The caramel-colored mutts roaming Brazil by the millions may seem unlikely national heroes. Among Brazilians, though, they inspire just as much pride as soccer and samba.

Known simply as “caramelos” for their tan coats, the street dogs are celebrated in Brazilian memes, emblazoned on T-shirts, cited in viral songs and honored with Carnival parade floats. They even starred in a Netflix film last year and nearly made it onto Brazil’s currency.

But now the authorities in Mexico, another Latin American nation where the unchecked reproduction among strays has similarly resulted in a huge population of tawny dogs, have labeled the caramel stray a Mexican treasure, declaring it a native breed much like the Chihuahua.

In Brazil, the designation captured headlines recently and angered Brazilians who say a national icon is being stolen from them.

“How can they say the caramelo is not Brazilian?” said Luciana Valle, 57, the owner of a bouncy toffee-colored rescue called Madâ. “It’s the face of Brazil.”

The dogs are a cocktail of nearly 300 breeds from Europe, Asia and the Americas, a genetics study showed last year. Experts say the stray’s ancestry can be traced to dogs brought by Portuguese colonial settlers and, later, by immigrants from Italy, Germany, Spain and Japan.

When industrialization drew rural workers to Brazil’s cities, they brought with them dogs that had herded livestock or guarded farms. These breeds then mixed with smaller varieties kept by city residents as pets.

This unchecked reproduction eventually produced today’s caramel-colored mutts, said Jaqueline Oliveira Rosa, a geneticist with DNA Pets, a Brazilian genetics testing, who led the study. “The history of the caramelo is the history of Brazil,” she said.

Caramel strays can be spotted across Brazil and are often fed and cared for by residents, becoming de facto neighborhood dogs.

Their short, tan fur attracts fewer pests, keeps them cool by reflecting the tropical sun and acts as camouflage against predators, experts say. Their mixed breed also shields them from some genetic diseases, Dr. Rosa said. “It makes them incredibly resilient.”

Once shunned and mistreated, these strays today represent Brazilians’ own mixed heritage and adaptability. So, when the office of the environmental prosecutor in the State of Mexico, the country’s most populous, declared the “perro caramelo” a Mexican breed in April it struck a nerve in Brazil.

The state agency declined an interview request. But, in its announcement, it said the designation was aimed at combating the stigma around mutts.

Animal welfare advocates in Mexico say caramel strays are just as common there because of a shared history and climate.

Mexico’s recognition of the caramel dog was most likely inspired by the Brazilian movement to champion these strays, said Claudia Edwards, the Mexico program director of the Humane World for Animals, a nonprofit.

“Brazil was the first to recognize it, to put it on the map,” Ms. Edwards said. “The Brazilian people should be very proud of that.”

The caramel stray doesn’t have to belong to one nation, she added. “It’s Latin American!”

In 2023, Brazilian lawmakers introduced a bill that would grant national heritage status to caramel street dogs, but the legislation stalled. Some states, including São Paulo, have since approved their own laws declaring them a cultural treasure.

On a Sunday morning, the prevalence of the caramel canine was on full display in Rio de Janeiro.

In a leafy dog park half a dozen honey-colored mutts scampered and wrestled. Tiana, a perky 2-year-old rescue with pointy ears, gnawed on a branch.

“She’s the star of the house,” said Mônica Veiga, 63, a textbook copy editor. “We always wanted to adopt a caramel stray.”

Along a boardwalk, Marco Yoshizawa fed his 8-year-old mutt, Zico, the flesh of a freshly cracked coconut. “He’s a real companion,” said Mr. Yoshizawa, a 55-year-old can collector. “He goes everywhere with me.”

But even as caramel strays have become national mascots, many languish in shelters, said Juliana Camargo, founder of Ampara, Brazil’s largest animal welfare nonprofit. “It’s still not the first to be chosen for adoption,” she said.

There are more than 20 million stray dogs in Brazil, according to a global study conducted by a coalition of animal welfare groups. Ms. Camargo estimated that more than 90 percent were caramel.

At a recent animal adoption fair, children fawned over a trio of jet-black puppies bearing slight resemblances to Labrador retrievers. A family cuddled one, filling out adoption paperwork.

Few took notice of the tan strays also seeking a home. Guadalupe, a mocha-colored mutt rescued from a shantytown by the same name, anxiously panted in the shade as a volunteer tried to soothe her.

“We’ve been looking for someone to adopt her for a year,” said Desirée Rebello, 39, the volunteer. “It’s not that easy.”

For Ms. Camargo, the hope is that highlighting the caramel strays, in Brazil and Mexico, may convince more people to take one home.

“It stings a bit, because we feel that the caramelo is ours,” she said. “But it’s for a good cause.”

Emiliano Rodríguez Mega contributed reporting from Mexico City, and Lis Moriconi contributed research from Rio de Janeiro.