Blaze, an outgoing Labrador Retriever from Finland became an overnight internet sensation after photos showing his color change from black to white went viral on social media.
Blaze was born with a pure black fur and stayed that way for most of his life, but last year, his human master, Santeri, noticed a small white patch on his ear. He didn’t think too much of it, but the patch kept getting bigger, and before long it spread to the 10-year-old pooch’s face and torso, gradually turning his black coat, white. A photo showing Blaze’s transformation over the last year was recently posted on the Facebook group Dogspotting Society, where it received over 32,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments from people all over the world.
“The white color began spreading from a small spot on his ear. Interestingly, all of his brothers and sisters still remain single-colored,” Santeri recently told Bored Panda, adding that “Blaze is a healthy and very energetic guy. He’s always ready to join you wherever you go. He likes to make people happy and put a smile on their faces.”
Vitiligo is a skin condition mostly diagnosed in humans, but in rare cases it can also affect dogs. In humans, vitiligo is characterized by patches of skin losing their natural pigmentation, while in canines it is the fur that loses its color. The cause of vitiligo is currently unknown, and there is no known cure for it.
Luckily, the condition has no other negative side-effect, so Blaze is a healthy, outgoing dog that loves nothing more than to spend his days outside playing.
Santeri has been documenting the progress of Blaze’s depigmentation on Instagram, where he set up a page for his beloved pet in January of this year. He currently only has around 3,000 followers there, but his unique look is bound to make him a star on the popular social network soon.
Blaze was born with a pure black fur and stayed that way for most of his life, but last year, his human master, Santeri, noticed a small white patch on his ear. He didn’t think too much of it, but the patch kept getting bigger, and before long it spread to the 10-year-old pooch’s face and torso, gradually turning his black coat, white. A photo showing Blaze’s transformation over the last year was recently posted on the Facebook group Dogspotting Society, where it received over 32,000 likes and nearly 3,000 comments from people all over the world.
“The white color began spreading from a small spot on his ear. Interestingly, all of his brothers and sisters still remain single-colored,” Santeri recently told Bored Panda, adding that “Blaze is a healthy and very energetic guy. He’s always ready to join you wherever you go. He likes to make people happy and put a smile on their faces.”
