Adorable rescue puppy has tail on his forehead – rescue calls him Narwhal the “furry unicorn”
Dogs come in a variety of colors and sizes. Few, if any, come with a tail on their head, though. So, workers with Mac’s Mission were surprised when they discovered a puppy in the freezing cold with such a distinguishing characteristic. The little guy, named Narwhal, has a little brown tail right between his eyes.
“Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn”
Deemed healthy by the vet, Dr. Brian Heuring, Narwhal is also known as “Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn.” His tail is short and soft and he has no control over it since it is not connected to any bone. He does have a real tail on his bottom which wags when he’s happy, which, according to the rescue, is usually the case.
The rescue addressed the puppy’s extra tail on its Facebook page, “The million-dollar question about Narwhal’s extra tail on his face. Is it connected and does it wag? The extra tail is not connected to anything and has no real use other than making him the COOLEST PUPPY EVER!”
According to the vet who examined him, the tail is more than likely a congenital defect, which usually manifests in dogs in the form of cleft palates and extra toes. Causes for such defects include exposure of the mother to toxins and other environmental factors.
“The reality is, a lot of times we never know what causes this and we’ll probably never know,” Dr. Heuring said.
Narwhal’s popularity grows
Narwhal has become quite popular according to the rescue, with thousands of the people offering to adopt Narwhal across the U.S. Eventually he will be placed in a forever home, but in the meantime, the rescue feels that they need to keep their eye on the puppy and his extra tail to make sure that it is not going to be a problem.
“Sometimes there are other genetic factors in cases like these so we are being super cautious and want to ensure he has everything he needs. We will do whatever is best for our little Narwhal,” the rescue stated on its Facebook page.
Found when he was only 10 weeks old, Steffen thinks Narwhal is a Dachshund-mix. He was found with a larger dog before he was brought to Mac’s Mission.
“I saw the picture and I almost didn’t believe it was real,” Rochelle Steffen, founder of Mac’s Mission, told USA TODAY. “When I saw him Sunday morning, I got excited. He was the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, and he was so happy.”
More about Mac’s Mission
Mac’s Mission focuses on special needs dogs, though Narwhal is the first of his kind at the rescue. Located in Missouri, Mac’s Mission was founded by Steffen in 2001. The rescue had this to say about the unique, little puppy.
“Right now he is pretty much the most unique amazing example of what we do here and we are so thankful to have the chance to be part of his journey,” the rescue posted. “Thank you, everyone, for helping us help them!”
How you can help Mac’s Mission
For more on how you can help Mac’s Mission visit the organization’s Website. Here is a video with more on this adorable, little puppy.
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