A young mom from a small village in China got more than she bargained for when she adopted what she thought was a Tibetan mastiff.
Su Yun is like most mothers: she cares deeply for her family and always has their best interests at heart. When Su’s two young children told her they wanted a dog, she was hesitant. Being a full-time mom, Su had a lot on her plate. From taking care of the house, looking after her children, and spending time with her husband, Su couldn’t fathom adding the responsibilities brought by a dog into her life.
Su was also busy planning the family’s dream vacation to the southern tip of China. Su and her husband had always wanted to visit the southern most part of their country. In addition to allowing her to build amazing memories with her family, it would also allow the harried mom to relax and de-stress.
In Su’s mind, the family trip took precedence over adopting a dog, so she spent all of her free time getting the family ready for their amazing vacation. Once they got to their long-desired destination, Su’s family did what any tourists do in exotic new places, trying out the local food and seeing all the amazing sights. It was on the second day of their trip that the Yun family’s lives changed forever. Walking through a park, Su’s children spied a man selling puppies. Their interests piqued, Su’s kids begged her to let them adopt one of the dogs.
At first, Su wasn’t interested in adopting a dog. The young mom just wanted to enjoy her vacation and not worry about another mouth to feed. All that changed when Su looked into the eyes of one of the pooches and fell in love. Su asked the man attending to the dogs what breed and they were and was informed that they were Tibetan mastiffs. The man cautioned her that Tibetan mastiffs are massive breeds, growing up to three feet in length and weighing 180 pounds. Su didn’t care how big the animal got, she adopted him on the spot and named him Little Black.
At first, everything was great with Little Black. The friendly puppy loved spending time with Su’s children and hanging out in their home. Su began to think that something was amiss when Little Black began acting strange. Little Black developed a huge appetite, devouring fruit and noodles constantly. Additionally, the dog’s great size began worrying the family. At two years old, Little Black was larger than even the biggest Tibetan mastiffs, standing three feet tall and weighing over 250 pounds.
Su began to doubt that Little Black was a dog when she caught him walking on his hind legs in her kitchen. Examining him more closely, Su also thought that his teeth and snout didn’t match a Tibetan mastiff. The big guy was also getting bigger by the day, so big that he could no longer fit in the family’s home. Su finally decided to do something when Little Black’s temper got out of control.
Turning to the internet, Su determined that Little Black was an Asiatic black bear. Fearful of having a bear in her backyard, Su contacted the Kunming Zoo to see if they could help her. Su’s hopes were dashed when the zoo informed her that they couldn’t have Little Black in their facility unless he had a birth certificate. Reluctantly, Su turned to the local authorities for help. Su didn’t want to involve the local government for fear of penalties for housing a wild animal, but her family’s safety took precedence.
Local authorities tranquilized Little Black and brought him to a wildlife preserve. Because Su had cooperated with the police, and because Little Black was in such good shape, the authorities reduced penalties against the family. In the end, Su is just happy that her family is safe and that Little Black is in a place where he can get the best care possible.
