By slitting the ears and cutting the tail, a dog is still a dog, not a horse, not an ass. (Indian Proverb)
A dog will not make himself look like a horse just by cutting off his tail. (Indian Proverb)
Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant; but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured. (Indian Proverb)