We all love our pets, no matter what they look like. Many dogs change their look a bit as they get older but still stay the same inside.
But for one dog, that change was even more noticeable and unexpected—but his new look has made him an internet star.
Santeri Frilander, from Finland, is the owner of a black lab named Blaze. Like most dogs of his breed, Blaze always had a monochromatic jet-black coat of fur:
But suddenly, some unusual white fur spots started appearing on Blaze.
“At first, we thought it was just aging, but the white color started to come more and more month by month,” Santeri told The Dodo. “Other dogs in the same litter have remained one color.”
The white patches continued to appear and spread, until suddenly he looked like a totally different dog:
It turns out, it wasn’t due to aging… it was due to a condition called vitiligo.
Vitiligo can be found in humans, characterized by blotches of skin without pigmentation. In cats and dogs, the condition results in white patches of fur.
But while the condition changed the dog’s appearance, it just made him beautiful in a new way.
“Vitiligo is just a cosmetic thing,” Santeri said. “Blaze is a good example of how difference is beautiful.”
And while he’s changed a lot on the outside, Blaze is still the same playful, friendly dog he’s always been.
“Blaze is a healthy and very energetic guy,” Santeri told Bored Panda. “He’s always ready to join you wherever you go. He even loves to travel inside a car.”
“He likes to make people happy and put a smile on their faces.”
People clearly agree Blaze is beautiful, and he’s become popular online: his Instagram now has over 8,000 followers, and a photo of him has over 32,000 likes on the Dogspotting Facebook group.
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