Just when you think you’ve seen it all and that dogs can’t get any cuter, you learn about a dog named Enzo that will surprise you.
Enzo Viola (full name: Lorenzo de’Medici Splotch Viola) is an English Golden Retriever with a rare “birthmark” who has thousands of followers on social media. This handsome Golden Boy was born with a rare genetic mutation that makes his face unique.
Golden retriever breeds typically have solid colored fur, but puppy Enzo was born with what his family calls “little” freckles. A beautiful dog sits on a leash
Mr. Enzo has large black fur around one eye and on one side of his face, hence the name: Black-Spotted Gold.
Until I heard of Enzo, I had never heard of anything like it, and I don’t think most people had. This is because this type of mutation is extremely rare. It occurs in only 1 in 900,000 dogs. The scientific name is pigmented somatic cell mutation. To put it simply, it is like a human birthmark.
Ella Castro, Enzo’s mom, explained it to The Dodo: “Golden retrievers are born with a base black coat, with a ‘modifier gene’ that turns them golden. Almost every dog has this modifier. Enzo has a little stumble in his DNA that erased it on that one part of his face.”
This little stumble in Enzo’s DNA has caused him to be a very special pup.
Mister Enzo has his own Instagram profile, which has more than 197K followers who fell in love with him.
The Castro family, from Texas, owns Enzo and shares his daily adventures with the rest of the world through photos and videos.
They describe Enzo as “pro napper, sock thiever, long-walk taker, kiss giver, and fuzzy snuggler.”
He was adopted by the family in 2016 when Enzo was only 2 months old. Besides his rare birthmark, he has always been just like any other puppy.
Dr. Christopher Reeder, of BluePearl Pet Hospital, said, “Other than coat color change and making a very interesting patterned animal, this appears to have no other ill effects. Just about any breed of dog can be affected.”
Even though he is very rare, Enzo is just like any other Golden Retriever that is very friendly and loves to play.
Castro said, “Most people don’t know he’s a golden, so they often ask his breed and say they assumed he was a mutt, because goldens are solid colored.”
Clarissa Castro, the daughter, told Mirror.co.uk, “We got to meet Enzo and his brothers, and we instantly fell in love with Enzo not just because of his marking, but because he was the sweetest and most playful puppy.”
Another special thing about Enzo is that he is actually unusually big for his breed; however, there is no proof that this is connected to his mutation. Other than that, he is just like any other pup who happens to be a little bit different-looking than the rest of his breed.
If you ever meet Enzo, you’ll see that he is the epitome of a “good boy” with his gentle nature, enormous love, and happy spirit.
