Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn has found his forever home!
The adorable puppy who has since gone viral for having an extra tail on his forehead is officially staying with Mac’s Mission — the animal rescue service in Jackson, Missouri, that took in the dog in mid-November.
Dubbed the unicorn puppy because of his special feature, the beagle-mix quickly sparked an internet frenzy, which prompted more than 300 adoption offers, according to the Associated Press.
While many people praised Narwhal for his uniqueness, Rochelle Steffen, founder of Mac’s Mission, told The Southeast Missourian that he was also subject to “stupid, ugly comments (online)” which raised concerns for Steffen when thinking about giving the puppy up for adoption.
She explained that Narwhal received death threats and that crowds of people began showing up to their rescue, forcing the organization to hold meetings “by appointment only” and heighten security.
To ensure the safety of Narwhal and make sure he is being loved for the right reasons, the rescue decided it was in the puppy’s best interest for him to stay put.
Despite the large monetary offers for Narwhal, Steffen said, “he’s not for sale.”
“If somebody is going to make money off of him, I would love to see it go toward the rescue, and save thousands more dogs,” she told the outlet.
Narwhal’s cuteness factor also helped with the decision, Steffen admitted.
“The whole rescue cannot fathom him leaving. We all fell in love with him,” she said.
Now that Narwhal is staying with Mac’s Mission, the founder explained that he will be a “spokesdog” for a “Different is awesome” campaign, using his unique feature to promote being different. They also hope to train him as a therapy dog once he grows up and is fully vaccinated.
The rescue — which specializes in dogs with special needs — shared in November that Narwhal’s second tail doesn’t wag and has “no real use other than making him the COOLEST PUPPY EVER!”
“One of our followers said, ‘It appears they assembled the puppy wrong. Always follow the directions people!’ This is a true experience of having ‘extra parts’ during assembly,” Mac’s Mission explained to its followers in a Facebook post, which also included an x-ray of Narwhal’s head. “Dr. Heuring said there is no real reason at this time for the unicorn tail to be removed (and we all wish it wagged)!!”
The rescue went on to say that despite his additional tail, Narwhal seems to be otherwise healthy and unbothered.
“The unicorn face tail does not bother Narwhal and he never slows down just like any normal puppy,” Mac’s Mission added. “He seems completely healthy other than some usual puppy worms he got meds for.”
To learn more about Mac’s Mission, support their efforts to save special needs animals and meet the Mac dogs available for adoption, visit the rescue’s website.
Source: Read Full Article