In order to be happy and healthy, many dogs need to be groomed regularly. This is especially true with the ones that have long and luscious fur.
Grooming includes having warm showers, cut nails, clean ears, and a nice, groomed, shiny coat. Unfortunately, not every pup gets to experience such a nice spa day that leaves them fresh and clean.
Some pups go months, even years without having their coat brushed, becoming dirty and completely matted.
Panda, a neglected stray, experienced exactly this as his fur wasn’t taken care of for over a year.
Saving Panda
Panda is a sweet little pup that came in as a stray to the Annenberg PetSpace, a Los Angeles-based institution designed to strengthen the human-animal bond through pet adoption.
He came in in a very rough state, as his entire fur was matted in one big mess.
“He very much smelled like a barnyard when we put him in the back of our vehicle. We really just wanted to give him a moment to decompress,” Catie told The Dodo.
After the staff managed to gain his trust, they got to work, shaving off all of those mats.
Panda was taken to Mario J Martin, a Los Angeles-based dog groomer, for a well-needed haircut.
Mario started shaving Panda’s fur millimeter by millimeter, trying to set him free from all the mats that were preventing him from living a happy life.
Luckily, Panda was a very good boy, as he cooperated with Mario the entire time almost as if he knew that what Mario was doing was in his best interest.
“You couldn’t tell where his tiny, little ears stopped and where the fur continued to go,” she added.
After some time of snipping away, the team was left with a pile of dirty mats and one beautiful, clean puppy.
Looking like a real handsome boy, Panda was able to be put up for adoption.
New Life
When a woman named Kitty was scrolling on her phone, she was met with a video of Panda’s transformation. As soon as she saw what a handsome boy he was, Kitty knew she needed to meet him.
“The one main thing going through my head was, ‘I hope he likes me’,” said Kitty.
And, sure enough, as soon as Panda met Kitty and her partner, he instantly fell in love, playing his little heart away with them.
As it was love at first sight, Kitty knew that she couldn’t live another day without this handsome boy by her side.
And, just like that, Panda was adopted!
Now, he is spending his days in the best home ever, surrounded by people who love and adore him.
His favorite activities include wagging his tail and riding in the car. Whenever he hears his parents going somewhere, he runs towards them, wondering where their field trip will take them.
“Every time I grab my purse, he is like ‘Where are we going? I am going too. Where are we going?’” she added.
Final Word
Seeing a puppy going from having a hard life to a life filled with happiness and love truly warms my heart.
Panda is now living the life of his dreams, having fun, driving around, and, most importantly, being regularly groomed.
Let this story be a reminder for you to take care of your puppy’s fur since it will not only get them looking nice and clean, but it will also keep them happy and healthy!