Stray Doodle Found With Hair So Matted Rescuers ‘Not Able To Find His Skin’

A stray dog has been rescued in such an extreme state of neglect that it was difficult for him to see or even walk.

Rudolph the doodle first arrived at the Seattle Animal Shelter on August 8, having been found wandering the streets by a member of the public. Little is known about Rudolph’s life before he came to the shelter, but it is likely that he once belonged to someone. “He was very social, so definitely had had human contact,” Melissa Mixon from the Seattle Animal Shelter told Newsweek.

What was clearer, however, was that Rudolph was in desperate need of grooming. Poodles and poodle mixes like Rudolph require regular grooming, otherwise their coats can become overgrown. It is not uncommon for first-time owners to struggle with this, but Rudolph was an extreme case.

In a video posted to the Seattle Animal Shelter TikTok channel, the staffers said how their initial efforts to try to find out if Rudolph had a previous owner were thwarted because his fur was so matted, they were “not able to find his skin for a microchip.”

“He kept bumping into walls and seemed to startle easily, probably because he couldn’t see well,” Mixon said. “His movement was also restricted because of the severity of the matting, and he was unable to take full strides when he was walking. This kept him from moving very quickly and moving his head and neck around freely.”

Entering an animal shelter can be a stressful experience for a dog. According to a 2006 study from the journal Physiology and Behavior, canines entering the shelter system have three times the level of stress hormone cortisol in their system than those residing in a standard household.

Any anxiety Rudolph might have felt quickly washed away once staff got to work giving him the groom he so desperately needed. It took over an hour-and-a-half and two members of staff using four different sets of clippers, but eventually the job was complete, and Rudolph was a dog reborn.

“As soon as the grooming was completed, his mood was noticeably better. He was jumping and running all around the clinic and rubbing his freshly bathed body on clinic surfaces and staff,” Mixon said.

“When taken out into the corral later that week, Rudolph was springing up in the air with his legs flailing like a baby giraffe having the time of his life.”

A fan of chasing tennis balls, treats and getting his back scratched, Rudolph’s new lease on life soon helped him get adopted.

He is now happy and healthy in a new home where he is already being put through his paces. Mixon said, however, that caring for dogs like Rudolph takes work.

“Rudolph is going to need regular grooming every four to six weeks for the rest of his life, just like all poodles and poodle mixes,” she added. “This also means keeping him up to date on vaccinations, as most grooming facilities won’t allow dogs who are not vaccinated.”

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