Finding out that your dog is expecting is surprising enough, let alone discovering that one of her puppies is green! That's what happened when Italian farmer Cristian Mallocci first met his beloved canine's litter. Their mother, Spelacchia, has white fur and most of the litter took after her. Out of the five pups, just one had fur that wasn't white, but green. Cristian could hardly believe his eyes. He knew right away that the perfect name for this one would be Pistachio. The farmer was happy to see the unique color fur, stating in an interview that the green is a symbol of hope and luck.
Though Cristian had a positive reaction to the news, some may wonder if the green fur is cause for concern. Fortunately, the rare occurance is nothing to be worried about. Reuters reports that the unique condition is thought to result from coming into contact with biliverdin, a pigment responsible for the green hue of bruises. It's possible that biliverdin was present in Spelacchia's womb where little Pistachio was nestled, which would explain why he was the only one of the litter to have such fur. Though the effect is intriguing, it's also temporary. The green color fades in time, and Cristian has said he's already noticed a gradual transformation since Pistachio was born.
Though Pistachio may soon look more like his siblings than he did at the time of their birth, the phenomenon already made an impression on Cristian. The farmer decided that Pistachio would be the only pup in the litter that he would keep. The rest will go to other homes, while Pistachio will learn how to help his mother herd sheep on the farm. If Cristian's belief about the color green is correct, then the adorable pooch could be just what their farm needed to thrive in the coming years.
