Narwhal is perfectly healthy.
He does however have an eye-catching feature that earned him his name: a small tail-like growth on his forehead.
Narwhal was recently adopted by Rochelle Steffen. Rochelle is the founder of Mac’s Mission, a non-profit dog rescue that focuses on dogs with special needs.
Steffen recently told ABC News in an interview that Narwhal was found at a dump in a rural area near Jackson, Missouri.
“He had x-rays and a vet visit … and is a perfectly healthy puppy, with an extra tail on his face,” Steffen said. “There is no medical need to remove it currently and it is a third the size of his actual tail.”
“He is in no pain and plays for hours,” she added.
Now that Narwhal’s story has gone viral, Steffen has now decided to adopt the dog herself.
“I had no intention initially of keeping him,” Steffen told the Southeast Missourian. “It’s not just a decision from me. The whole rescue cannot fathom him leaving. We all fell in love with him.”
Steffen fears that Narwhal will be exploited for his newfound internet fame.
“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,” Steffen said.
Mac’s Mission specializes in helping fur babies with deformity, clefts and trauma “since those get euthanized far more than any others and there is a great need to give them a chance,” Steffens told ABC News. “We give them that chance.”
Since Mac’s Mission markets almost exclusively over social media Steffens explained that the attention Narwhal has brought to the organization has been “majorly epic for so many new folks to find out about our little awesome rescue.”
“We really love our little Narwhal and the others he is helping here with the attention!”
