Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/matted-texas-dog/

A sweet little dog discovered in a Texas cornfield has been rescued from a life of pain and misery after who knows how long when the South Plains Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) stepped in and came to his aid.

“When I first got the call, these people had found this dog behind their house in a cornfield, and I got a call by my president [Kim Moyers] to go pick this dog up,” Tori Houston, a foster mom and volunteer with the South Plains SPCA, told PEOPLE.

“And when I arrived, the condition of this dog was probably the worst I had ever seen in any dog, ever. He had so much hair you didn’t know which was the front, which was the back. He was covered in goat heads (stickers). He stunk so bad,” she noted. “You couldn’t see any part of his body. He looked like a pile of sheep wool.”

Referring to him as Matt now (for obvious reasons), Moyers went on to say that his hair growth was about five years of matting!

According to the South Plains SPCA, “Matt went to Ark Hospital for Pets around 7:15 Monday morning with his foster, Tori Houston. Kayla Thurmon, with Kayla’s Grooming Service, came to the vet office, and after Matt was sedated, Kayla performed her grooming magic! Matt’s total hair shaved off weighed in around 3 lbs. There were thousands of goat head stickers, sticks, grass, and even beetles matted in his fur.

“He has severe bruises on his body from his fur being tight on his skin. Blood work has been done, and he is anemic and on medication. He is heartworm negative and tick-disease-negative. There is NO way ticks and fleas could have crawled through his matted fur. Matt will need a dental once his blood work indicates it’s safe. He is also on eye drops several times a day, as his eyes are extremely irritated. After his groom and him waking up, he is such a sweet boy. His age is estimated 6 years old. His care will be lengthy, but he will be up for adoption once he has healed and all vetting done.”

Prior to his grooming, one of their Facebook posts also noted that “there was a leash embedded throughout the hair and that led to a collar embedded to the neck. We were able to cut the collar/leash out in segments. If you can, please donate towards the care of this dog.” They also added “You can call Ark Hospital for Pets between 7:00 am – 1 pm to donate (806-745-2955), donate via Venmo, or donations can be brought by our facility.”

Once Matt is available for adoption, the South Plains SPCA will post the announcement on Facebook, so stay tuned to their page if you’re interested in providing this adorable cutie patootie with a loving forever home.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog