Woman thinks she has bought a Chihuahua: But now the dog looks completely different

Florida (USA) - She seemed desperate, he took advantage of it: Maria Avery bought a supposed Chihuahua from a street musician in Florida a while ago. The poor animal was still a puppy at the time, but already appeared neglected. The man demanded 500 US dollars (around 479 euros) from Avery. But she couldn't afford that much. Hard negotiations followed. In the end, the woman had the dog, but no Chihuahua.

"The second I saw him, I knew he was coming home with me. I knew I couldn't leave him on the street in that condition," the US-American explained in an interview with Newsweek this week.

The man had fed the puppy pizza crust and small sips of Mountain Dew from the lid. She then negotiated with him for more than an hour. He finally settled for 340 US dollars (about 325 euros).

Avery thought the man who played the violin on the street was someone in need, perhaps a homeless person. She is all the more relieved today that she took the animal off his hands.

But when she came home with the dog that evening, she already suspected that it was not a Chihuahua.

But Avery didn't really care when she bathed him for the first time. All that mattered to her was that she had saved him.

Leo, as he is now called, is now fully grown. Visually, he no longer has much in common with a Chihuahua. It is not entirely clear which breed he belongs to.

What is certain, however, is that Avery's story has become a viral hit on TikTok. Since the end of January, the video has received 2.9 million clicks and more than 275,000 likes.

And the musician? She meets him on the street every now and then, Avery told the US magazine. "He looks at me with a crazy look and says: 'How's the dog? I say: 'He's fine, he's happier than ever'", says the proud owner.