Interestingly, while Decker finds having a "fake sheep" shameful and keeps it largely as a secret from his neighbors, his electric sheep does not exhibit any physical differences from a real sheep, aside from the fact that they run on battery. Yet, Decker refuses to consider it as real and is depressed over the fact that he cannot afford to have an authentic pet. 

Therefore, the portrayal of electric sheep in Dick's novel defies The Velveteen Rabbit's depiction of the requirements for being "real" - It demonstrates that even if a being has all the physical appearances and abilities that correspond to real creatures, it can still be considered fake.