London - He's the star of the dog rescue centre – a puppy with a tail on his head.
The ten-week-old animal has been named Narwhal, after the whale species that has a single large tusk.
He has been taken in by Mac’s Mission, a rescue centre that specialises in helping dogs with special needs in the US.
Rochelle Steffen, the rescue centre’s founder said: "He’s literally the most magical thing you’ve ever seen, and so happy.
"Everybody wants to see him. I’ve had so many volunteers come over and say 'hey, can we play with Narwhal?' It’s now become the thing to take selfies with him because he’s just so cute."
X-rays found no bones in the growth and Narwhal was given a clean bill of health by a vet on Tuesday. The tail will not be removed unless it becomes a problem, for example, by getting into his eyes.
Narwhal is not yet available for adoption because staff want him to "grow a bit more and truly make sure the tail doesn’t become a bother".
Steffen said he was one of hundreds of dogs dumped in rural Missouri. Photos and videos of him on the centre’s Facebook page have gained tens of thousands of "likes" in 24 hours, bringing the rescue centre in Missouri welcome publicity.
Those taken in by Mac’s Mission mostly have problems such as deformities, clefts, trauma and "anything major". They would otherwise be likely to be put down so – said Steffen – "there is a great need to give them a chance". They have included a five-legged dog and a three-limbed dachshund – but Narwhal is a first for Steffen.
She said of his extra tail: "Everybody has said that it looks like a tail that just didn’t develop fully. It kind of curls right down under his eyes. We deal with such unique animals here that we love to let them keep their uniqueness."
She added: "It’s been really good to have such a rock star in our midst because all this attention is helping our other dogs. He loves it, he’s like, 'who’s going to hold me next?' He’s just this little anomaly that’s absolutely perfect."