Abandoned spaniel puppy born with six legs stuns animal rescuers: 'Never seen this before'

Dogs are undeniably one of the best creatures on Earth. Somehow, they always manage to provide humans with all the love and acceptance we need. Unfortunately, they are not given the same love or understanding from their owners in many cases. Most people prefer to welcome pups that are perfect to the T and the moment they detect any flaw, humans are quick to abandon them. Something similar happened to Ariel, a black female spaniel puppy who was born with six legs. According to PEOPLE, she was abandoned and left to fend for herself in a parking lot. Fortunately, she was rescued and is now on her way to good health.

The whole incident took place in Pembrokeshire, where the puppy was found in the parking lot at the Pembroke Dock location of the B&M home improvement and garden store chain. On September 27, the store authorities noticed the puppy and immediately contacted Greenacres Rescue at the Ebbs Acres Farm. The rescue team reached the location and took the puppy into their custody. On further analysis, it was found that apart from the limb deformity, there were other issues with the puppy as well.

The rescue team made a post on Facebook urging people to come forward with information about the puppy in case she was lost. Though the team hoped to find her parents, they had no plans of waiting around. Their intention was to immediately, “begin a diagnosis and treatment plan with our vets." The team added, "We are hoping she can live a normal life if her tests prove favorable."

The story soon earned a lot of traction, with the rescue team constantly getting asked about the pup's condition. Many began donating to the pup's cause. The following day, they posted another update saying that “internally [the dog] is normal” and “her organs are all as they should be.” Though at present there are no immediate problems in the vicinity, the pup's anatomy is still a cause of concern, as per the vets. She appears to have "the beginnings of an additional vulva. Her pelvis hasn’t formed properly due to the extra hip joint," the rescue shared.

The plan going forward is to conduct tests after one month “with the aim of removing the additional limbs and exploring the function of her remaining leg." "There is a possibility she may lose one of her own legs due to the structure of the additional limbs and pelvis, but time will tell,” the shelter wrote. “For now, we can relax and just let her be a pup. She has a long road of surgery and recovery ahead, but we are confident we can ‘get her right,’ and that’s all that matters.”

According to the rescue team, this is the first time such an anatomical defect might have been recorded. Speaking to Newsweek, Mikey Lawlor, a representative from Greenacres, said: "We have no idea why she would be born with a defect. Never seen this before."

The team has also given the pup a name, Ariel, after The Little Mermaid character, as her extra legs make her look like a mermaid. Ariel has been placed at a foster home and will soon get started on vaccinations, according to the Greenacres Rescue.