It is certain that most people just can’t get over cute fluffy animals. Cats, dog, bunnies or pandas – you name it! And the tinier, the better, isn’t that right? Well, in this case, mother nature decided to play a prank and made a normally pretty large dog, a German Shepherd, stay looking like a cute tiny puppy for as long as he lives. Sadly, it had to come with a price to pay. But don’t you worry, this is a story with a very happy ending!

This is Ranger

Ranger is a fully grown 2-year-old purebred German Shepherd who despite his age is stuck in puppy-hood forever. This is due to a rare condition he has – Pituitary Dwarfism. He was diagnosed with Dwarfism after an infection caused by a parasite called Giardia.

A 2-year-old German Shepherd with a rare condition that has him stay in puppy-hood forever

Ranger’s owner Shelby Mayo took to explaining his condition: “When we originally got Ranger from the breeder, he was smaller than all his other littermates, but we figured that was because he had a parasite called Coccidia. In the weeks following, we took him home and he was parasite free but later on ended up getting a parasite called Giardia. At the same time, we also discovered that Ranger had a large infection on his neck. We were eventually able to get the infection under control, fast forward a few months later we were finally able to get rid of Giardia.

He was diagnosed with Pituitary Dwarfism after having an infection

After he recovered from the sickness, his owners noticed there might be something wrong, as he wasn’t growing at the rate he was supposed to grow anymore. It took a trip to the vet for them to find out Ranger’s peculiar condition.

But despite the health issues that followed his diagnosis

Even though his condition has him stuck in this forever cute stage, there are some side effects that come with his condition. Due to that, he had such health issues as shedding fur and flaky skin. It is all caused by a disorder in the endocrine system called Hypothyroidism that causes the thyroid gland to not produce enough thyroid hormone.

Ranger is now a very cute, fully healthy and happy doggo!

But worry no more! His loving owners and mesmerized online followers made sure he got the right treatment and has now made a full recovery. Ranger has never let any of it get him down and is generally a happy and healthy doggo that enjoys his time with his doggo friends and siblings!