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By Liz O'Connell
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When thinking about Dalmatians, one typically thinks of their iconic black spots against their white fur, or the equally iconic movie, 101 Dalmatians, but one dog is making headlines after not sporting the famous markings.
When Joselyn Reyes adopted her Dalmatian puppy named Eli back in August, she knew Eli was special. She was the smallest puppy in the litter. With siblings significantly larger than her, the owners at the time needed to feed her separately because her siblings would not leave any food for her, Reyes told Newsweek via email.
But aside from the dog's size, Eli stood out as the only one in the litter without black spots that Dalmatians are known to have, despite the parents being both purebred.
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A Dalmatian's spotted pattern is the most distinctive of all American Kennel Club breeds, as it is found in no others, according to the group. Dalmatians are born solid white. Their spots start forming in around two weeks and can continue developing through the dog's first year.
"After seeing the siblings, we did think that she might be the only one without spots because they all had theirs developed," Reyes said.
And now, as Eli is over 1 year old, her spots have never come out, except the heart-shaped marking on her pink nose.
"She is an unbelievably caring Dalmatian," Reyes said. "She has the best connection with our one-year-old son."
Even Reyes' cousin couldn't get enough of Eli's adorable spotless fur. The cousin used Reyes' videos of Eli to share the adorable and unique dog on TikTok. The clip, which was posted to the account @shivani.reyes earlier this week, amassed over 1.5 million views.
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"I know that for dogs to be considered 100% purebred, they need to meet certain breed standards," Reyes said. "However, Eli is not a competition or breeding dog—she comes from two Dalmatians who also weren't bred with those intentions."
Confirming Eli was not mixed with any other dog breed, Reyes said she understands that over generations, certain traits may shift or vary, which led to Eli's special coat.
Viewer Reactions
TikTok viewers immediately fell in love with Eli, noting the rarity of a Dalmatian with zero spots.
"Safe from Cruella," joked one person.
A second wrote: "She's got all the spots she needs with the heart on her nose."
Another added: "Her momma ran out of ink that's all."
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Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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