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Meet Pistachio, the rare green puppy born in Italy

It took only seconds for Italian farmer Cristian Mallocci to name one of the five puppies born Oct. 9 Pistachio.

The green-furred puppy stood in stark contrast to his four siblings, all white like their mother, Spelacchia, BBC News reported.

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According to Reuters, green fur in puppies is extremely rare and is believed to occur when pale-colored pups have contact in their mother’s womb with a green pigment called biliverdin, the same pigment that causes bruises to sometimes appear green.

The effect is also temporary, with the color fading as the canine ages, and Mallocci confirmed Pistachio’s fur has already dulled from its bright green on the day of his birth, the news outlet reported.

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Mallocci also said he plans to give Pistachio’s brothers and sisters away to new homes but keep the green pooch on the farm he runs with his brother-in-law Giannangelo Liperi on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The plan is for Pistachio to tend the farm’s sheep alongside Spelacchia, BBC News reported.

Green, he added, is the symbol of hope and luck, so perhaps it was meant to be that Pistachio might bring a little of both to both his farm and all who take joy in the puppy’s uniqueness, Reuters reported.