Betty Burns and her colleagues, Heart of LCAC volunteers, were taken aback.
When a ball of matted fur came at the Clinton Animal Hospital, according to the article.
Animal control had contacted her after seeing a matted dog — or what they believed was a dog — walking around a yard in Clinton, South Carolina.
But nothing could have prepared Burns for the animal’s close encounter.
“We wouldn’t have known which end was his head if we hadn’t heard him panting,” Burns told The News.
“You couldn’t see his eyes, nose, or mouth because you couldn’t see them.
I’m not sure how this dog gets about like that.”
Burns and a team of groomers and doctors promptly anesthetized the dog and began releasing him from his fur cage.
In just four hours, approximately 15 pounds of hair filled two waste bags.
It was hard to determine what breed of dog he was with so much fur wrapped around him.
When the crew finished their job, they discovered that the cute dog, called Pat the Mat.
He was a 9-year-old cocker spaniel mix with a long torso and small legs.
Pat quickly began racing about, playing with toys, and was plainly relieved to be able to be a dog again.
Despite everything Pat has been through, the affectionate dog appears to be determined to leave the past behind.
The Rescue stepped in to care for the senior dog, and he is currently living comfortably in the home of his new foster family.
