Rescue Puppy Has The Cutest Extra Tail — On His Head

All dogs are perfect — but a 10-week-old golden retriever named Narwhal is extra special.
 
The puppy has an adorable “unicorn” tail growing out of his forehead.

Last week, Narwhal was found outside in the freezing cold along with another dog. Narwhal’s foster mom, Rochelle Steffen, founder of Mac’s Mission in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, stepped up to help the “different” puppy as soon as she heard about him.

“We were tagged in a social media request for help because he was special and had been dumped,” Steffen told The Dodo. “All my friends and fellow rescuers know I love the hard cases.”

The moment Steffen met Narwhal, it was love at first sight: “I melted,” Steffen said. “I literally smiled so big because he lights up the entire room with how happy he is. His butt tail never stops wagging — too bad his face tail doesn’t wag!”

Narwhal’s extra tail is a rare birth defect, a third of the size of his regular tail. X-rays show the tail to be made of skin and fur, and otherwise not connected to anything. "It just kind of hangs down like a lock of hair like Superman,” Steffen said.

Besides a case of worms that can be treated with medication, Narwhal is completely healthy. And his special tail is staying — for the time being. “At this point, there is no medical reason to remove it and it does not bother him,” Steffen said. “He has no idea he’s different.”

The carefree pup is currently living it up at Steffen's house and loves to be held and give kisses.

"He loves humans and he loves to romp around with the other dogs," Steffen said. "He is very partial to the adult dog that we rescued him with and another Chihuahua mix dog named Ash. They play in a big giant pile!"

In a few months, Narwhal will start his search for a forever home. But for now, Steffen is watching him grow and making sure his extra tail does not get in the way of him living life to the fullest.

And the magical unicorn puppy couldn't be happier.