He was found alone, hungry, and homeless wandering the streets of a suburb of Phoenix, AZ. Puffin dogs were used in Norway to hunt puffins and puffin eggs, both of which were considered quite valuable by the local population. Humans struggled to cash in though because puffins live in small caves.
The puffin dog breed is one of the rarest in the world. During World War II, the population dropped to 6. Their numbers have increased to an estimated 1,500 with only 350 in the United States. Aside from the small population, this type of dog is rare for other reasons. They have six toes (not including the dew claw).
This is how I was originally able to determine his breed and was relieved to discover that he is not a mutant mutt. A second distinction of puffin dogs is their ability to spread their forelegs to the side of their body at a 90 degree angle. A final distinguishing characteristic of puffin dogs is one that is shared with only one other mammal in the world; reindeer. They can touch the top of their head to their back.
I am excited and grateful that Banksy will be spending the rest of his life with me. He is a special pup and has already proven to be a great friend.
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