Why is this puppy green? The reason has nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day | Miami Herald

A green dog?

Believe it.

A Tampa Bay dog rescue posted a picture of the rare sight on Tuesday.

On Heidi’s Legacy Facebook page, there it is. A tiny puppy suckling at his mother, a German shepherd rescue, on his birthday at their foster mother Kristy Anderson’s home. The other brothers and sisters in the litter were not green.

So what gives?

Heidi’s Legacy volunteer Kelly Van Nevel told the Miami Herald on Wednesday that seeing the puppy with a green tint struck her as “unusual.”

“We were like, ‘Oh did someone put some dye on it?” she joked. “Is this for St. Patrick’s Day?”

Puppies are occasionally born with green hair due to a bile pigment called Biliverdin found in the mother’s placenta, Van Nevel, added. “The condition is not detrimental and eventually grows out. “

The animal does not have a name yet, but a few ideas are being rolled around.

“We were thinking we needed to hold a naming contest,” laughed Van Nevel.

But they all eventually decided on the perfect one Wednesday afternoon: Clover.

Madeleine Marr

Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City and has two daughters.