Facebook/Trio Animal FoundationWhen the kind souls at the Trio Animal Foundation in Chicago found this dog at a local shelter, they "didn't know which end was front or back." The poor dog was covered in flies and gnats, matted fur, other debris and its own urine.
"We had to get a treat to see which end lifted up to sniff," Sue Naiden, who founded TAF and pulled the dog out of the shelter, explained on Facebook. "We couldn't even figure out if the dog was a male or female."
Sue called in Kelli, a groomer at Mutt Hutt, for a haircut. They learned the pup was a girl.
It took more than an hour and a half to shave Ellen, as they named her, only to discovered raw and irritated skin underneath the two pounds of hair. Still, "never once did Ellen growl or show her teeth."
"Ellen actually looked up at me and started to give me kisses," Sue says. "The first time that she could feel the touch of my hand on her newly shaven back, she looked me in the eyes and it was as if she was saying thank you."
After that it was time for a bath, a new collar, leash, and, of course, some new toys.
After a final trim, here she is. The new (and thankfully, improved) Ellen.
More importantly, Ellen is finally in a place where she is loved. She met some new dog friends (and took particular liking to Sue's family's big Doberman), ate a hearty dinner, and got a soft place to rest her head.
If you're interested in giving Ellen a forever home, fill out the adoption application here.