Narwhal to stay with Mac's Mission founder; could be trained as therapy dog

Adoption is no longer on the table for Narwhal the Little Magical Furry Unicorn — Narwhal for short. Instead, Mac’s Mission founder Rochelle Steffen will house the beagle-mix puppy herself.

“I had no intention initially of keeping him,” Steffen said. “I didn’t want a puppy.” And beagles weren’t at the top of her list, either.

“I thought I would end up with another really sad bully case, because they’re the most misunderstood,” Steffen said, “But Narwhal is absolutely, exactly what we needed.”

She added, “It’s not just a decision from me. The whole rescue cannot fathom him leaving. We all fell in love with him.”

In the weeks following worldwide attention on Narwhal’s story because of the tail growing between his eyes, more than 300 adoption applications came in, Steffen said.

Their typical adoption process involves thorough vetting, but while that is feasible when fewer than five applications come in for a given dog, 300 applications made it a daunting prospect.

Beyond that, Steffen said some unsettling things have happened.

Online, people have made death threats against the puppy, “stupid, ugly comments about this sweet little puppy who has to have everything in his mouth right now.”

Steffen said she feared exploitation if Narwhal went to someone who might not have the puppy’s best interest at heart.

“If somebody is going to make money off of him, I would love to see it go toward the rescue, and save thousands more dogs,” Steffen said.

People have made “giant” offers to buy him, Steffen said. “But he’s not for sale.”

Steffen said people have shown up at the rescue.

Security measures are in place: cameras, a gate, a sign stating their hours as “by appointment only,” Steffen said.

Narwhal is in sight of Steffen or a trusted volunteer at all times, she said.

Add to that mix a court case Mac’s Mission is involved in now, regarding the sale of a previously adopted dog. That’s not supposed to happen, Steffen said, but the case has brought home to her that once a dog is adopted out, the organization essentially loses control over the animal’s fate.

She didn’t want that to happen to Narwhal.

And with the worldwide attention, Steffen said, there was just no way to ensure he’d be safe — except to keep him with her.

“We have had a rough couple of years here,” Steffen said of Mac’s Mission. “Lots of loss, lots of hurt.”

In July 2018, former Mac’s Mission treasurer Elizabeth Hann was accused of stealing $120,000 from the organization. Hann is awaiting trial in January, according to online records.

Steffen suffered numerous personal losses as well, she said. Her father died. One of her dogs died. She lost a close friend.

And Mac, the mission’s current spokesdog, is aging, Steffen said. He’ll turn 9 years old in January.

Mac’s Mission fills a niche, Steffen said. Not many animal rescues are devoted solely to special-needs cases.

When Mac the Pitbull was adopted nearly 9 years ago, Steffen said, he needed surgery. Steffen described printing T-shirts in her kitchen to sell at a farmers market to raise funds.

From those humble beginnings, Mac’s Mission now spans several states, with foster families, specialists and a special-needs coordinator. Her volunteer team and board members work diligently to save the dogs they can, and see them adopted into loving families.

Still, Steffen said, she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Then Narwhal came along.

Narwhal will never know he’s famous, she said. “[With Mac,] we’ve already proven that 8 years out we can have a spokesdog, that dog can lead a normal life,” Steffen said. “We want [Narwhal] to be the spokesdog for ‘Different is awesome.’”

Steffen said the long-term plan for Narwhal, at this point, is to train him as a therapy dog. That way, he can visit schools, nursing homes, and other places that could use a dose of Narwhal’s magic.

For now, though, Steffen said, she’s concentrating on letting him grow up a bit, getting him fully vaccinated and socialized.

“He’s just kind of a perfect little guy,” she said.