Last year, a dog named Toby was rescued from a dumpster. At the time, Toby’s fur was so long, matted and tangled that he barely even looked like a dog and could hardly see or move.

“He was abandoned by his previous [parent], and it was clear he had been abused when [my uncle] rescued him,” Callie Crowe, one of his current caretakers, told The Dodo.

Callie Crowe

After the initial rescue, Crowe’s family stepped in to take care of the dog when her uncle fell ill.

“We have had dogs before, and a big family, so we rushed to help him,” Crowe said.

Toby was feeling extremely anxious when he first arrived at Crowe’s family’s home. Crowe knew the first step they needed to take to get him to start feeling better was a haircut.

As they shaved away Toby’s matted layers of fur, the dog he’d been all along emerged.

Callie Crowe

“We were all in shock and almost didn’t believe [he] was the same dog. It was honestly a bit emotional to see him after his transformation,” Crowe said.

As soon as Toby had shed all his extra weight, he started feeling much better. He could finally run freely and see clearly. Toby’s haircut was only the beginning of his transformation, though. Gaining Toby’s trust proved to be a slow process.

“When he finally allowed himself to be pet, it was a sigh of relief,” Crowe said. “He used to only eat in the presence of … our dad, but [has] now extended his comfort to everyone in the house. He loves to play fetch with the tennis ball and welcomes everyone that comes in the drive.”

Toby still feels anxious sometimes, but his emotions have transformed just as much as his outsides have.

Crowe hopes that once her uncle starts feeling better, Toby can see his original rescuer again.

“We got him cleaned up, but it was our uncle who saved Toby and gave him a second chance at life,” Crowe said. “Hopefully they can reunite soon.”

Follow us to see more useful information, as well as to give us more motivation to update more useful information for you.
Source: CNN