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Much like the maligned “Velma” series on HBO Max, fans of the Mystery Gang are already foaming at the mouth regarding the casting of a cute puppy for the upcoming “Scooby-Doo: Origins” live action Netflix series.Commenters across several social media platforms, including USA TODAY Entertainment’s Instagram post about the casting, said the young Scoob resembles a chocolate lab rather than a great dane.A quick fact check shows that the puppy is, indeed, a great dane, matching the cannon established in the Scooby Doo franchise. Netflix’s blog post announcing the first live-action pup to play Scooby explicitly states he will appear “as a real great dane.”Plus, a quick glance at the pooch’s paws is more than enough evidence to verify he’s a great dane. I mean, look at the size of those things! Absolutely massive.Another characteristic of the young dog commenters are pointing out? His natural, floppy ears. Scooby, of course, has upright, pointy ears; however, the great danes you see in real life with that trademark look got it through the controversial procedure of ear cropping.The American Kennel Club says historically, ear cropping was done in great danes and other breeds to “help dogs better and more safely perform the functions for which they were originally bred.” In the case of the great dane, that function was hunting, especially wild boars. In many cases, their floppy ears would get shredded, pulled or damaged when chasing wild animals.Meanwhile, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association, multiple veterinary groups oppose cosmetic cropping and its potential negative outcomes for dogs. Per the AVMA, cropping has been banned in multiple countries and several states in the U.S. The AKC’s official breed standard for great danes says that either cropped or natural ears are acceptable for dogs competing in its shows; however, the United Kingdom’s Kennel Club banned dogs with cropped ears from its events more than a century ago.In the last live-action Scooby-Doo ventures of the early 2000s, it was easy to depict Scooby with his ears cropped, considering he was a CGI creation. With a real dog in the mix now, there’s health implications to consider.Prior to the Scooby casting announcement, Netflix revealed in March who will play the members of the Mystery Gang: Mckenna Grace as Daphne, Abby Ryer Forston as Velma, Maxwell Jenkins as Fred and Tanner Hagen as Shaggy.“Scooby-Doo: Origins” does not have a release date locked down yet, but Netflix says the show will premiere at some point in 2027.
