Thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles.
Flocks of sheep were imported to Japan and then sold by a company called Poodles as Pets, marketed as fashionable accessories, available at $1,600 each.
That is a snip compared to a real poodle which retails for twice that much in Japan.
The scam was uncovered when Japanese moviestar Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food.
She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep.
Update: Well, this is what you get for relying on the mainstream media for your news!
Got to say it, talk about being fleeced. $1.600? Wow.
I am surprised that the entrepreneurial Japanese are missing this opportunity to get into the cotton business.
I have heard recently that the Aussies have discovered two new used for sheep … food and clothing. :0)
Oops that should read “uses for sheep”
Apparently Richard Branson is currently in Sapporo launching a “Flock Off” campaign.
“Got to say it, talk about being fleeced”
Dang, someone beat me to it!
That was a BAAAAaaaaaaaaad joke.
Good thing I didn*t have a mouth full of coffee.
A Robin Williams skit would be priceless.= TG
PT Barnum aint exactly spinning in his grave now, is he?
Ewe have to be kidding!!
ovine are fashionable accessories too, except you mustn’t keep them amongst the canine accessories
makes me want to listen to Pink Floyd Animals
I guess the Japanese are feeling rather sheepish.
One of the funniest bumperstickers I ever saw was “Keep Montana A Poodle Free State”.
Do you figure that there might be a market for Lop-Eared cats in Japan … or TO?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/featured_pets/Critters/Lonappan/Lonappan1.jpg
Maybe Dion can get one, dye it green and call it “Kyoto-San”
sheep or poodle, what would you call the offspring? sheeple or poodeep?
Did someone try to sell them a bridge? another big time scam i mean HITLERS DIARIES and back when they supposedly found a tribe living in the PHILLAPEANS that were se backwards they nevr heard of WW II it was even featured in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and it turned out to the a big time swindle Its just like EVOLUTION and GLOBAL WARMING its all a big time swindle and JAPAN should consiter the chopping block for the conmen
Please don’t feel sheepish, but this sounds like it might be an urban legend:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=263447
Of course, Japs don’t have kids, so they don’t have anyone around to tell them “Mom, that’s a fxxxxxg sheep
Why can’t I stop laughing?
Why can’t I stop laughing?
Posted by: Honey Pot at April 27, 2007 7:29 AM
Probably for the same reason the rest of us can’t. The Japanese are that gullible? No wonder the Goeracle can sell his GW scam so easily.Kids,we are in a world of hurt.
Completely made up story.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/poodlesheep.asp
A few years ago some huckster in Colorodo got grant money from some federal “green” fund to remove gophers and prairie dogs infestations with a humane “vacuum” method and he sold some of the destructive burrowing rodents to pet stores in Japan where naive yuppie Japanese payed 200-300 US$ for them.
I guess Japanese customs had no trouble importing a destructive pest species with no natural enemies/controls in Japan….maybe they thought if the gophers ever got loose that they’d simply drown themselves burrowing into rice paddies.
Guess there’s no limit to what a huckster can sell in Japan. A lot of cultural naivety there.
Ya beat me to it John, yeah, Urban Legend.
http://www.snopes.com/critters/lurkers/poodlesheep.asp
Guess that’s why we’re called Sheeple sometimes eh.
What a ridiculous thing to believe. It’s now in the National Post too.
Is the Western World’s willingness to pass on such a story about the Japanese just a case of Prius envy?
They were really being sold as Siberian hamsters.
This is the second time I’ve read this story.
It’s even funnier the second time.
Now let’s see, what do I have to sell?
Did someone try to sell them a bridge? DONT FALL FOR IT GUYS