Pawrents adopt a puppy that doesn't grow, discover her doggy dwarfism gene, meaning that this perfectly pint-sized pupper will remain a puppy permanently

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Feb 3, 2025 1:00 PM EST

One of the worst parts of owning a puppy is how quickly the puppies grow out of being sweet, innocent babies. In the blink of an eye, they double in size and start having opinions of their own. If you're considering adopting a puppy in the near future, we have one piece of advice for you: cherish it. Take every picture. Enjoy every moment…because it won't last long. Soon enough, your pawdorable puppy will be an angsty teenager arguing with you over a piece of food on the floor and you will long for the days when they would just simply fall asleep in your arms.

That is, unless, you end up adopting a doggo with the "dwarfism" gene. This basically causes your precious pupper to remain a puppy permanently, and although it sounds pawfectly adorable, it does come with its fair share of health complications. One such family adopted a Belgian Malinois as a puppy, and when we wasn't growing any bigger, they found out he had this pupticular gene. Their little baby will remain little forever, and we can't stop looking at how stinking cute they are. Scroll down to see more!

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    Hi we just found out our 3 month old girl has the doggy dwarfism gene. 1 count out of two. Anyone with experience with this? Her vet doesn't seem too concerned and her legs are pretty straight. She is currently 13 weeks and 17 lbs
    via u/dannixp511
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  • We don't want any more animals to suffer from this genetic condition, but if there happened to be one available for adoption, we wouldn't say no. Sure, it would be a lot of vet visits and checkups…but imagine having a doggo that stays a puppy-sized furever. That sounds like the dream!

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    Florida1693 Awe!! No experience but cute
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    Flat-Confection4175 You have a Malociraptor and you can safely leave food on the counter. Count yourself lucky! Such a cute pupper!!
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    ButteredLove1 I don't, but oh my God she is so precious! Good luck to you guys!!
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    jazzdabb The only other dwarf mal I've seen is Drew the Maligator. His owner left reddit for some reason but is still active on Instagram.
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    Drew the Maligator

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    Drew the Maligator

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  • She looks surprisingly like our little girl. She's a mix with some Belgian Malinois in her. After her puppy phase, we understood why they call them “maligators”. They really do chomp at everything. Especially your hands. And ankles. And everything else they can get their teeth on.

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    TheReLoveRetro omg! she is so cute! And wont be able to snag an entire pizza off the counter, a loaf of bread out of the pantry, half a meatloaf off the stove, open the refrigerator by herself and eat a whole pack of sliced turkey, or
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    get the tv remote of the shelf and destroy it. I hope the dwarfism doesn't effect her health and she lives a wonderful long sweet life. She is too cute and unique.
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    pantwearingmom Well, I'm not happy for the condition of this cute little pup. I just have to say that this little Belgian melon is by far the cutest one I've ever seen in my entire life.!
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    Far-Fig7278 I had a roommate who's pitty had dwarfism. He lived a full, healthy life. Just the cutest little doggie!!
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    Cute_Reference7957 So you tell me she's puppy size forever? You won the lottery man
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    Horror-Tell-2543 No experience but if you haven't start an IG for her. She could be famous and those dog accounts make a ton of money. Take photos and videos to pay those vet bills! What a cutie.
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    sarcasmsspasms Mine is not a dwarf...sometimes I wish she had the gene when she pulls me halfway down the street...but gosh your little one is sooo cute
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    benitomusswolini How cute!!! There was a Mal that used to get posted here a lot named Drew and he has dwarfism. Here is his Instagram if you're interested! Owner is super nice I've spoken to them a few times about their dogs (:
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    Bubbly_Ad_1602 Omg I had no idea a dog could have this condition. But so freaking cute
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    justwendii Omg a tiny maligator? I can't!
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aww dogs cute dogs adorable Belgian Malinois pupper puppy cute cute puppies doggos doggo pawrents animals dwarfism
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