Culture

How This Rescue Puppy Grew A Tail On His Head And Charmed The Internet

"I would, and I cannot stress this enough, die for Narwhal."

by Michelle Rennex  15 November 2019
Narwhal dog with tail on head

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Everyone on the internet is willing to die for the little rescue dog, Narwhal.

It’s really been a week for furry, four-legged rescues. First there was Quilty, the rebellious cat who was locked up for freeing other cats, and now there is Narwhal, the puppy with a tail on his head.

Beyond the tail firmly planted in the middle of his forehead, Narwhal is just like any other run-of-the-mill 10-week-old puppy.

The rescue pup loves to run and nibble, and rarely even notices the extra appendage fixed between his eyes. But after being found in Missouri, Mac’s Mission founder Rochelle Steffen decided to name the puppy ‘Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn’ thanks to his special addition.

Mac’s Mission is a shelter in Jackson that “specialises in special.” Their website explains that they focus on these “homeless ‘janky’ dogs” because they would die or be euthanised otherwise.

Originally set to be named Wipers, Rochelle shared that she decided to go with Narwhal after finding out that his second tail didn’t move.

During a visit to the vet, Rochelle found out that beyond his forehead tail and a couple of normal puppy worms, Narwhal was totally healthy. In a Facebook post Rochelle said that “the extra tail is not connected to anything, and has no real use other than making him the COOLEST PUPPY EVER!”

According to the Washington Post, the vet who examined Narwhal hadn’t seen anything like the second tail before. But Dr. Brian Heuring said “this puppy could not be happier.”

With no bones and no threat to the puppy’s quality of life, Dr. Heuring decided that there was no reason to remove Narwhal’s extra tail. Rochelle continued, “the unicorn face tail does not bother Narwhal and he never slows down just like any normal puppy”.

How Does A Puppy Grow A Tail On It’s Head Exactly?

A botched case of canine fetal resorption is likely how Narwhal was left with an extra tail.

During the early developmental process, healthy fetuses can absorb dead fetuses. So long as the dead fetus is still made of predominately soft tissue, they can break down completely and be reabsorbed by the remaining puppies in the womb.

Considering that Narwhal’s tail is without a bone and isn’t attached to anything important, it’s probable that Narwhal absorbed the fetus later in the pregnancy when there was less soft tissue.

The Internet’s Love And Interested Foster Families

After Rochelle shared photos of Narwhal on the internet, people just couldn’t handle the special pup.

Thanks to his appearances all over Twitter, Instagram and Reddit, Narwhal has brought some much needed attention to the Mac’s Mission shelter’s efforts. While posting as the Narwhal himself, Rochelle thanked everyone for their support: “I don’t understand what viral is but my foster mama said my story being viral helps ALL our special needs dogs here at the Mission.” 

Despite thousands (17,000, apparently!) of interested parties, Rochelle said that she wants to keep Narwhal at the shelter a little while longer. “We want him to grow a bit more and truly make sure the tail doesn’t become a bother or problem.”

Even though the internet can’t all collectively adopt the adorable boy, they’re still sharing their love for the little unicorn.

With quite a few passionate admirers claiming that they’d die for Narwhal.

Or, better yet, kill for him.

You can keep up with Narwhals growth through the Mac the Pitbull Facebook page.