Have you ever seen a green dog before?
A farmer on the island of Sardinia, Italy, was struck with awe on a chilly October morning when he came across a puppy with green fur one day.
Spelacchia, one of his 8 dogs, has just given birth to a litter of 5 puppies. While 4 of them had the same white color as their mum, the remaining one turned out to have an unusual colored fur. The farmer, Cristian Mallocci, creatively gave the rare puppy the name ‘Pistachio’.
Spelacchia With His Siblings
While not impossible, the probability for a dog to leave its mother’s womb in a shade of green is almost zero. It is believed that this rare occurrence only happens when the puppies come in contact with a special pigment whilst they are still developing in their mother’s womb. The pigment, called biliverdin, is the same pigment which gives bruises their green color.
Spelacchia’s Unique Hue
Unfortunately though, Pistachio’s unique color isn’t expected to last forever. The eccentric display will fade as he grows older.
However, Pistachio’s uniqueness has already drawn the attention of his owner. While Mallocci is planning to find new homes for Pistachio’s brothers and sisters, he has decided to keep Pistachio on his farm and train him to tend sheep alongside his mother.
Some Of Spelacchia’s Hue Have Already Begun To Fade
Coincidentally, green is the symbol of hope and luck. Mallocci strongly believes that Pistachio was meant to bring smiles and joy to people during these tough times caused by the pandemic.
And to be honest, Pistachio has certainly brought a smile to my face.