Life is full of miracles, and the arrival of a litter of puppies is one of the most delightful. Such was the case when a Golden Retriever mom in Pensacola, Florida, gave birth to a remarkable litter that included one uniquely colored puppy.
However, this litter was not like the others, and the main reason was one unique Goldie. Unlike the other puppies whose coats were blonde, which is the main characteristic of this breed, hers was a different color.
Although the breeders were shocked at first, they soon realized that this uniqueness worked in her favor.
Rare But Beautiful Occurance
This litter of eight puppies, born on March 3, 2024, seemed typical at first—adorable and blonde, characteristic of Golden Retrievers. However, breeders Carole and Greg DeBruler from Golden Treasures Kennel quickly noticed something extraordinary: one puppy had a dark green coat.
Carole told PEOPLE that in their 17 years of breeding, they had seen slight tints of green before, but never an entirely dark green coat. Attempts to wash off the color were unsuccessful, as the green hue persisted, making this puppy truly rare.
“We were kind of shocked,” Carole told PEOPLE. In their 17 years of working on raising light-colored puppies, they have seen “some green or a slight tint” many times, but never the coat that was entirely dark green.
Also, because any green usually “rubs right off”, they tried that in this case as well. Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
“Mom cleans them, we clean them, and it comes off — hers didn’t,” Carole said. “This is rare.”
The DeBrulers named the special puppy Shamrock. Over time and with a few baths, Shamrock’s dark green coat lightened to a bright lime green. Despite this unusual color, Shamrock was as healthy and playful as her siblings.
“And she stayed lime for a good while,” Carole confirmed.
“A Lucky Dog”
Carole and Greg shared Shamrock’s story on TikTok, explaining that her unique color was due to biliverdin, a green pigment found in bile, which sometimes stains the puppy’s coat in the womb. The video of Shamrock nursing with her mother quickly went viral, capturing the hearts of many and garnering widespread attention.
They couldn’t have dreamed how much attention it would attract. This video showed a Golden Retriever mom nursing her puppies, including the special one. In addition, they explained how Shamrock’s coat took on such a specific color.
“She is a rare pup whose white fur was stained in the womb with biliverdin,” it was stated in the video. According to Breeding Business, biliverdin is a pigment found in the bile of dogs and it is responsible for the green color of bile, sometimes affecting the puppy’s coat color.
Carole and her family didn’t stop at that one video but continued to promote Shamrock, causing interest in her to skyrocket.
“I’m just so excited to share Shamrock with the world,” Carole said. “She was a lucky dog!”
With time, Shamrock grew up, and the green color from her fur slowly faded, leaving a beautiful golden coat – a trademark of every Golden Retriever.
A Top Pick
The popularity that the green color brought her and the current beauty and cuteness with which she shone helped Shamrock to be the top pick for her new family. In other words, among all the puppies from the litter, she was the first to find a forever home.
“The gentleman getting her has just retired, and she will be his world. He loves her already so much,” Carole said. “She’s so loved now, and she’s going to be so loved in the future —and that makes me happy.”
We hope her new family will treat her like a special dog because that’s exactly what she was from the day she was born.
