A dog with wild fur and a permanent scowl has people convinced Gizmo from Gremlins is real.
With wide eyes and a constant look of displeasure, Proshka has been gaining worldwide attention thanks to his likeness to the fictional character from the cult classic.
Proshka has racked up 14,700 Instagram followers thanks to his striking good looks - with many joking that his owner must have ‘fed him after midnight’.
Gremlins, written by Chirs Columbus and directed by Joe Dante, is an American horror comedy which draws on legends about mischievous creatures who cause mayhem when not properly cared for - the ‘mogwai’.
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Gizmo, voiced by Howie Mandel, becomes known as the main mogwai character in the 1984 film, after building a relationship with a teenage boy who is gifted him as a pet.
In the movie, the teenager is warned to remember three rules when caring for his mogwai - sunlight will kill it, don’t let it come in contact with water and, most importantly, never feed it after midnight.
Not only has the two-year-old dog been compared to Gizmo from Gremlins but also Chewbacca, Wookie and the Grinch.
The Brussels Griffon is constantly being stopped by people wanting to know his breed - but is said to love the attention despite his grumpy face implying otherwise.
Owner Stefani Doherty, from Sheffield, shares pictures and videos of her four dogs on her @griffy.girl account - but says Proshka quickly became the standout star.
She said: “He seems to make people smile and right now I think we need that more than ever. He is the happiest dog despite his grumpy face.”
His most viewed video simply shows him sitting on a sofa alongside the caption “Chewy, is that you?". It has been viewed more than 490,000 times and sparked a debate into what species he actually is.
One person said: “I thought Gizmo but Chewbecca works too,” while another added: “Wookie fur baby”.
Stefani has been playing along with people's online requests and even dressed Proshka up as the Grinch at Christmas.
One user commented: “What breed is that? I want one - looks like an angry grandad.”
Another said: “ Gizmo bright lights - so cute! Real life Giz.”
Starting with her first dog, Ruby, Stefani has been posting pictures of her pets since June 2020.
"I watched the film As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson - it has a brussels griffon in it called Verdell," she said. “Then I read an article featuring Jonathan Ross - he has a brussels griffon called Sweeny.
“I just loved the way they looked so I did a lot of research and eventually adopted Ruby. But being a PA to a dog wasn’t how I imagined my life panning out."
Originally bred to hunt and kill rats and mice, Brussels Griffon's are easily recognisable by their distinctive look.
The Belgium dogs have been described as a “smart, devoted, and comically self-important” breed, who make great pets to the right owners.
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