A stray dog named Holland was dropped off at a shelter with matted fur on September 27, 2017. The Trio Animal Foundation stepped in to rescue the poor pup.
"Once in our care, we worked on trying to free Holland from the vice-like matted fur that encased her body," the foundation wrote on Facebook. "The width of the matted fur on her legs was over 2-3 inches thick."
They started working on getting the dog back to normal by removing the matted fur. Eventually, Holland got so stressed that the workers had to sedate her for a surgical grooming at the veterinarian's office.
After successfully shaving off layer upon layer of fur, Holland looked completely different. But there was still a lot to be done to help her emotionally. Because she had no human contact, the dog was scared of people. After weeks of training with a therapy dog, Holland began acting like a normal dog.
Keep scrolling to see her amazing transformation.
Holland was dropped off at a Chicago shelter. Once workers saw how matted her fur was, they called the Trio Animal Foundation (TAF).
The kind rescuers at TAF immediately got to work relieving Holland of her matted fur.
"Once in our care, we worked on trying to free Holland from the vice-like matted fur that encased her body," TAF wrote on Facebook. "For over two hours we tried to cut off some of the matted fur that enveloped Holland’s body."
The dog's entire body was suffering. From head to tail, Holland had been neglected, so TAF made it their mission to help her.
"A shell-like casing of matted fur covered most of her back and it looked like an exoskeleton from behind," the rescuers wrote on Facebook.
Even her ears were suffering. Trio Animal Foundation wrote that she had around six inches of fur on her ears.
"Holland’s matted ears dragged the ground and were at least 6 inches long… they should have been more like 2," they wrote.
There was so much fur that grooming scissors were proving to be useless. The rescuers made the decision to bring her to the vet and sedate her so she could get a surgical grooming.
"This was the only safe way to free her from the prison of her own fur," TAF explained.
Holland looks completely different now that she's been cared for properly. "Amazingly enough, Holland had no major health issues besides trauma to her skin," TAF wrote. "She was started on antibiotics and pain medication to help keep her comfortable and heal from the inside out."
After Holland was healthy, it was time to work on her emotional health. "The lack of human contact and socialization, in her prior life, had greatly affected Holland," TAF explained.
With the help of a therapy dog, Holland started coming out of her shell.
The dog started to make amazing progress after weeks of rehabilitation.
Eventually, Holland was ready for a forever home — and she found the perfect couple to adopt her!
A local couple fell in love with Holland and couldn't wait to take her home. "Holland immediately bonded with her new mom and dad and they were head over heels for her," TAF wrote. "This is a win for everyone!"
Please SHARE this post on Facebook if you're happy Holland found a forever home!