Netflix’s Scooby-Doo – Fans are arguing over the look of the first live-action puppy for Netflix’s upcoming “Scooby-Doo: Origins,” while the show’s Great Dane details collide with visible ear-cropping concerns and wider animal welfare debates.
Fans didn’t have to wait for a trailer to argue about Netflix’s “Scooby-Doo: Origins.” Within days of the streaming service unveiling the first live-action pup intended to play Scooby, the internet latched onto what looked wrong: the dog’s breed and the shape of his ears.
Linda Cardellini. who played Velma in the 2002 film “Scooby-Doo. ” shared advice for the upcoming live-action cast while attending the 2026 Gotham TV Awards. At the same time. supporters of the Mystery Gang were already “foaming at the mouth” over the casting choices. with many commenters reacting across multiple social media platforms. including an Instagram post tied to the casting.
The dispute centers on a simple question: what kind of dog is Scooby supposed to be?. A quick check points to the heart of the confusion. Commenters said the young Scoob resembled a chocolate lab rather than a great dane. But Netflix’s blog post announcing the first live-action pup to play Scooby states he will appear “as a real great dane.”.
That claim matches the franchise’s established cannon, and even quick visual cues are being used to support it. Commenters point to the puppy’s natural. floppy ears. while supporters of Netflix’s choice say the dog’s size and paws show he’s a great dane—described bluntly by one observer as “absolutely massive.”.
Ears may be where the cultural argument turns into a welfare argument. Scooby’s classic look features upright. pointy ears. but the great danes people see in real life often get that appearance through ear cropping—a procedure that can be controversial. The American Kennel Club says ear cropping was historically done in great danes and other breeds to “help dogs better and more safely perform the functions for which they were originally bred.” For great danes. the AKC says that function was hunting. especially wild boars. where floppy ears could be shredded. pulled. or damaged while chasing animals.
Still, other veterinary voices push back on the practice. The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that multiple veterinary groups oppose cosmetic cropping and its potential negative outcomes for dogs. The AVMA also says cropping has been banned in multiple countries and several states in the U.S. The AKC’s official breed standard for great danes says either cropped or natural ears are acceptable for dogs competing in its shows. But the United Kingdom’s Kennel Club banned dogs with cropped ears from its events more than a century ago.
This is where the controversy feels sharper for a live-action production. In the early 2000s Scooby-Doo ventures, depicting Scooby with cropped ears was easier because Scooby was a CGI creation. With a real dog now in the mix. the show’s casting has pulled attention to the real-world health implications tied to how ears look and how those looks are achieved.
Before the Scooby casting announcement. Netflix revealed in March who will play the rest 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. but Netflix says the show will premiere at some point in 2027.
For fans, the tension isn’t really about timing—it’s about identity. The puppy is being marketed as a real great dane. but what viewers see on-screen. especially around the ears. is colliding with what the classic character has looked like and with the growing animal-welfare debate over cosmetic procedures.
Netflix Scooby-Doo: Origins Scooby-Doo Linda Cardellini Mystery Gang great dane ear cropping AVMA AKC casting 2027 premiere
That dog looks like a chocolate lab, not Scooby lol.
I saw the pic and the ears threw me off. If they cut his ears or whatever then why even do it? Seems like Netflix just gonna ignore the animal welfare part.
Wait so is it supposed to be Great Dane or Scooby?? Because my cousin’s Great Dane didn’t look like that at all and I swear Netflix’s puppy is shaped like a lab pup. Also, ear cropping is like… common now? I’m confused why people are acting shocked.
The whole “real great dane” thing doesn’t make sense to me. Like the paws look big, sure, but the ears are giving lab vibes. And then they start talking about ear cropping and I’m just like… ok but isn’t Scooby supposed to be a cartoon? Netflix be turning everything into a debate every time. Last I checked Scooby’s whole thing is the mystery not the anatomy.