--- title: People Could Not Make Heads or Tails of This Viral Dog Photo description: Is it a goat? Is it a possessed pig? People cannot make heads or tails of this viral dog photo. canonical: https://time.com/5784343/viral-dog-photo-debate/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-02-14T14:35:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:01:18.010Z og:title: People Could Not Make Heads or Tails of This Viral Dog Photo og:description: Is it a goat? Is it a pig? og:url: https://time.com/5784343/viral-dog-photo-debate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24571a623a1cfb60/698a0a3d01168213fb97ef93/ViralDogPhoto.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2121 og:image:height: 1193 og:image:alt: Close-Up Of Man Holding Camera og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: People Could Not Make Heads or Tails of This Viral Dog Photo twitter:description: Is it a goat? Is it a pig? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt24571a623a1cfb60/698a0a3d01168213fb97ef93/ViralDogPhoto.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # People Could Not Make Heads or Tails of This Viral Dog Photo > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=cb6bc196-7a1d-4447-af37-c76a013d4676&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Feb 14, 2020 2:35 PM UTC  Photo Taken In Bangkok, Thailand Photo Taken In Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Feb 14, 2020 2:35 PM UTC The most recent [puzzling imagery](https://time.com/5771189/perfume-photo-decision/) to spark a social media debate is a photo of wee little animal following its bliss on a bed. That’s all that was clear though — the [viral dog photo](https://time.com/5594374/tiktok-artists-money/) shared by 18-year-old Govinda Tagle, a.k.a. Twitter user @govindatagle who is based in Mexico has some people online convinced that they are looking at a pig. Others, though, feel quite certain it must be a goat. However, trying to gather all the context clues, internet users having some strong feelings, and many people have [chimed in](https://time.com/5771189/perfume-photo-decision/). It’s definitely a dog, and it’s her friend’s pup, Tagle tells TIME. > [](https://twitter.com/govindatagle/status/1223014396051513344) Many users flipped it to put things into focus. > [](https://twitter.com/ludo%5Fdelporte/status/1225117563857842178) “I just posted the picture because I thought it was funny,” she told TIME. The strangely captivating photo, which has garnered thousands of likes was shared last month by the Twitter user. At first glance, it’s an adorable puppy. But, wait, is it an upside down pig? Some people see it as a goat. It all comes down to context, and what’s at the top of the viewer’s mind. Remember when the internet felt pretty strongly that this bird was a bunny? > [](https://twitter.com/dsquintana/status/1163083819605475328) Lucky for everyone, we have some clarity. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5784343/viral-dog-photo-debate/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5784343/viral-dog-photo-debate/"},"headline":"People Could Not Make Heads or Tails of This Viral Dog Photo","datePublished":"2020-02-14T14:35:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:18.010Z","description":"Is it a goat? Is it a possessed pig? 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