>>40429310>>40429557>Gamefreak is wrongIt's more than GF that counts them as dogs, pretty much everything from TPCi labels it as either or, because at its core it's a fictional creature that takes INSPIRATION from two real life animals. You're literally going "my headcanon is canon" right now.
Again, this applies to many Pokemon due to the nature of the series. For one more example, Sentret (Otachi) is named after a ferret and weasel, depending on the language, but has the characteristics of a meerkat, a raccoon-like tail pattern, and a body type more in-line with a flying squirrel.
It doesn't matter if their real life comparisons contradict, because their fictional counterpart takes traits from both to create ITS OWN unique species. That's the key here. A Lucario is a Lucario, a Stoutland is a Stoutland, a Poochyena is a Poochyena.
Besides, a tanuki, a raccoon, and a badger are all quite the big jump, physical similarities aside, and yet that still works.
