Do you have a dog with two different colored eyes? Maybe one brown and one blue? It is the result of a condition called heterochromia iridum in which there is a relative lack or excess of melanin, or pigment. While it’s usually inherited, it can be caused by disease or injury. And it happens to occur more often in animals, especially in cats and dogs, and it is most common in Siberian Huskies, Australian Shepherds, and the Catahoula Leopard Dog.
Generally, the condition does not affect a dog’s ability to see, although if you let your imagination spin a little, you can pretend that one eye sees reality and the other eye sees into the dream world, giving the dog a certain insight into your perception.
So here are some dogs with magical eyes … what do you imagine they’re seeing?
I’ve only ever seen dogs with one blue and one brown eye — have you seen any other combinations?
As a kid I always wanted two colored eyes, and I used to write lots of stories about characters with eyes of different colors.
Some people are weirded out by dogs with two different colored eyes, but I think it’s kind of beautiful.
Post photos of your heterochromia iridum dogs below!
Learn more about dogs with Dogster:
- The 10 Biggest Misconceptions About Guide Dogs for the Blind
- 6 Things to Remember When You Have a Fearful Dog
- Four Things You Should Know About Your Dog’s Growl
About Liz Acosta: Dogster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Dogster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!
