Pick of the Litter: Green Great Dane Born in Canon City

A litter of Great Dane puppies born in Canon City, Colorado, on October 14 featured one unusual but adorable addition in the shape of Verdant, a green female pup.The owner of the puppies, Caddy Williams, told Storyful that Verdant’s arrival made for some initial confusion. “When she was first being born (still in the sac) I thought she was black and wrote that down,” she said.“As her mom started cleaning her I thought she was merle (grey with black spots). I crossed out black and wrote merle. Mom stopped so I took over cleaning and her color came off on my cloth. I was just amazed! I crossed of merle and wrote “polka dot?” because she was patchy like a paint horse.“That’s when I began to notice the green. I used my phone flashlight and couldn’t believe it so I wrote green. A little while later when there was more sunlight on her she just flowed green.”When interviewed by local media, Williams said that Verdant was one of nine puppies born to her Great Dane Ami. As for the standout new arrival, she said, “I just love her. She’s like a little shamrock puppy.”Verdant’s color is temporary, with Rover.com reporting that a chemical called biliverdin, which makes bile, is largely responsible. A high level of the biliverdin would have been present in the puppy’s birth sac. Credit: Caddy Williams via Storyful