In Las Vegas, the team at Animal Angels Rescue Foundation received a call about a stray dog moving through the city in heartbreaking condition.
When they reached him, the sight was difficult to take in. His coat was so filthy, overgrown, and tightly matted that rescuers could not even tell whether he was a boy or a girl.
Before they knew anything else about him, they chose a neutral name: Blythe.
Everything about his appearance pointed to a long, lonely struggle. It was clear he had been surviving on his own for more time than anyone could guess, and seeing him like that left the team shaken.
The Incredible Makeover
AARF immediately jumped into action to help this little pooch, even though the sight of it broke their heart into a million pieces. How can someone do something like this to an innocent little pup?
The poor thing must have suffered so much, but now with the help of the wonderful rescue team, Blythe’s new life can finally begin.
The rescuers picked Blythe up from the street and took it urgently to the vet.
“The vet wasn’t sure this kid even had two eyes, the matting was so bad,” the rescue wrote in their Facebook post.
The vet gave Blythe a shave, a medicated bath, and a much-needed nail trim. Finally, they could tell Blythe was a boy – and now he looked like a completely new dog.
He immediately felt much better without all those heavy mats, but the vet also discovered that he had several health issues. Living on the street in such a condition has taken a serious toll on this little dog’s health.
Blythe was severely dehydrated, malnourished, and itchy. Blythe’s skin was burned and infected from trapped urine, and his back teeth were completely destroyed from eating stones and rocks.
The Path To A Better Life
After the initial treatment, the smile returned to Blythe’s face. He was such a sweet and happy doggo – everyone fell in love with him.
According to the vet, he is around two years old or even younger, and he was probably a breeding dog.
At first, everyone thought he was a white Shih Tzu, but upon closer inspection, they realized that Blythe was most likely a Poodle mixed with some kind of Terrier.
“He was a little scared and confused leaving the vet today but once he went into his fosters home and met the other dogs and kids, that smile on his face is permanent. He is one very happy kid! I’m sure he is relieved never having to live outdoors like that again…,” the Nevada-based rescue wrote in a Facebook update.
The next step in Blythe’s journey was to neuter him and perform extensive dental surgery at Park Animal Hospital.
The dental surgery was very difficult, and they had to remove 11 back teeth because of exposed roots. Whatever this little guy ate to survive completely destroyed his teeth.
He is now recovering at his foster home and will hopefully be completely pain-free.
“If he can make it through what he’s been through for who knows how long, this is going to be nothing for him,” Animal Angels Rescue Foundation member Reegan Tabor told KLAS-TV.
They are hopeful that after some decompression time, Blythe will be ready for his own forever home where he’ll be safe, loved, happy, and secure for the rest of his life.