Louise and her daughter Clair, residents of Golspie in the Scottish Highlands, are both avid animal lovers. It is not unusual for guests to be surrounded by all of their different pets when inside their home.
In July 2017 they realized their dog, Rio, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, was pregnant. Although Louise loves all of her dogs and cats, she has a particular fondness for Rio. This would be Rio’s second litter of puppies.
The dog had its first little when she was around two years old. This second pregnancy gave Louise peace of mind knowing the first litter was very healthy, and there had not been any complications. Louise anticipated the same for the second litter.
Rio’s first delivery of five puppies took about five hours. When the cute and healthy puppies were ready, Louie and Clair decided to give them to other pet-loving families.
Louise felt very positive about Rio’s second pregnancy. She figured since the first delivery went so smoothly, she could expect the same for the second. As the time grew near, they started to get ready for the delivery. They wanted to have everything they needed, as well as the supplies for the puppies available until the newborns were old enough to give away. Since they had given all of the puppies in Rio’s first delivery to other families, they anticipated the same thing for the second delivery. They were not aware they might change their minds.
The day finally arrived. Rio, Louise, and Clair were all prepared to do what needed to be done. The two women were next to Rio in case there might be a problem. They both wanted to be sure Rio was comfortable and that she was safe while giving birth to her puppies.
However, they soon realized something was not right. They knew they needed to step in to help Rio and her unborn puppies. The two women closely observed, but all they could determine was that Rio’s labor was not happening as planned. The dog gave them both an uncomfortable look. They took a closer look and realized that one pup was stuck.
They needed to decide if they were going to let Rio proceed, without help, or if they should assist their beloved pet. They put their gloves on and went to work. They assisted Rio with her first pup. That’s all that was needed. Soon the second pup arrived, then the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and, finally, the ninth.
Rio moved her puppies next to her. They began feeding. Louise and Clair, however, noticed something strange when they were looking through the newborns.
Golden retrievers tend to be the same color as that’s what makes them the dogs they are. Eight of the nine puppies had the expected color. However, the ninth didn’t have a golden appearance. In fact, it was mint green.
Louise and Clair began researching if the dog was sick. They soon read about biliverdin. This is green bile found in the womb of female dogs. Most puppies have it hidden deep beneath their skin and fur. This rare puppy probably had Rio’s biliverdin become mixed with the amniotic fluid. It resulted in staining the fur.
But, in time, the newborn grew into a beautiful dog – and had the same color coat as its brothers and sisters.
Louise and Clair gave eight puppies away. However, the green pup was so special they just couldn’t part with it. The doggie joined their family and was named Forest.
