12-week-old “Unicorn” Golden Retriever captures hearts and imagination

Rae is just 12 weeks old, but for such a young dog her future looks bright. With already 9,000 (and counting) followers on Instagram her appeal will not dwindle, and her fame is here to stay.

The Golden Retriever pup was born with severe congenital abnormalities and required surgery.

As she recovered from her ops, her ear migrated to the top of her head. It causes no harm to Rae, although the dog requires full time care.

The Unicorn

Understandably, Rae has been nicknamed, “unicorn” due to the placement of the organ. There is no known cause of the ear's movement.

One of the carers at a vet's hospital in Michigan fell in love with her straight away and has since adopted her.

Brianna Aardema was one of the people caring for Rae at Family Friends Veterinary Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"The minute I saw her, I knew I wanted to raise her and be there for her even though I knew the road to recovery wouldn't always be easy," Aardema told Good Morning America.

Aardema now takes care of Rae full time.

"She's an amazingly brave tough little girl who has the most confidence of any puppy I've known," Aardema said.