The unusual fur color is hypothesized to occur when pale-colored puppies come into contact with a green pigment called biliverdin while in their mother’s womb.
When Spelacchia, one of Cristian Mallocci’s eight dogs, gave birth to a green-furred puppy, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Pistachio, the little dog, was born on Oct. 9 as part of a five-dog litter with white fur, the same color as their mixed-breed mother. With the exception of him.
Mallocci and his brother-in-law Giannangelo Liperi own a farm on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
It’s incredibly uncommon for a dog to be born with green fur. It is supposed to occur when pale-colored puppies come into touch with a green pigment called biliverdin while in their mother’s womb. It’s the same pigment that gives bruises their green color.
Pistachio’s unusual color, on the other hand, will not persist indefinitely. His vivid green fur has faded day by day since his birth, and it will continue to diminish as he grows older.
While his siblings and sisters will be adopted, Mallocci plans to keep Pistachio on his farm and teach him how to care for the sheep with his mother Spelacchia (Italian for “mangy”).
Green is a symbol of optimism and luck, according to Mallocci, so perhaps it was meant to be that Pistachio could bring a smile to people’s cheeks during these trying days of the coronavirus pandemic.