A Golden Retriever named Enzo is just a regular dog, but he has a facial feature that makes him uniquely adorable. When he was just 2 years old, he found his loving family and a forever home, and Enzo has been living the dream since. What makes Enzo different from all regular Golden Retrievers? His face has a unique birthmark that makes him stand out from the rest and has become his special feature.
Enzo has a rare condition that is not typical for his breed. He has a genetic mutation that caused a black patch on the left side of his face. Purebred Golden Retrievers have the typical single bright golden fur. However, his condition left a black birthmark on his face, and this made him more beautiful and unique.
“Golden retrievers are born with a base black coat, with a ‘modifier gene’ that turns them golden,” said Ella Castro, Enzo’s mom. “Almost every dog has this modifier. Enzo has a little stumble in his DNA that erased it on that one part of his face.”
According to DogGenetics, Enzo’s rare condition is called Pigmented Somatic Cell Mutation. If a pigment somatic mutation takes place during the development of the embryo, patches of another colour may appear on the animal. This is often seen as black patches on recessive red Labradors and Golden Retrievers.
What kind of life does everyone think Enzo lives nowadays? He has become famous in social media platforms and a star on the internet. He has over 200k followers! If you want to view more photos of this amazing pooch, you can follow him on Instagram at mister.enzoviola.
Enzo does not have a clue how special he is and lives a life like a normal Golden Retriever. When passersby see him, they are instantly fascinated with the pooch and makes his life even happier by befriending everyone, including parents walking their pets.
“Most people don’t know he’s a golden,” Ella said. “They often ask his breed and say they assumed he was a mutt, because goldens are solid colored. And Enzo is extremely large for his age!”
If you want to keep up with his adventures, follow him on Instagram.
Images credits: © Enzo Viola @mister.enzoviola/Instagram
