At first glance, it might be hard to figure out what's in the photo, but if you look really closely, you'll notice a darling little nose and one sad eye peering out. The bundle of matted, filthy fur actually covers Timberly, one of the sweetest dogs you could ever want to know.
Timberly's human mom had fallen ill and thought it was best to keep her pal outside so he didn't make her condition worse. What she did, however, left the pooch in misery. Fortunately, the Anti-Cruelty Society responded in time to save him from a miserable death.
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Little Timberly had spent the cold Chicago winter outside, shivering in the frigid weather. A cat feeder in the neighborhood noticed him and called the Anti-Cruelty Society.
Fortunately, society officials were able to convince his owner to surrender the dog. What transpired after that is nothing short of amazing!
Poor Timberly was the poster child for someone uncomfortable in his own skin.
“He couldn’t move much and was wary of new people,” Colette Bradley of the Anti-Cruelty Society told The Dodo. “He was completely covered in mats of hair and he could only see out of one eye due to an overgrowth of hair. He moved very slowly and couldn’t walk very far.”
The volunteers went to work freeing him from the matted tangle his fur had become, but it soon became apparent they would need professional help to shave all the mats from his skin without hurting him.
A professional groomer volunteered to finish the job the next day, and after several hours, Timberly was finally free of his matted coat. It was doubtful that he'd ever been groomed before: Three pounds of fur was removed from his tiny body.
As soon as the fur started coming off, Timberly began to come out of his shell.
“He was very happy when the mats came off,” Bradley said. “As they were freeing him from the hair, his body relaxed. He started showing affection to the volunteer holding him and we started to see a bit more of his personality come out.”
The little dog had been neglected for so long that he didn't trust people when they touched him. All that started changing, however, as Timberly adjusted to the gentle pats and belly rubs from the volunteers. They're enthusiastic with the prospect that someday soon the pup will be ready to go to a warm and loving forever home.
“He’s come a long way since he first arrived and we’re excited to continue to see him progress,” Bradley said.
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