If I had a giant, sentient turd with fangs headed my way with malice on the mind, I like to think I would have the presence of mind to be quite alarmed. But yes, it's probably ideal from an artistic standpoint that the dogs look like dogs and the turds look like turds, with as little crossover as possible.
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality
"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world