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Lord and Taylor just settled a lawsuit filed against it by the Humane Society, which charged it with labeling raccoon dog pelts as faux fur. The suit also accused Lord and Taylor and a number of other brands, including Dillard's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks, and the parent company of Andrew Marc, of passing off raccoon dog fur as raccoon, coyote, or rabbit. In the settlement, Lord & Taylor promised not to sell anything made of raccoon dog ever again, which made us wonder: What exactly is a raccoon dog? Answer: Neither a raccoon nor a dog, but closer to the latter. The creatures are members of the canid family, like dogs, but they have raccoonish markings and can climb trees. They live in Asia, and they appear to be adorable. The more you know! [The Cut; Zooilogix]
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