text: is a fox a k9 or feline?   closer realted to dog family  classification of dogs note that the subdivision of canidae into "foxes" and "true dogs" may not be in accordance with the actual relations, and that the taxonomic classification of several canines is disputed. recent dna analysis has shown, however, that canini and vulpini are valid clades, with the exception of two genera: nyctereutes and otocyon. these are canid "outgroups" and are not closely related to vulpines nor canines. speothos and chrysocyon are primitive members of canini, but might be placed in their own clade. cuon may in fact be part of canis and there is evidence that alopex and fennecus are not valid clades, but are both part of vulpes. the domestic dog is listed by some authorities as canis familiaris and others (including the smithsonian institution and the american society of mammalogists) as a subspecies of the wolf (i.e., canis lupus familiaris); the red wolf may or may not be a full species; and the dingo, which is variously classified as canis lupus dingo, canis dingo and canis familiaris dingo.