New Scooby-Doo design confirms fans have no idea what Great Dane puppies look like

8 Jun at 17:20 Comment Views: 1

Scooby-Doo and Shaggy appearing startled

This past Monday provided our initial glimpse of the canine star of Netflix’s upcoming live-action project, Scooby-Doo: Origins. As a contemporary reimagining of the beloved animation, the series appears to be taking a darker, more supernatural route, much like Riverdale did for the Archie Comics universe. Notably, the production has opted for a real-life puppy rather than relying on the CGI-heavy approach that has become standard in modern Hollywood. While this grounded casting feels like a perfect fit for the franchise, it has predictably sparked a bizarre wave of internet outrage.

Photo: Netflix

In response to Variety’s Facebook debut of the dog, scores of viewers began insisting that the animal couldn’t possibly be a Great Dane. Comments flooded in, with critics claiming the dog looked “too much like a Labrador” or suggesting the show had “breed-swapped” the iconic character. Similar waves of skepticism and confusion rippled across Instagram, Reddit, and X.

The irony? It is undeniably a Great Dane puppy. It appears that many self-proclaimed fans have very little familiarity with how the breed actually develops in its early stages. Fortunately, more canine-literate fans quickly jumped into the conversation to correct the record, frequently sharing photos of their own Great Dane pups as evidence.

Part of the confusion likely stems from the fact that Great Danes don’t develop their signature, heavy-jowled appearance until they reach maturity—typically between 18 and 24 months. Furthermore, the public’s perception of the breed has likely been distorted by 60 years of cartoon iterations, which often depicted Scooby with cropped ears—a practice once common in the 1960s but now widely criticized as inhumane.

Ultimately, it seems that after decades of viewing a stylized, animated version of the character, audiences have lost touch with the reality of what a real, growing Great Dane actually looks like.