Fur Baby Fiasco: Is the Pomeranian Amanda Hamilton Adopted Really a Wolf?
Published June 16 2023, 2:54 p.m. ET
Imagine adopting a sweet little puppy you think won’t grow much bigger than they already are, then finding out that who you adopted grew into a big dog. That’s what happened to influencer Amanda Hamilton.
Hamilton is a Los Angeles-based model and social media influencer who documents her life with her wife, Shannon, on the TikTok account @issafablife and YouTube channel, The Fab Life with Shannon & Amanda.
Hamilton went viral with a TikTok video claiming that the “Pomeranian” pup she bought at the Mexican border for $50 turned out to be a “wolf.” Her 32-second video has received over 12.5 million views, 18,700 comments, and 2.1 million likes.
Amanda Hamilton's puppy looks nothing like a Pomeranian.
The viral video starts with a selfie image of Hamilton with a puppy in her lap. It’s obvious to anyone who knows their dog breeds that the pup is not a Pomeranian. The puppy looks more like an Alaskan malamute, a larger breed of dog that typically weighs between 75 and 85 pounds, according to the American Kennel Club.
After a couple of adorable clips of the puppy, Crypto, the video cuts to a clip of a full-grown Crypto, who looks even more like an Alaskan malamute or Siberian husky. Hamilton includes adorable clips of full-grown Crypto eating a blueberry and wearing a Def Leppard sweatshirt.
In the video caption, Hamilton wrote, “I can’t believe they lied to me and promise me that I will get a Pomeranian… never again.” Many of the people who commented on the video were quick to point out that little Crypto never looked like a Pomeranian to begin with.
“Girl but have you ever seen a Pomeranian?” remarked one follower. “It doesn’t even look pomeranian,” said another.
“It’s 2023 let it identify as a Pomeranian,” wrote someone else.
In response to one person’s comment that Crypto didn't look like a Pomeranian, Hamilton responded, “Now I know.”
Some of those who commented on the video threw Hamilton a bone (pun intended) and said the pup might be a “pomsky,” which is a Pomeranian and husky mix. However, judging from the size of the full-grown dog, he probably doesn’t have any Pomeranian genes in him at all.
Amanda Hamilton's puppy is likely not a wolf.
Crypto is likely not a wolf, although Hamilton may want to conduct a DNA test to figure out exactly what kind of dog he is. According to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, it is illegal to own a wolf in the U.S. Wolves are endangered and protected animals, not pets.
Although a wolf resembles a dog, it doesn’t act the same as a domesticated dog, the Center states. The same holds true for wolf-dogs, a hybrid wolf and domestic dog species.
“Today, there are over 250,000 wolves and wolf-dogs living as pets in the U.S. Over 75 percent of these animals will die before their first birthday due to abuse, neglect, and misunderstanding,” the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center states in its wolf-dog questionnaire titled, “So you think that you want a wolf as a pet?”
Adopt, don’t shop if you want a Pomeranian.
If Hamilton was set on having a purebred Pomeranian as her furry companion, she could have instead adopted one through a rescue group. The Southern California Pomeranian Rescue specializes in rehoming Pomeranians of all ages.
