Well, I never thought I’d see this amount of controversy over a cute puppy, but this is the internet, and here, we argue about everything. We are talking about the Netflix live-action adaptation of Scooby Doo, which, as we now know, also includes a live-action dog. That’s a departure from previous live-action films, which featured a CGI Scoob closely resembling his cartoon version.
Many on social media are sharing the newly released picture, lamenting the fact that Netflix has been so unfaithful to the source material that they’ve actually changed the breed of Scooby Doo from a Great Dane to what looks like some sort of brown lab.
That isn’t true, the dog seen above is a Great Dane puppy (I mean, look at those paws), but people are being thrown off by the big floppy ears. Great Danes are generally known for their upright, pointy ears, including, of course, Scooby Doo himself.
The problem is that in real life, these ears are shaped through a procedure called “ear cropping.” This is done when a significant portion of a Great Dane’s floppy ear flaps (the pinnae) is cut away. Then, the remaining tissue is braced so when it heals, it’s standing upright.
Ages ago, back when Great Danes were hunting dogs, this was a procedure supposedly done to keep them from getting their ears pulled and shredded by say, wild boars. Now, of course, no one is sending their Great Danes to attack wild boars, but the procedure remains to create the “classic” look. The procedure is even banned in some countries, and a number of veterinary associations in the US are against it.
So, you could see the debate here. Do you get an ear-cropped Great Dane puppy that looks like Scrappy Doo for the show, or do you avoid the controversial procedure and leave him natural, but looks less like a member of the Doo family? Many would argue Netflix has made the right call, but many think the show just picked the wrong breed of dog, which is false.
If there’s a separate issue here, it’s that the puppy looks a lot darker brown than Scooby Doo and of course, no spots. I’m also not sure they should have done a real dog for a cartoon animal that dresses up as a human and is all-around ridiculous. I get that “realistic” CGI dogs are often uncanny (I’d consider Superman’s Krypto in that category), but I think the older movies with a CGI but cartoony Scoob was perfectly okay. That said, I’m not going to oppose a cute puppy onscreen, and the rest of the human cast looks on point, including Scooby’s best friend Shaggy (though it will be hard to ever replace Matthew Lillard). The show will be out sometime in 2027.
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