Animal

A tiny puppy has been born with green fur in Sardinia


Pistachio was the only one born green (Picture: REUTERS)

Meet Pistachio – an adorable puppy who was born with green fur.

The little fella was born to Italian farmer Cristian Mallocci who couldn’t quite believe his eyes when one of his eight dogs gave birth to the greenish-hued pup.

Mother dog Spelacchia welcomed a litter of five puppies on 9 October, one of which had a very unique colouring. The rest of the brood were born with all-white fur – the same colour as their mixed breed mother.

The puppy’s unique appearance resulted in him being named Pistachio – after his lovely green tinge.

Compared to his sibling (Picture: REUTERS)
Look at him (Picture: REUTERS)

It’s incredibly rare for a dog to be born with green-coloured fur and it’s thought to happen when light-coloured puppies come into contact with a green pigment called biliverd in their mother’s womb. This is the same pigment which causes the green colour on bruises on the skin.

However, it seems Pistachio’s colouring will not last forever. In fact, it’s already starting to fade (compared to the colour it was on the day of his birth) and will continue to do so as he gets older.

The rest of the litter were born white (Picture: REUTERS)
Hiya (Picture: REUTERS)

The rest of Pistachio’s litter will be given away to new homes, but owner Cristian will keep the unique pup and train him up to work on the farm he owns with his brother-in-law Giannangelo Liperi, on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

Pistachio will learn to look after the farm’s sheep with his mother Spelacchia – which is Italian for ‘mangy.’

Snoozing (Picture: REUTERS)

Cristian says that green is a symbol for hope and luck – something we all could do with a little more of during the coronavirus pandemic. He hopes Pistachio’s story will put a smile on people’s faces.

In other dog news, a nine-year-old Golden Retriever called Claude – who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2018 – has had a party to celebrate the end of her radiotherapy.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.

MORE: Sobbing dog owner reunites with his lost pet Blue after 200 long days apart

MORE: People are sharing unflattering photos of their pets in new social media challenge

MORE: These dogs are waiting for a home in lockdown





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.