browning” out the orangeish hew more and more. Blonding in parts. Even prettier than as a small puppy! Short with small paws (Pug-like), unlike Monti’s Hugo.

    No news means: Alive, well, STILL has stripes and I’ll get back to you all in late June, 2013 when she is 4 to 5 months old and should be showing adult coloration. Montage link again:

    My prediction: I’ll be posting the first pictures of an adult Wuxi China Bengal Dog here, replete with stripes, if someone doesn’t beat me too it before mid June!

  100. Wuxi Update:

    I’ve looked far and way for another “Misha” like Wuxi without success. I finally found one Wuxi variant that was brown with lighter brown markings being sold by a woman I know to be cruel and bastardly–proving my point, she hit the 5 week old pup I was holding when it was whining out of panic and fear–sick and dehydrated. I hate going down the puppy street for such reasons. Familiar faces of venders. Some pups don’t even have their eyes open–what evil unscrupulous greedy people who wouldn’t bat an eye to “dye” puppies if it was a trendy hoax going around!

    Misha was sold by a woman whom I have not seen before or since in my year here. Her litter was unique in that I got the impression they were well treated before being sold. Bodes well for the “breed” as being real. Lucky happy puppy. Now that’s she’s 2 months old, I’m going to go get her shots and dewormed at the vet. She is well loved–and still has her stripes!

  101. I have a few questions to the ones who own the wuxi Bengal dog, I’m willing to import them and go there to get puppies in a few years. I’ve been doing my research I actually found a few pictures extra of them I didn’t see on this forum, but as everyone I can’t find adult images. And the only way I’d spend that much to get a few of these guys is if i can learn everything possible, their temperaments seem pretty decent and size isn’t bad at all. But can you guys post pictures or send some to my email? Are they keeping their stripes? Thank you tons! If you have any spare information I’d love to hear! 🙂

  102. Melanie,
    you might read going back on postings. Many of us have been posting here for a few yrs and constantly finding info batted around. I think one conclusion that was reached was that into adulthood the stripes did indeed disappear. (Correct me if I am not right here, Daniel).

    It would be very nice to see some pics of Charles and Ness pup.

    I do wish more could be done to stop such treatment of dogs as is spoken of… it is a problem here in the US, as well, but allowed more rampantly in other countries. So Sad. You certainly have restraint Charles, I would have been in jail for knocking the lady out for hitting a young pup, especially in my arms.

  103. I posted to this forum a few years ago (oct 26,2010) about a stripped puppy my husband bought my daughter for her birthday when we lived in china. I came across this thread again today while googling and I thought I would update you all about our puppy tigger.

    When tigger was around 2 months his stripes started to grow out, by the fourth month he was a completely black dog. My Chinese neighbours and husbands clients speculate that he was peroxided as a puppy, because his stripes never faded but did grow out. Sadly tigger died at 5 months of age due to unknown origin of poison, the rough start he had as a new pup.

    I hope all the other Bengal puppies in these posts are still doing well and that they bring as much love and joy to their owners lives as my twiggy wiggy did for me 🙂

  104. Wow. I could not read all the comments. But I can’t believe you have the means to travel the world while I can barely afford rent and internet. Humans have been “genetically” engineering animals and plants for millennia. It is called domestication. I think you are speaking about laboratory manipulated species…

    Really? You think that the Chinese medical/genetic complex spent millions upon millions of dollars to create a dog with stripes…and then tried to sell it in the market stalls of a medium/small chinese market town…wow…?

    Please if you have a college or university degree, not only refund the any taxpayer dollars provided to you, but please tell us who taught you so we can fire them….

  105. ok i might have found a pic of a dog that looks like the dog we are all talking about https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nontraditionalist.com%2F170%2Fthats-danang-crazy%2F&ei=GrCgVOzKOIHSggTC9YHQCg&psig=AFQjCNHni6txUEBv_Y9GMq3xqsIcmHNH2Q&ust=1419902454189462

    but i think that we are talking about a breed and a bunch of mutts that are dyed.
    It would seem that some people are getting the real thing and some the knock off don’t get me wrong they may be sweet but they probably are not a breed but maybe a basenji mix.

  106. I just saw this dog in vet. My bull terriers a little sick. I never seen this breed before and come home to research it. Led me to this site. I snapped a few pictures, dog seems to be legitimate,

  107. Two years ago I got a pup from Scottsdale, AZ and upon first sight of the litter of 10, I was speechless. Nine of the puppies were orange with black stripes – so exotic that they should have been in a zoo!! They looked like little tigers. I was actually there to get the 10th puppy, which was brown with black stripes. Her black stripes have remained but aren’t as crisp & distinct two years later. And her brown fur has since turned copper/red-ish now.

    I had a blood-draw DNA test done on my dog. Mother was 1/2 chow chow & 1/2 Labrador. Father was Korean Jindo breed. Jindos come
    in five color patterns. My pup is the “hogu” color which translates to “tiger brindle”. I often wonder what the final color and pattern of the orange puppies turned out to be.

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