(RNN) - A litter of golden retriever puppies in Scotland is in the social media spotlight after one of them reportedly was born green.
When Rio, a 3-year-old golden retriever, had a litter of nine, one of the pups was not like the others. He was covered in mint-green fur, reports People.com.
Rio's owner, Louise Sutherland, said she and her daughter were helping the dog give birth when the green-furred critter came out.
"We couldn't believe it," said Sutherland, who named the odd puppy Forest.
The story may seem dubious in the age of fake-internet phenomena, but apparently a few green puppies have come before Forest.
This dog in Scotland just gave birth to a green puppy. Seriously. https://t.co/FK4fT5RnNV pic.twitter.com/kGUBKeqaxu
— Andy Gray (@AndyGray35) July 18, 2017
In 2014, Time reported on a couple of green puppies that their Spanish breeders called "hulk pups." An investigating veterinarian explained that when puppies are exposed to a green bile pigment in the placenta called biliverdin, they can turn out green.
The birth of another green puppy, also named Hulk, was reported in the UK in 2012.
Like those puppies, Forest's green fur is fading as he grows, but of the nine newborns, Sutherland said, Forest is a keeper.
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