“Common in SA”: Woman Asks What Breed Her ‘Dog’ Is While Bathing Hyena in Tub, Mzansi Plays Along

• A woman was filmed bathing what appeared to be a hyena in a jetted bathtub, with a caption asking South Africans to identify the 'dog breed'
• Hyenas may look like dogs, but they’re actually fascinating animals with their own unique behaviours and family dynamics
• South Africans on Reddit could not keep a straight face, flooding the thread with jokes about the unusual 'pet'

A video of a woman cheerfully bathing a spotted exotic animal in a jetted bathtub had South Africans on Reddit in stitches on 11 July 2026. Reddit user AnonomousWolf posted the clip to the r/south_africa subreddit with a deadpan caption:

"I rescued this dog, anyone know what breed it is?"

The animal in the tub was no dog. With its distinctive spotted coat, stocky build and unmistakable silhouette, it looked every bit like a young hyena. The video shows a woman with reddish hair and glasses washing the creature thoroughly while it playfully rolls around in the sudsy water.

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10 fascinating facts about hyenas

Hyenas are a unique family of four species found across Africa and parts of Asia. Despite resembling dogs, they are more closely related to cats' relatives. Spotted hyenas are skilled hunters with powerful bone-crushing jaws, live in female-led clans of up to 80 members and use their famous "laugh" to communicate. Brown and striped hyenas are important scavengers, while the aardwolf survives almost entirely on termites.

View the Reddit video here:

Mzansi reacts to the 'mystery breed'

South Africans were quick to play along with the joke, and the comment section became a comedy goldmine. Reddit users on the r/south_africa thread did not hold back:

@kyleverissimo wrote:

"No it's a laughing dog, common in South Africa..."

@Llew_Funk asked:

"Does it laugh at your jokes?"

@Knowmie replied:

"It does but will probably just laugh at you."

@WiseAcanthocephala58 joked:

"It's full of spots so that makes it a Dalmatian right!!!"

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@NiGhTShR0uD concluded:

"It's basically what chihuahuas evolve into. It's a Chiyena which precedes its final form, Chiyuya."

More Briefly News Stories on Animals

• A Zimbabwean street vendor went viral after being filmed feeding a mystery animal hidden in a pouch at a market, leaving social media users debating whether it was a rat, pangolin or another small creature.
• A UK tourist visiting the Kruger National Park was stunned after spotting an extremely rare aardvark, an elusive nocturnal mammal that many safari guides never see in their entire careers.
• A woman’s viral visit to the Pretoria Zoo led to concerns about the facility’s condition, but after meeting with management she shifted from calling for a boycott.

Source: Briefly News