TORONTO -- A 17-year-old dog with nearly nine pounds of matted fur has been given a fresh start thanks to the help of staff at a Virginia animal shelter who provided him with a new doggy ’do.
In a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday, a worker at the Hope for Life Rescue shelter in Virginia Beach, Va. showed viewers the extent of the Shih Tzu’s knotted fur.
“I can’t even describe just how matted he is,” the woman says as she shows the tangled fur covering the dog’s eyes and ears.
“Oh gosh, look at this… I’m so sorry my boy.”
The dog, later named Master Roshi by the shelter staff, was taken to the groomers for a much-need makeover.
The grooming took more than three hours and the removed fur weighed nearly nine pounds, according to the shelter.
“You’re going to feel so much better now,” the worker tells the dog in the video.
In the video, the Shih Tzu appears to be almost unrecognizable following its extensive trim.
In an interview with local media, the shelter’s director, Paulina Cushman, said they discovered the dog is blind, deaf, and has trouble walking.
“I don’t understand why people don't cry out for help instead of letting the neglect go this far,” she told the television station WTKR. “Anybody would be willing to take and help a dog rather than waiting until it gets this far.”
Cushman said Master Roshi will be available for adoption pending the results of some blood tests from the veterinary clinic.
